Why Spray Foam Is the ‘Greener’ Insulation
The 'Greener' Insulation: Spray Foam
With so many kinds of insulation products available on the market, it’s hard to know which one is best for your home. We’re here to help you make the right decision.
UNDERSTANDING THE EFFICIENCIES OF SPRAY FOAM
Comparing Spray Foam Insulation to Other Insulations.
This video mimics the heat source that is installed in your home. It pushes warm air into three different insulated “homes” to show you how much air can flow through each insulation type. The traditional materials (batts and cellulose) have an insulating R-value of 30, and as you can see the heat and air flowing through them varies greatly. Think of this in terms of a windbreaker versus a wool sweater. The Icynene spray foam acts like a warm windbreaker and stops conditioned air from passing through your home. On the flip side, Fiberglass and cellulose act like a wool sweater with larger holes for air to pass through. This air leakage contributes to higher-than-average heating and cooling bills. In the video, take a look at the floating ping pong balls. The houses insulated with traditional materials are not as efficient at keeping the conditioned air in, but the house with Icynene spray foam insulation is well sealed with no air escaping from the space.
In every home, there are places where air can escape. But by using a superior insulation material, like Icynene spray foam, you can insulate and air seal in one step. To keep your home comfortable while limiting air leakage, it expands up to 100 times its size to fill every crack and gap, unlike fiberglass and cellulose where it is hard to install perfectly into cracks and gaps. This keeps your home at the optimal temperature all year round. Just look at the temperature difference in the video between all three types of insulation (cellulose - 111.6°F, spray foam – 77°F, fiberglass - 105°F). You can clearly see that Icynene is far superior to the traditional options. Icynene’s air sealing properties help reduce your monthly heating or cooling bills and keep your home comfortable regardless of season. By using Icynene, you can improve your energy efficiency and comfort of your home while allowing you to save on your heating and cooling bills. Plus, thanks to its air seal, Icynene spray foam can also help minimize allergens and pollutants that enter your home.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Icynene has been awarded a GREENGUARD Gold certification by UL Environment for having ultra-low VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), and high performance which both contribute to valuable points in established green building programs.
