What insulating materials have the highest R-value?

R-value is resistance to air flow. The higher the R-value, the more efficient the insulation material is.
One of the major factors that determines R-value, is what the insulating material is composed of.

Insulating materials and R-values:
There are many different types of materials that are commonly used in the insulation of a building. Some of these materials are more efficient than others. The following is a list of common insulating materials, arranged in order from least to most efficient.

- Rock wool : R-Value per sq. inch = 2.5
- Loose fill fiberglass : R-Value per sq. inch = 2.5
- Standard Fiberglass batts : R-Value per sq. inch = 3.1
- Icynene Spray : R-Value per sq inch. = 3.6
- Blown cellulose : R-Value per sq. inch = 3.8
-Polystyrene Board : R-Value per sq. inch = 5.0
-Polyurethane Rigid Panel : R-Value per sq. inch = 7.0
(Wikipedia, R-Value)

How insulation improves your home's energy efficiency

We are commonly asked how attic insulation improves a home's energy efficiency. This post will describe how.

Heat in your home flows naturally from warmer to cooler areas. We all know that heat rises, and cooler air drops.
In the winter months, hot air rises toward our ceilings from our air vents, and passes through our ceilings, into our attic space. The only thing stopping the air passing through is our ceiling.
In the summer months, it works the opposite way. Hot air is generated from the sun on our roofs, and passes through our attic, into the ceiling of your home.

The only way to stop this natural flow of heat, is attic insulation.

Attic insulation creates a barrier between your attic space and your ceiling. The thicker the barrier, the more resistance the air receives when trying to pass through. This resistance is called R-Value. We will cover the importance of R-Value in our next post.

Green Space Construction Co. is an insulation contractor in St. Louis Mo. that specializes in attic insulation. Please click on the link to the right, for a free installation quote.

Attic Insulation

One of the most popular products in green building today is blown cellulose insulation.

What is cellulose insulation?

Cellulose insulation is a fairly new insulating material that is composed of bits of shredded recycled newspaper. Cellulose insulation is one of the best materials to use when building or retrofitting a space that needs to be insulated. Cellulose insulation is also extremely efficient, and very Eco-friendly.

Installing blown cellulose attic installation is a great way to save money on your energy costs. A savings of 20% or more is typically achieved after insulating your attic space. The cost of installing insulation is returned within just a couple of months. The installation process is completed in one day, on most average sized homes.

Green Space Construction specializes in the installation of cellulose insulation. Please visit our site for more details...

WWW.GREENSPACECONSTRUCT.COM