What are the Different Types of Insulation
Bracing your home or office building against hot or cold elements is essential. Home is where the heart is, but a house without insulation can be uncomfortable. There are many types of insulation. Today, we’ll discuss the different types of insulation and how each can benefit your home.
From standard blankets to the chemical miracle of spray foams, it’s a field with many options, and each has its place in a building. Are you ready to transform your home? Good, because we certainly are! Let’s get started.
5 Types Of Insulation For Homes
- Roll for Insulation products: Soft Touch Aerolite, Knauf Ecose Insulation and Polyester Insulation
- Rigid Board Insulation Products: Isoboard and Summit XPS Ceiling Boards
- Spray Foam Insulation: Popular in some areas in the USA. However, the cost of Spray Foam Insulation is SA is way too expensive. Good insulation has many advantages over another spray in products like cellulose.
- Sisalation Foils: Ideal for waterproofing but also offers a small Thermal Insulation benefit.
- Cellulose Insulation: Cellulose is a blow-in type of Thermal Insulation. It is not popular in SA as it has many issues, from dust in the home to allergies and ceiling collapse because Cellulose Insulation absorbs water.
Insulation is, arguably, as essential to a house as electricity or running water. If our homes are adequately insulated, we will not have a cold or hot home. Rather we will have a more comfortable, stable home temperature.
Numerous energy problems come from a lack of insulation, depending on where you live. The colder a house gets, the more you’ll spend on heating or warm showers. Similarly, a hothouse without insulation could increase air conditioning costs or windows being left open. Insulation can help you achieve that.
It’s an investment, and while many tend to put it off, you’ll know when to make yours. But, with so many options, which is the right one for you?
What Is The Best Ceiling Insulation?
As we know, there are many types of Ceiling Insulation. The best ceiling insulation will improve your indoor temperature and save energy. Additionally, one can expect many years of home comfort.
As homeowners, we all have our opinion on what works best. For this reason, we will look at a few of the major Thermal Insulation products for roofs.
If you have any questions? Feel free to contact us.
Blanket insulation is available in two primary forms:
- Rolls: Rolls are better for people with unusual wall dimensions or houses with different space sizes. An extended, uncut version of a batt can be cut down to whichever size you require.
Batts: The only difference between batts and rolls is that batts are pre-cut to specific dimensions. Typically, these fit into walls with cavities measuring 92 5/8″. If you’re working with these dimensions, pre-cut batts are perfect for you.
Roll Form Insulation The Most Used Type Of Insulation. Installing roll-type insulation products will give years of energy-saving and home comfort. Roll insulation is not affected by dust and does not readily absorb water. Consider using this type of insulation around joists or studs.
The Best Home Insulation Products For Your Home
Home Insulation is compulsory in South Africa as of January 2013. Insulated homes will have an improved indoor temperature of 5-8 degrees in summer and winter to reduce our need for heating and cooling. Let us look at some of your home’s best and worst Home Insulation products.
Eco-friendly Insulation
Eco-friendly insulation is the most important factor when selecting Thermal Insulation for your home. All insulation products are not equal when it comes to Eco-friendly products.
Benefits Of Insulating Your Attic
There are many lifelong benefits to Insulating your attic. Here are just a few of the best Attic Insulation Benefits.
- Improves indoor temperature 5-8 degrees in summer and winter
- Reduce noise pollution
- Saves energy on heating and cooling
- Healthier
These Are The Three Best Roof Insulation Types
The two most advanced roof insulation types are Aerolite Insulation and Knauf Ecose Insulation. These two types of insulation are specified for schools, hospitals and clinics.
Isotherm Insulation, at one time, was popular insulation for roofs. However, after the lockdown, Isotherm lost its SABS mark, and we are not happy with the quality of the rolls. For this reason, we will not install Isotherm Insulation. On the flip side, we have found alternative polyester insulation for those that would like polyester insulation.
Soft Touch Aerolite Insulation
The new Aerolite manufactured with TEL Fiberizing technology is regarded as one of the most advanced roof insulation products. Aerolite insulation is considered to be one of the safest insulation products available. The World Health Organisation has given the new Aerolite a 111 rating.
For this reason, Aerolite is bio-soluble and is recommended as the insulation of choice for Hospitals, Schools, Clinics and Shopping malls. Think Pink Aerolite is the only thermal insulation specified for Schools, Hospitals and malls. Contact us for all your insulation requirements.
Knauf Ecose Thermal Insulation
Ecose Thermal Insulation is imported from Germany and manufactured to the highest international and European manufacturing standards.
This premium insulation is state of the art. Available in South Africa and installed by us. The highest NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) and the highest Fire rating is A/A 1/1.
Ecose Thermal Insulation Highest Grade insulation in the world. This insulation cant burn. In addition to this, the R-value is perfect for this region. The 135mm Ecose Thermal Insulation is SANS compliant for this region.
Isotherm Insulation
SADLY ISOTHERM IS NO LONGER SABS APPROVED
WE NO LONGER INSTALL ISOTHERM
Isotherm Insulation is a polyester type of insulation. This insulation material is dust-free. In addition, the Isotherm will outlast the lifespan of most homes as the insulation has a 30-year guarantee. Find out more about Isotherm here.
No longer one of the best thermal insulation products for roofs. However, the 145mm Isotherm is SANS compliant for the Western Cape Region.
Roof Insulation Types We Don't Install
Polyester Insulation Products We Will Not Install
Think Green Insulation
Think Green Insulation is also a polyester type of insulation. Therefore this insulation is regarded as eco-friendly as well. Think Green is also dust-free. Find out more here.
However, we do not install the Think Green Insulation as it is far under the specification for the Western Cape region. However, it can be installed as a top-up in under-insulated homes.
Fabufill Insulation
Fabufill Insulation again this is also a polyester type insulation. Therefore as with the other polyester insulation products is also regarded as eco-friendly. Thus even dust free and allergy insulation. Read more on fabufill here.
Platinum Fiber is well-made insulation that is unfortunately under the specification for the Western Cape region.
Blanket insulation is one of the most common forms of this product. Available at most hardware stores and cut to size, this remains one of the simplest ways to insulate a house.
Cellulose Loose Fill
Loose-fill insulation material is broken up into small pieces by a machine. Cellulose insulation is pumped into the roof space with a blower and hooked to a powerful hose used to spray the processed insulation into roofs and small wall gaps. In some instances, the insulation can also be poured onto the ceiling, an excellent choice for insulating already-made areas or corners of your home with strange shapes. Or so, one would think. But, if all things were equal, it could be good insulation.
However, spraying insulation products into the roof space is not an exact science. Unlike traditional thermal insulation, we must spray the cellulose into the roof. For example, what is the thickness of the insulation? How does one guess what consistency is?
It’s available in various forms, from fibreglass to cellulose and mineral wool.
The only problem is that loose-fill insulation is affected by wind and water leaks. Because Cellulose insulation is fine dust-like insulation made from paper, there is a problem with wind and water leaks. Unfortunately, because the insulation absorbs water, we find out that we have a roof leak when the ceiling collapses.
Blown-In Insulation
One of the main reasons we will not install cellulose or fibreglass blow-in type insulation. In most cases, these products are affected by wind movement in the roof space. All blown insulation must have cones installed over the lights to protect the insulation and prevent fire in the home. The cones shown in this article are from the many homes where we remove these types of insulation for roofs. Read this article and see what happens to the cones and the potential for fire.
Rigid Board Roof Insulation Types
Rigid Board Roof Insulation Types are ideal for Ceiling applications. The Isoboard Ceilings, in particular, are high-density XPS Ceiling boards. Unfortunately, when calculating R-values, we must consider XPS ceilings have an aged R-value.
Isoboard XPS Thermal Ceilings
IsoBoard Ceilings
Summit XPS Thermal Ceilings are undoubtedly one of the best innovations for ceilings. Importantly these modern ceilings have excellent thermal properties not affected by water leaks. The IsoBoard Ceilings are produced in thicknesses from 25mm to 50mm.
For this reason, IsoBoard Ceilings are one of the most popular ceiling options for new homes. For prices of Isoboard or a quote to install Isoboard, Contact us.
Isoboard XPS Ceilings don’t have insufficient thermal insulation to insulate the home independently. However, one of the roll form insulation materials works well together for an enhanced thermal insulation benefit.
Foam Insulation Boards
Rigid Foam Board
Rigid foam boards are popular for insulating floors, basements, or sometimes walls during renovations.
These stiff polystyrene boards benefit from having billions of tiny bubbles built into them. As a result, they are perfect for insulating and, what’s more, are also relatively thin.
Depending on your requirements, rigid foam boards also withstand high temperatures.
Rigid foam boards come in sheets, which can be cut down to size, much like stiff blanket rolls. These boards range in thickness from 1/2 to 2 inches.
Reflective Foil Insulation
Reflective Foils (Sisalation)
Sisalation and Radenshield foils are designed to reflect heat away. Reflective foils reduce the heat in the roof space. As a result, the home will also be slightly cooler in summer.
Most forms of insulation are geared towards absorbing as much of the heat that would enter as possible. However, it helps to reflect heat from the house instead of absorbing it.
Reflective insulation works in almost the exact opposite way. This insulation reflects heat from the house instead of absorbing it. Reflective foils reflect unwanted heat from the roof, but importantly it is also a form of waterproofing.
Vapour Barrier
Adding Radenshield foils creates a vapour barrier that will reduce the possibility of condensation and mould.
Spray Foam
As we mentioned earlier, every home is unique.
As a homeowner, that means there will be certain hard-to-reach areas that sheet or roll insulation can’t reach.
For this reason, you will need a more versatile product. In some cases, we will use spray foam.
Of all the types of insulation available for a home, sprayable foam is one of the most effective.
A combination of chemicals is heated up and sprayed through a high-pressure hose as they pass through the tip of the tube; these chemicals mix and create an insulative substance that absorbs oxygen and expands rapidly.
Insulation is sprayed into tight or hard-to-reach gaps. The resultant expansion fills the void with insulation material, creating a perfect fill. A bonus is that it’s also airtight, allowing fewer contaminants or moisture to enter.
A word of warning: Importantly, a professional must install Spray foam insulation with the right equipment. The chemical reaction needed isn’t safe for breathing in.
And, Now You Know
Insulation: it’s not something many people talk about, but it’s as vital to home. Firstly insulated houses will cover the cost of insulation in three years on energy saving alone.
Secondly, the right types of insulation can transform a room from entirely frigid to warm and cosy. Finally, some added protection under your floors can stop moisture in a basement in its tracks.
Whatever the purpose, one thing is clear: insulation is what makes a home livable.
At Roof Insulation, we pride ourselves on installing the best, most cutting-edge insulation products on the market.
If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of our roof insulation services? Get in touch with us today, and let’s talk about changing your home for the better.