Facts of Insulation R-Value
For anyone purchasing or remodeling a home, knowing the facts of insulation and the r-value ratings is very important. It is so important that not knowing what r-value insulation ratings mean and how different ratings affect your utility bill can end up costing you a lot of money that you could have saved. Simply put, r-value insulation ratings are used in measuring how well an insulation product can resist the flow of heat. Insulation products with a higher r-value are more effective than those with lower r-values. The facts of insulation r-value and the different types of insulation are important for any home owner.
Although basic common sense would seem to dictate that the thicker an insulation product, the better it will be at the job of insulating a home. Unfortunately, this is a case where common sense is incorrect. Insulation with a higher r-value doesn’t necessarily mean that it is thicker than products with lower r-values. In fact, it’s probably thinner than lower-rated insulation products. Actually, if two products are different in thickness, if they have identical r-value ratings, then they will probably be equally good at resisting heat. The facts of insulation r-value is sometimes completely against common sense.
Unfortunately, not all facts of insulation r-value products are necessarily positive. The way that testing is done on insulation in order to determine its r-value is by testing the product in an environment with a stable temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit, where there is no air movement at all. Obviously, we use insulation in rooms and homes where the problem is that we have too much air movement and temperature isn’t always an ideal 70 degrees. Sometimes the insulation’s r-value isn’t always a truly accurate indicator of how well it resists heat flow.
In North America, an insulation rating of R-12 is the recommended level. There are many interesting facts of insulation r-value and how they are created and used. It may seem obvious, but the r-value of certain types of housing insulation is dramatically lowered if there are air or water leaks. Here’s one of the interesting facts of insulation r-value: Insulation one inch thick is actually the equivalent of having 30 inches of concrete. That’s how effective true insulation products are at resisting heat flow.
However, there are three main types of insulation and each one is made from a different material. House insulation r-value in blown-in-cellulose is actually 3.70 per inch. Another material widely used for insulation is fiberglass and it has a rating at 3.14 per inch. Finally, one of the best materials is expanded polystyrene which is at 4.00 per inch.
The goal is to protect your home and keep the air inside stable and comfortable no matter what the weather outside is like. Learning the facts about insulation r-value will help you when deciding what type of insulation you want to have installed into your home. It may cost you more money up front to buy better insulation, but you’ll definitely save money in the long run when you realize that the insulation is doing its job. In the end, learning the facts about r-value will help you save a lot of money.
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