rental-house-insulation

Types of Insulation to Consider for Your Home or Rental

There are several types of home insulation available in the market today. All of them have their own advantages and disadvantages but there are some common types that you can use. Here, we will discuss the most popular types and why they are very effective. These types of insulation are commonly used for several reasons.

 

Rolled-In Insulation

The first choice of many on a budget is rolled in insulation.  This type of insulation has been used in homes for many years and is what most of us remember if we ever crawled into the attic as a kid.  It comes in big rolls and has a, usually reflective, foil or paper surface on one side, and a thick roll of fiberglass foam on the other.  It’s thick, and usually looks like pink cotton-candy, although there are other less appealing colors 0f for cotton candy, but fine for insulation.  Fiberglass insulation is formed in rolls with a special technique that provides good insulation and, when installed properly, looks neat in the attic.  Fiberglass insulation can also be used in walls, floors, crawlspaces, and any other area where the insulation can be sandwiched in, or roll out and laid flat.  This is a great option for those who want to save money in terms of the amount of money spent on electricity. You can also use this for your basement and attic as well as the attic itself.

 

Spray-Foam Insulation

Another type of home insulation is that of the spray foam insulation. These are manufactured with a special spray that has a fine mist-like spray that helps you get the best insulation for your house. This is a great option if you want to have very good insulation for your basement and attic and also for the attic itself. It is also very effective for those who are planning to have a house that will have an attic or for those who have an attic that is in need of some repair.  Spray foam insulation can be added to many areas of a home at any time, but to fully insulate a house using spray foam, it’s best to use during construction, or also in the case of a full tear-out remodel.  With spray foam, you want to cover as much of the surface area as possible, and if you can get to everything, you want to insulate it.  Spray foam has the benefit of being permanent, and also has special fire-resistant properties.  Spray foam insulation has been used in fireproofing applications for commercial buildings for decades.  With spray foam insulation, you are adding an extra layer of fire-protection for yourself or the tenant of the property.

 

Blown-In Foam Insulation

Blown-in foam insulation is another type of insulation that can be used for your home.  It generally consists of fluffy insulation material, all blown in with big blower tubes.  The insulation starts in a block and is broken up by the blower and then is blown into the home, kind of like a big giant vacuum cleaner, except in reverse.  The blown-in insulation can be blown into vertical spaces that are contained on all four sides and open at the top, and into attic spaces, but important to know, blown-in insulation is held in place by gravity.  It can be disturbed and moved around, especially if someone needs to work in the attic.  One of the downsides to this type of insulation is that it is very messy to work in.  On its own, it is a very good type of insulation, but it can be quite the mess to get around in.  It is inexpensive and very effective in insulating your house.

 

Air Duct Insulation

Another type of insulation is that of the air duct insulation. This is the best option for those who need the best insulation for their homes and also for those who need insulation for their air ducts as well. The duct insulation is made from special polyurethane and the air that is blown in will be able to insulate your house better than any other type of insulation.  The air ducts themselves retain the hot or cooling temperature influences and passes more of the cool or warm air into the space you want it to go into.  Duct insulation works well with used in conjunction with another good type of general purpose household insulation, and does best with a full application of spray foam insulation.

We hope this gives you some general ideas of the best types of insulation to use for your next home or rental property.  There are plenty of choices, and in many cases, existing structures and limited budgets will determine your course of action, but at least you won’t be going into the job blind.

Facebooktwitteryoutube
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *