types of home insulation
heating, ventilation, insulation terms
installing home insulation
blown in wall insulation
attic & wall home insulation materials
home wall & attic thermal insulation
home weatherization
hvac - heating, cooling systems
home insulation overview
r-value of insulating materials
BUILDING INSULATION
Building insulation refers broadly to any object in a building used as insulation for any purpose: thermal, acoustic, fire, impact, vibration and support.
Thermal Insulation
Thermal insulation in buildings is an important factor to achieving thermal comfort for its occupants. Insulation reduces unwanted heat loss or gain and can decrease the energy demands of heating and cooling systems. In a narrow sense insulation can just refer to the insulation materials employed to slow heat loss, such as: cellulose, fiberglass, rock wool, polystyrene, urethane foam, and vermiculite
Planning
How much insulation a house should have depends on building design, climate, energy costs, budget, and personal preference. Regional climates make for different requirements. Building codes specify only the bare minimum; insulating beyond what code requires is often recommended.
The insulation strategy of a building needs to be based on a careful consideration of the mode of energy transfer and the direction and intensity in which it moves. This may alter throughout the day and from season to season. It is important to choose an appropriate design, the correct combination of materials and building techniques to suit the particular situation.
Cold climates
In cold conditions, the main aim is to reduce heat flow out of the building. The components of the building envelope - windows, roofs and walls, and air infiltration are all important sources of heat loss; in an otherwise well insulated home, windows will then become an important source of heat transfer. Losses can be reduced by good weatherization and bulk insulation.
Building envelope
The thermal envelope defines the living space in a house. The attic or basement may or may not be included in this area. Reducing airflow from inside to outside can help to reduce heat transfer significantly.
Ensuring low heat transfer also requires attention to building construction (weatherization) and the correct installation of insulative materials.
Builiding insulation Materials
There are essentially two types of building insulation - Bulk Insulation and Reflective Insulation. Most buildings use a combination of both types to make up a total building insulation system. The type of insulation used is matched to create maximum resistance to each of the three forms of building heat transfer - Conduction, Convection, and Radiation.
Bulk insulators block conductive heat transfer and convective flow either into or out of a building. The denser a material is, the better it will conduct heat. Because air has such low density, air is a very poor conductor and therefore makes a good insulator. Insulation to resist conductive heat transfer uses air spaces between fibers, inside foam or plastic bubbles and in building cavities like the attic.
Radiant barriers work in conjunction with an air space to reduce radiant heat transfer across the air space. Radiant or reflective insulation reflects heat instead of either absorbing it or letting it pass through. Radiant barriers are most effective in hot climates.
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