Foam is a great insulator for new homes and can be used in your older home with fantastic results.

“I’d like to buy a midtown Columbus home full of history and character but I just don’t think I could afford the utilities.”  That’s something I hear from buyers and it’s a very legitimate concern with heating and cooling costs constantly rising in Central Ohio.

If you share that concern, you’re in luck. Today we have what I hope is the first of many guest posts from Home Energy Performance Know-it-All Joshua Lloyd of Sym Home.
Many of the homes in the United States are under insulated by today’s standards and if you live in a home built before the 1980’s, there is a chance that your home has little to no insulation. As a matter of fact, many experts say that the required insulation levels for new home construction have not kept pace with the increase in fuel prices. And with the recent BP oil spill, many are afraid our fuel prices are going to sky rocket.

Why are you considering insulating your home? Most insulate their homes to reduce their monthly utility bills, others for improved comfort, and even improved indoor air quality.  There are many products available to insulate existing homes, but today we will talk about foam insulation. Most of you may think of the can of Great Stuff that you find at your local hardware store, or if you have watched episodes of This Old House, you will see the contractors spray applying an expanding foam product to the open cavities of your exterior walls. So you may be asking yourself, how do I insulate my existing walls without tearing down all my drywall?
There are insulating contractors that can carefully remove your siding or even drill small holes on the interior of your home and pump insulation into your existing walls. For those of you who are not familiar with foam insulation, it is a great product because it accomplishes three very important tasks in one product. It provides an insulating value, it seals your home from air leaks, and it acts as a vapor retarder. The air sealing qualities of foam are very important when insulating an older home that has never had insulation. As a matter of fact, foam insulation contractors will claim that foam insulation will reduce the air leakage of your home by up to 50%.

I can verify this is true after performing a before and after air leakage test of an un-insulated home in Cleveland Heights home built in 1956. Actually, the air leakage reduced by 46% and will save the homeowner $250 a year in air leakage alone. However, taking into account the air leakage and insulating value of the home, the home owner is going to save approximately $1,000 a year in utility costs for their almost 1,800 square foot – 2 story home. Taking this into account, their $4,400 investment will pay for itself in less than 5 years. This does not take into account any current federal tax credits that may be available for improving the efficiency of your home.

All foam products are not created equal. There are 1 part foam products that have minimal expansion to them, and there are 2 part foam products that expand approximately 100 times their original size.  The 1 part foam products out there require a specified amount of time to dry out (typically between 48 & 72 hours), and a few of them even have a degradation period where after approximately 5 years, where they begin to break down and loose effectiveness.

These products are typically pumped into the wall cavity with a hose until the product comes shooting out, letting the installer know that the cavity has been filled. The two part products made by Icynene expand to 100 times its original size. Taking the path of least resistance Icynene moves up the wall cavity and is completely dry within 60 seconds. It is installed in a similar fashion where the installer will drill holes at 3 different heights, and will pour the product into the holes and allow some time for the expansion to happen before pouring additional foam. However, installers do not like using two part foam because if there is a hole on the interior side of the wall, the foam can leak out and adhere to whatever it touches. It is difficult to completely remove the product, especially from materials like hardwood floors.
I wish it was that simple to call an insulation contractor to insulate your walls if you live in an older home. However, as in the home in Cleveland Heights, many older homes have not upgraded their electrical wiring systems. These older homes will have what is referred to as Knob & Tube wiring. This type of wiring requires the open cavity space to keep the wires cool and is not allowed to come in contact with any material with the fear of starting a fire. However this home owner found a product called Air Krete. This foam insulation has a 2 hour fire rating and according to the manufacturer can be in contact with Knob & Tube wiring. So if your homes electrical wiring has not been upgraded, this appears to be a great product.
If you are in the market to make your home more energy efficient, consider using a foam product and enjoy lower utility bills and improved indoor air quality.