In today’s economic climate, insulation is being pushed to the fore as one of the biggest ways we can conserve our energy usage, keeping our houses warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
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There are several different insulation types you may find used around the home. Learn the most common insulation types in our brief guide now.
What Types of Insulation Are There?
There are many different types of insulation in the home, so to make it easier we’ve separated them by location.
According to iFoam, insulation goes a long way to making a home warmer, cooler, or more energy-efficient.
Attic Insulation Types
The attic is the common location for insulation, as it houses the large majority of our house’s most precious possessions (the roofing above) providing us with a dry and safe place to keep our valuables. These include:
Batt Insulation: Found in most attics, this is the most common type of insulation for attics. It is a long plastic sheet, composed of several sheets of fibers. This material can help to reduce noise and provides solid protection from flames.
Loose Fill Insulation: Loose-fill insulation is made from several inorganic fibers (typically mineral wool). It is used for attics and is often sold as sleeves or tarps. This insulation can help prevent noise caused by air movement and can help to prevent radiant heat loss from the attic.
Sheet Insulation: This is one of the most common types of insulation used in attics, often found in roll form with a fiberglass backing. It differs from batt insulation because it is easy to install and is cost-effective. It provides a high R-value and noise reduction.
Blown Insulation: This insulation is made from a special foam that is blown into the attic, meaning it can reduce noise from air movements and provide a decent amount of insulation for a relatively inexpensive price.
Blanket Insulation: Often found in industries, blanket insulation for power generation is the same material used to insulate water heaters and other piping in your home, preventing heat loss and cutting costs on your bills.
Wall Insulation Types
Wall insulation covers our walls, making them a highly important area of the home. The wall is also an area with a lot of dead space and is perfect for insulation as it can quickly add to the property value of any home. Since walls are made of many materials, insulating the wall will depend not only on what it’s made of but, whether the wall is already built.
Batt Insulation: Batt is applied to walls by installing it on the wall studs before the drywall (plasterboard) is attached. It is lightweight and affordable.
Blown Insulation: Similar to the attic, this method blows foam into the wall cavity. It’s the most popular method for retrofitting insulation into homes before stricter environmental regulations were in place.
Loose Fill Insulation: Like in the attic, this type of insulation is made from inorganic fibers. It’s similar to blown insulation but, is applied by taping it completely around the walls, and then attaching the walls. This method is much more time-consuming but, it’s not as invasive as other methods.
Floor Insulation Types
Insulation is also commonly found on the floor of a house, normally in the form of under-floor heating. With floors, which method you use often depends on the floor type. Here are some examples:
Suspended Floors: A suspended floor is a type of floor in which the structure functions as a series of beams. It has no rigid supporting supports, but rather simply frames the room. When installing drywall or other types of plasterboard on top, you can usually use any insulation for this type of flooring, as it can be accessed from underneath.
Solid Floors:
Solid floors are a continuous, single slab of material, without any supporting frames. With these floors, you must access the insulation from above. Because of this, it’s advised to use a damp-proof membrane, and be aware that the floor level will be raised as a result, so you may need to move electrical sockets higher to compensate.
All Home Insulation Types Save Money
Insulation goes a long way to making a home warmer, cooler, or more energy-efficient. It’s not a single element of the home itself; it can be found in almost every room in the house. Whether it’s in the walls to protect from noise or the roof to protect from water, all insulation types play an important role in home construction.
Keep reading our home improvement articles to see what you can find today!