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rigid foam insulation is the best type of protection against unwanted air. It can be installed in foundations, roofs, floors and walls. These can be easily installed in any location due to its versatility. It is also the preferred choice because of its cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
Rigid foam insulation is responsible for restricting the movement of warm air. This is a huge help in places where the summer and winter seasons are experienced. During summer, it is able to keep the heat away from the area. During winter, it keeps the heat inside to keep the occupants warm and comfortable.
There are a lot of considerations to take into account prior to installing this material. The first is the amount of rigid foam insulation needed. In order to determine this, you must first know the temperature thresholds you want to maintain. The range should be from the coldest to the hottest. For example, 15 degrees Celsius is the lower threshold and 40 degrees it the upper. Once you have these values, you can tell this to a specialist and he will be able to assess how much insulation is needed.
The next thing to consider is the type of material. There are 3 different materials available and each has its own pros and cons.
The first material is expanded polystyrene. It is the cheapest of the 3 and just as effective. The typical use for this material is insulation of concrete forms and structural panels. rigid foam insulation. In everyday materials, it can be seen in coffee mugs and water coolers. These need to be properly spaced when being installed as it has a tendency to expand with excessive heat. This material is also called breadboard and has a white color.
The next type of material is extruded polystyrene. It is somewhat similar to the first but has other characteristics that make it more expensive. First of all, it is denser and smoother than the expanded kind. This allows it to resist water and have high compressive strength. With these additional characteristics, the R-Value of extruded polystyrene or XPS is higher than the first material.
R-Value is a value used to assess thermal resistance. It measures the effectiveness of insulation in buildings or materials. For XPS, the value is in the range of R-5.1 to R-5.6 whereas the breadboard has only R-5. Additionally, there is also something called a U-Value that is the exact opposite of this.
The last type of material is Polyurethane or PUR for short. Since it is water-resistant and seamless, it is a great material to have in homes. Aside from that, the material is also pleasing to look at and is environment friendly. Polyurethane has an R-value in the range of R-5.5 to R-6.5 making it a better insulator in any building.
Choosing the right material and having sufficient amount of rigid foam insulation is crucial in the design or remodeling of any building. With these in place, energy savings will be realized and it will pay for itself in no time.
