Why insulate?
Heating and cooling ("space conditioning") account for 50 to 70% of the energy used in the average American home. About 20% goes for heating water. On the other hand, lighting and appliances and everything else account for only 10 to 30% of the energy used in most residences. It makes good sense to turn lights and appliances off when they are not needed, and you'll save even more on your energy costs if your reduce the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling.
Unless your home was constructed with special attention to energy efficiency, adding insulation will probably reduce your utility bills. Much of the existing housing stock in the United States is not insulated to the best level. Older homes are likely to use more energy than newer homes, leading to very high heating and air-conditioning bills. Even if you own a new home, adding insulation may save enough money in reduced utility bills to pay for itself within a few years, continue to save you money for as long as you own the home, and increase the resale value of your house.
What is the tensile strength of "The Barrier" insulation?
Twenty four pounds per square inch. Blueboard is twenty five pounds per square inch.
How much barrier insulation will you need?
There are two hundred and forty square feet on a roll. If you are going to do the thermal pan as described in the Installation section on "The Barrier" page, then you will need additional material equal to twice the depth of the pour for both the length and the width.
What should conventional insulation cost?
Heating and cooling bills can also be reduced by adding conventional attic insulation. These costs are typical for insulation installed by contractors. Actual insulation costs will vary from region to region of the country, will vary with the type of insulation selected (blown, or loose-fill, insulation is usually lower in price than "batt" insulation), and may vary from one local contractor to another. You can expect to deduct 20% to 50% for a do-it-yourself application.
Does The Barrier Insulation contain harmful or toxic by products?
Below is a letter to Talbot Wilt, Manager who was asked about the toxic properties of The Barrier Insulation by The City of Telluride, Colorado in August of 2004.
___________________________________________________________________________
8/13/2004
Juan M. Garcia
Northwestern Ohio Foam Packaging, Inc.
Talbot Wilt, Manager
Alpine Lumber Co.
140 Society Dr.
Telluride, Co. 81435
RE: CFC, HFC (HCFC) in our Barrier XPS foam product.
Talbot,
Here is the certification and Material Safety Data Sheet on the extruded expanded polystyrene foam (XPS) that is the rigid foam base product for “The Barrier”. This set of information certifies that there are NO HFC’s (HCFC) or CFC’s in the polystyrene manufactured for our production of The Barrier. This product meets or exceeds OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200 and is Form Approved by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (non-mandatory form) OMB No. 1218-0072. This form of polystyrene is also approved by Indiana OSHA as an Article and therefore not subject to the General Rules of the Hazard Communications Act. This information is specific to the expanded polystyrene manufactured by EFP Corp. for Northwestern Ohio Foam Products and does not include all forms of expanded polystyrene or other foams manufactured by corporations not named in these documents. You may distribute this material to all authorities and governing bodies. Please send a copy to your corporate office for their files and future reference. I am sure that this will be sufficient for the City of Telluride 2005 CO’s and if you need further affidavit please let me know and I will get whatever you need.
At Northwestern Ohio Foam we strive to provide state of the art products conforming to the most rigorous standards of Manufacture, Safety and High Performance. We also in an effort to service our customers manufacture custom products to their specifications and conduct non-standard test procedures to conform to specification driven requirements for various applications. I personally have known the owners and administration of Northwestern Ohio Foam Packaging for 10 years and know of no other more intelligent, caring, group of engineers, sales and managing administrators in any organization. Rest assured that any of your needs for product support, performance, safety testing or inquiries such as this will be met with the same vigorous response.
I am the manufacturers representative and your personal assistant in any and all matters for applications, installation and product certifications. If I do not know the answer I will find out. If we do not have the test data you need we will run the test.
Please let me know how I may be of service.
Sincerely,
Juan M. Garcia
___________________________________________________________________________
What is a radiant barrier?
Radiant barriers are materials that are installed in buildings to reduce summer heat gain and winter heat loss, and hence to reduce building heating and cooling energy usage. The potential benefit of attic radiant barriers is primarily in reducing air-conditioning cooling loads in warm or hot climates. Radiant barriers usually consist of a thin sheet or coating of a highly reflective material, usually aluminum, applied to one or both sides of a number of substrate materials. These substrates include kraft paper, plastic films, cardboard, plywood sheathing, and air infiltration barrier material. Some products are fiber reinforced to increase the durability and ease of handling.
Radiant barriers can be used in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. However, this fact sheet was developed only for applications of radiant barriers in ventilated attics of residential buildings. For information on other applications, see the references at the end of the Fact Sheet.
How do radiant barriers work?
Radiant barriers work by reducing heat transfer by thermal radiation across the air space between the roof deck and the attic floor, where conventional insulation is usually placed. All materials give off, or emit, energy by thermal radiation as a result of their temperature. The amount of energy emitted depends on the surface temperature and a property called the "emissivity" (also called the "emittance"). The emissivity is a number between zero (0) and one (1). The higher the emissivity, the greater the emitted radiation.
A closely related material property is the "reflectivity" (also called the "reflectance"). This is a measure of how much radiant heat is reflected by a material. The reflectivity is also a number between 0 and 1 (sometimes, it is given as a percentage, and then it is between 0 and 100%). For a material that is opaque (that is, it does not allow radiation to pass directly through it), when the emissivity and reflectivity are added together, the sum is one (1). Hence, a material with a high reflectivity has a low emissivity, and vice versa. Radiant barrier materials must have high reflectivity (usually 0.9, or 90%, or more) and low emissivity (usually 0.1 or less), and must face an open air space to perform properly.
On a sunny summer day, solar energy is absorbed by the roof, heating the roof sheathing and causing the underside of the sheathing and the roof framing to radiate heat downward toward the attic floor. When a radiant barrier is placed on the attic floor, much of the heat radiated from the hot roof is reflected back toward the roof. This makes the top surface of the insulation cooler than it would have been without a radiant barrier and thus reduces the amount of heat that moves through the insulation into the rooms below the ceiling.
Under the same conditions, a roof mounted radiant barrier works by reducing the amount of radiation incident on the insulation. Since the amount of radiation striking the top of the insulation is less than it would have been without a radiant barrier, the insulation surface temperature is lower and the heat flow through the insulation is reduced.
Radiant barriers can also reduce indoor heat losses through the ceiling in the winter. Radiant barriers reduce the amount of energy radiated from the top surface of the insulation, but can also reduce beneficial heat gains due to solar heating of the roof. The net benefits of radiant barriers for reducing winter heat losses are still being studied.
How does a radiant barrier differ from conventional attic insulation?
Radiant barriers perform a function that is similar to that of conventional insulation, in that they reduce the amount of heat that is transferred from the attic into the house. They differ in the way they reduce the heat flow. A radiant barrier reduces the amount of heat radiated across an air space that is adjacent to the radiant barrier. The primary function of conventional insulation is to trap still air within the insulation, and hence reduce heat transfer by air movement (convection). The insulation fibers or particles also partially block radiation heat transfer through the space occupied by the insulation.
Conventional insulations are usually rated by their R-value. Since the performance of radiant barriers depends on many variables, simple R-value ratings have not been developed for them.
What is the Crucial Role of Thermal Insulation?
Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes. Insulation saves money and our nation's limited energy resources. It can also make your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the house. Walls, ceilings, and floors will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Insulation can also act as a sound absorber or barrier, keeping noise levels down.
It is possible to add insulation to almost any house. You may be able to do the job yourself if the structural framing is accessible--for instance, in unfinished attics or under the floor over an unheated space. Or, you may prefer to hire an insulation contractor. In either case, it is important to choose and install the insulation correctly.
The amount of energy you conserve will depend on several factors: your local climate; the size, shape, and construction of your house; the living habits of your family; the type and efficiency of the heating and cooling systems; and the fuel you use. Once the energy savings have paid for the installation cost, energy conserved is money saved--and the annual savings will increase if utility rates go up.
Issues in the Energy Envelope
Q: What is the energy envelope of a structure?
A: The Floors, Walls and Ceiling/Roof areas are the surfaces in the energy envelope.
Q: Which surface is the most important?
A: They are all important, the Floor and the Ceiling area account for around 30% each,
while the Walls make up the remaining 40% of the energy envelope.
Q: What is the importance of the energy envelope?
A: The important issue in understanding the energy envelope is the idea that a well built
structure is resistant to heat gain and heat loss thereby less costly to heat and cool
ultimately more cost effective over the life of the building.
Q: What is the main focus of the energy envelope theory?
A: The focus should be that the Floors, Walls and Ceilings should be constructed as
resistant to the transfer of energy and moisture as possible.
Q: Why is the energy envelope so difficult to address on each structure?
A: The difficulty lies in the uniqueness of each structure, in building methods, budgets,
intended use, and overall in the goals of the property owner and builder for an energy
efficient structure.
Q: Which building method is most energy efficient?
A: Well, the answer is that they all can be efficient. Conventional construction methods
like wood frame require more consideration due to their lack of thermal mass.
Alternate building methods like Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) are more costly and
require experience to do well. Structurally Insulated Panels (SIP) are also specialty
components that are often utilized for the roof areas. The ICF and SIP components
are very energy efficient products and rely on Thermal Mass to resist the energy
transfer in and out of a structure.
Q: What is the difference between R-Value and K-Value?
A: R-Value is the resistance of a product or medium to the transfer of energy.
R-Value is more appropriate for to above grade applications and is used with
conventional types of building materials such as wood frame with a Fiberglass or other
fibrous insulation like cellulose (ground up newsprint) which trap and hold air.
K-Value is the themal conductivity of a product or medium to the transfer of energy.
K-Value is often used with modern insulation materials like polystyrene foam which is
very dense and non-conductive.
Q: What is the best measure of a structures energy envelope?
A: The energy envelope should be air tight, fit and finish should be high for all
fenestration (openings), the energy envelope should be highly resistant to all
form of energy, moisture and vapor transfer. Finally the cost to maintain the
structures temperature should be low year round with little fluctuation in the
severe seasons winter and summer.
Definitions:
Convection can be generally defined as warm air rising and cooler air falling,
In a closed structure this creates air currents as the warm air moves it displaces the cooler air causing energy to be distributed from a warmer region to a cooler region. In general terms the warmest areas in a structure will be towards the ceiling and the cooler areas towards the floor. In a modern home with a radiant heat floor system the floor warms the
air space in the few inches above it and convection then occurs to heat the structure.
Radiation occurs when energy is transferred across an air space (or void) from one surface to another generally raising the temperature of the surface receiving the energy and the space in between the two surfaces. Radiant energy can be generally defined as
energy emitted in 360 degrees from the source. We can use the example of light photons from the sun of which a very small portion strikes the face of the earth as an example of radiation at work. In all such cases the form of energy is a wave of varying length.
Conduction is defined as the direct transfer of energy without anything between the surface emitting the energy and the surface receiving the energy (such as an air space).
Vapor is gas as in air, radon and many other elements that form in a state which is neither liquid or solid. Vapor can be pure or loaded (dry or wet) and most often carries a component of moisture (loaded). Vapors can carry temperature and moisture and often have a high impact on the ability to manage the temperature inside a structure.
Moisture is generally defined as a condensate of water vapor or below grade you can also have a ground water transfer in the form of liquid.
Thermal Mass is the resistance of a product, structural material to the transfer of energy from on side of the mass to the other. Generally speaking the thicker the mass the more difficult it is to push energy through it. Log homes for instance have outstanding thermal mass.
Density is the amount of material compacted into an area. The area utilized for many structural measurements is a square foot. Ideally, you will add the third dimension of depth to the height and width. In foam for instance you would measure the weight of a foam by the cubic foot. In polystyrene a 1 pound foam weighs between 1-1.5 pounds per cubic foot.
Disclaimer
The Barrier Insulation .Com takes full responsibility for the content of this website. In an effort to provide current information on multiple issues regarding energy and insulation products, The Barrier Insulation .Com has resourced The Federal Trade Commission, The US Department of Energy and other available sources. The views expressed on this web site are not necessarily the views of Frontier Insulation, Inc. , Northwestern Ohio Foam Packaging, Inc. nor the Federal Trade Commission nor The US Department of Energy or any other single source. None of the content on this web site is intended to malign or be derogatory in any way, only to inform and give an opinion. This site offers information from many sources and is not intended to be definitive or complete as it is under constant input, review and improvement. The information contained in this site is intended to give reference and allow the individual user of the information to draw their own conclusions. I am the Manufactures Representative and as such must attempt to provide as much information and consideration of these issues as possible while also putting forth the performance and comparative data as provided to me from the Manufactrure and their Independant Testing Laboratory.
(602) 690-1365
juangarcia@thebarrierinsulation.com
| 
