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ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS
ATTIC LEAKS, CONDENSATION & ATTIC MOLD
BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION
COMBUSTION GASES & PARTICLE HAZARDS
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS & IAQ
DEFINITION of Heating & Cooling Terms
  Definition of BTUs, BTUH, & Calories
  Definition of K value K-coefficient heat transmission
  Definition of U value or U-coefficient heat loss resistance
  Definition of R-Values for Insulation or Buildings
  Definition of Design Temperature for Buildings
  Definition of Heating or Cooling "Degree Day"
  Definition of Tons of Cooling Capacity
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
HEAT LOSS in BUILDINGS
  How to measure heat movement through a wall
  How to measure building insulation
  How leaky is the building
  BASEMENT HEAT LOSS
  ENERGY AUDIT - How to Use a Free One
  ENERGY SAVINGS PRIORITIES
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RADIANT HEAT Floor Mistakes to Avoid
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HEAT LOSS CALCULATIONS
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HEAT LOSS R U & K VALUE CALCULATION
HEAT TAPES, Heat, Insulation prevent Freeze-Up
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HEATING COST FUEL & BTU Cost Table
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HEATING LOSS DIAGNOSIS-BOILERS
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HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET
HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS
HOUSEWRAP - TYVEK INSTALLATION DETAILS
ICE DAM PREVENTION
INDOOR AIR QUALITY & HOUSE TIGHTNESS
INSULATION & VENTILATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT
INSULATION CHOICES
INSULATION FACT SHEET- DOE
INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
INSULATION LOCATION in BUILDINGS - WHERE TO INSULATE
  INSULATION LOCATION for BASEMENTS
  INSULATION LOCATION for BRICK VENEER WALLS
  INSULATION LOCATION for CAPES, CRAWLSPACES
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  POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION
  SUPER HI-R INSULATION
  RADIANT BARRIERS
  RIGID FOAM USE INDOORS
  Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI
  URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing
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ASBESTOS: Photo Guide to Materials / Products
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Photograph of  .

Table of Insulation Material R-Values & Other Properties
InspectAPedia®  -    

  • Insulation materials R-values, rates of heat loss or gain, flame spread, toxicity, durability
  • What insulation "R" values should be used in a building insulation?
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This article provides a Table of Insulation Values and Properties for Various Insulation Materials useful in procedures to measure or calculate heat loss in a building, defines thermal terms like BTU and calorie, provides measures of heat transmission in materials, building insulation design data, and heat loss in a building. Photograph at page top © 2009 Daniel Friedman. Because no amount of insulation can keep a drafty building warm, also review ENERGY SAVINGS PRIORITIES. See BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION for a discussion of measuring air leakage in buildings. Also see HEAT LOSS INDICATORS (where is the building losing heat during the heating season, or gaining un-wanted heat during the cooling season), and see HEAT LOSS R U & K VALUE CALCULATION for a guide to calculating heat loss (or gain) rates for buildings and building insulation.

Formula-R and Owens Corning which may be visible in this photograph of pink Styrofoam insulation boards are registered trademarks of Owens Corning and were photographed at a Home Depot (R) building supply center. © Copyright 2010 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Table of Characteristics of Various Insulating Materials: fiberglass, mineral wool, cellulose, foam insulating board, UFFI, vermiculite, others

Table of Insulation Material Properties
Insulation
Material 9
R-Value1Density2 Perm3 Absorption4Flame
Spread
5
Smoke6Toxicity7 Aging
Effects
Balsam Wool insulation 2-3.5             Spills out of wall or roof insulation if facing is cut
Cellulose insulation 3.2-3.7 2.2-3.0 High 5-20% 15-40 0-45 CO 0-20% settlement, corrodes metal, mold resistant
Concrete-insul 0.85 - 1.2 12-88 Varies Varies 0 0 0 Insulated forms available
Cotton insulation 0.5 .25-10            
Fiberboard insulating boards 2.8             Questionable data
Fiberglass chopped/blown insulation 3.6 - 4.4   100         6" = about R-22. Installers say expanding fiberglass assists in sealing air leaks
Fiberglass batt insulation 3.1 - 4 .6 - 1.2 100 1% 15-20 0-20 Fumes from paper,
binders
May collect debris/allergens/mold
Also see INSULATION CHOICES
Gypsum board 0.6             Drywall
Icynene® Foam-poured insulation 4 .5-2 10 low low low     Fire safety: may not be left exposed in living area; very good air bypass leak sealing properties
Icynene® Foam-sprayed insulation 3.6 .5-2 10 low low low     Fire safety: may not be left exposed in living area; very good air bypass leak sealing properties
Mineral Wool insulation
(Rock Wool)
3.2-3.7
1.5-2.5 100 2% 0 0 0 May collect debris/allergens/mold
Perlite insulation 2.5-3.7 2-11 High 0 0 0 0 0
Phenolic foam insulation 8.3             Corrosion problems when in contact with steel roofing & moisture; very good air bypass leak sealing properties
Polyisocyanurate spray, poured, or board insulation 5.5-6.2 to 7.04 to 8.0 2 2-3 0 25 55-200 CO Closed cell, HCFC or CFC gases;
0-12% shrinkage, Fire safety: may not be left exposed in living area; thermal drift with aging; foil faced improves performance to R7-8.; very good air bypass leak sealing properties
Also see INSULATION CHOICES
Polyisocyanurate composite insulation 2.8
(5.8-6.2)
2.0 2-3        

Closed cell

See POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION

Polystyrene peanuts for building insulation not recom-
mended
      5-25+ 10-400   Not recommended for building insulation, may be serious fires hazard.
Polystyrene loose fill beads for building or window-wall insulation 2.3       5-25+ 10-400   Static charge makes particles hard to control
Polystyrene board or beadboard 8 MEPS insulation 3.6 - 5.0 0.8-2.0 1.2-3.0 0.7-4% 5-25 10-400 CO Degrades in sunlight (UV); R-value varies by board density
Also see INSULATION CHOICES
Polystyrene Expanded (EPS) insulation 3.85            

See POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION

Also see INSULATION CHOICES

Polystyrene board, Extruded (XEPS) insulation 5 1.5 1.2-3.0        

Closed cell

See POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION

Polyurethane spray - closed cell foam insulation.
Thanks to Thanks to Andrew Cole for correcting our data on this product.
5.0 - 6.8 2.0 2-3 0 30-50 155-200 CO

Closed cell;
0-12% shrinkage, Fire safety: may not be left exposed in living area. Initial R of 7.14 declines to 6.8 after several months of curing; very good air bypass leak sealing properties

Polyurethane spray insulation - open cell insulation 5 - 7 (est)             Expands & seals more than closed-cell; lower cost; pourable-version available for building retrofit; See URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing
Tectum™ insulated roof panels 2.0             Tectum: a patented cementitious wood fiber EPS-core insulating roof deck tile, plank, or panel of several thicknesses.
Vermiculite insulation 2.4-3.0 4-10 High 0 0 0 0 (may contain asbestos) 0
UFFI insulation
(Urea Formaldehyde Foam)
4.2 0.6-0.9 4.5-100 18% 0-25 0-30 0 (may outgas formaldehyde) 1-4% shrinkage,
Fire safety: may not be left exposed in living area; on aging, leaves significant air bypass leaks at shrinkage points
Wood R-Values
Log wall R-Values vary16
1.01 - 1.41 (softwoods)
0.71 (hardwoods)
            The R-value of wood varies by wood density, species, moisture content.

Notes to the Table of Building Insulation Properties

  1. R-Value is expressed as rate of heat loss per hour per square foot per inch of thickness of material per deg. F - see "R" value definition at Definitions of R K U values
  2. Insulation density is expressed in pounds per cubic foot of material
  3. Permeability is expressed as the water vapor permeability of the material per inch of thickness. These numbers are most useful to compare one insulating material to another.
  4. Absorption is the tendency of the insulation to absorb water in percent by weight. This is important for assessing the risk of mold in some materials
  5. Flame Spread is a measure of fire resistance of the material. Use these numbers to compare one insulating material to another.
  6. Smoke is a measure of fire safety - that is, the relative amount of smoke produced if the insulation is exposed to flame or combustion
  7. Toxicity is a measure of fire safety - that is, toxins given off if the insulation is exposed to flame or combustion.
  8. Polystyrene may be in molded or extruded forms and like some other plastic or foam insulations may be in open or closed cell form. (Closed cell foams are more moisture resistant). Polystyrene also is referred to as molded expanded polystyrene (MEPS), expanded polystyrene (EPS), and extruded polystyrene (XPS) - the most common foam board insulation product. MEPS & XPS are used in insulated structural panels and in insulating concrete forms (ICFs).
  9. Links to details: Insulation product names in the first table column include links to articles that help identify and provide the properties of each insulating material listed.
  10. Open vs. closed cell: Foam insulation densities vary among closed-cell vs open cell forms. Open cell foams are typically about 1/2 lb/cubic foot; Closed cell foams are more dense and rigid, typically about 2 lb/cu. ft.
  11. C or Thermal conductance of these materials is the reciprocal of the R-value. C is known only when the k, the thermal conductivity of a material is known. k is the heat transmitted through a 1-inch thickness of homogenous material per square foot per hour when there is 1 degree of temperature change. k= (BTU * inch) / sq.ft. * hour * degF.
  12. Air film: This table of R-values does not consider the insulating characteristic of the air film on each side of a surface nor the effects of wind on the air film or on the material itself. Some of these materials are more resistant to wind-caused heat transmission than others.
  13. Moisture: Closed cell foams resist moisture uptake (good) but if construction is improper they can trap moisture (bad) leading to rot or mold problems in other building materials.
  14. Insects: Exterior foam board on foundations can ease attack by wood destroying insects.
  15. Fire & smoke: Foam insulation products present fire-smoke hazards and usually they must be protected with a fire barrier (usually 1/2" drywall).
  16. R-Values for wooden log walls given by the U.S. DOE are in error except for square log walls. D-logs and round logs that are given a nominal log thickness, say 6" logs are calculated by DOE as having an R-value of just over 8. This is incorrect for non-square logs because the cross section of the log is 6" only at the log's widest point. A correct assessment of the R-value of a wooden log wall needs to be calculated based on the average wall thickness, considering the variation in thicknesses over the curvature of the logs. Therefore the DOE's value is on the "high" end of the R-value of a log wall.

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