What Is Spray Foam Insulation?
Air moves in and out of a home through every hole, crack, and crevice. Roughly 33% of air infiltrates through walls, ceiling, and floors. Adding an advanced insulation system is necessary to achieve optimal building performance.Lapolla is that advanced insulation system.
Spray foam insulation can maximize a homeowners investment by sealing the building envelope to stop conditioned indoor air from escaping and prevent unconditioned air from entering a home. Air exchange in and out of a home is a leading cause of escalated energy bills. The mechanical systems that heat and cool buildings are continuously operating; reducing extreme temperature variations saves on the overuse of mechanical systems and leads to lower energy bills.
Where Does My Home Lose Energy?
Superior energy efficiency mostly depends on creating a better air “seal.” Wall insulation is a significant issue in home energy savings, but there are other factors that will lower home energy efficiency. As much as 40% of energy loss is due to air infiltration. Therefore, the most effective way to improve energy efficiency and comfort in your home is to seal it with foam.
- Moisture Control – Doors and Windows: Water and moisture in the building envelope is the single, greatest threat to building durability in residential construction. In addition to causing building-durability issues, moisture can create ideal conditions for mold growth, which can dramatically impact occupant health.
- Air Leakage – Ceilings, Outer Walls Floors and Crawlspaces: Unsealed, responsible for about a third of the air leakage in a home.
SAVE UP TO 45% ON YOUR ENERGY BILLS!
Agricultural
SprayFoam can be used in all sorts of agricultural applications. When unwanted air movement and thermal resistance are concerns, SprayFoam is the material of choice. Here are a few examples of common agricultural applications:
How Spray Foam Insulation is Helping U.S. Farmers Produce Better Poultry
Spray Foam insulation is certainly no stranger to the agricultural industry. For many years, spray foam has helped farmers create better climate controlled storage facilities, barns, coolers, and tanks; among other things. Recently, there has been a trend in the poultry industry to abandon the old methodology of “open air” side wall designed houses and move toward totally enclosed houses. This is big news for us in the spray foam industry because there isn’t a more cost effective, time saving or money saving option available for farmers when it comes to retrofitting their existing poultry houses.
Poultry Industry Opportunity
It is estimated that there are approximately 50,000 poultry houses in the United States today, as reported by Auburn University’s Poultry Science Department. The majority of these houses were originally constructed without solid side walls. This design concept was intended to give farmers the ability to control air flow and sunlight with the use of a plastic curtain material that could be raised and lowered accordingly. The biggest problem with this type of design is that it is terribly inefficient. There is very little insulation value and virtually no way to prevent unwanted air, moisture, and temperature extremes from affecting the performance of the house. Some serious problems that occur with curtain sided houses are:
- 30-50% greater fuel costs in winter
- Excess litter caking due to condensation
- Increased heat gain in summer
Residential Applications
An environmentally friendly home is a great benefit for builders, occupants, and the environment. Take an active role in helping reduce greenhouse gases, thus slowing the effects of global warming. By properly sealing a home the amount of oil that is needed to produce electricity and the carbon admitted into the environment is greatly reduced. Spray polyurethane foam insulation, because of its efficacy as an air sealer and waterproofing agent, has the potential to be a key component of the durability management strategy for a home. In addition to adding durability, spray foam contributes to projects’ achievement of high levels of energy efficiency because of the high R-value per inch and the performance characteristics of foam.
Commercial Applications
Sustainable buildings are an enormous benefit for building owners, occupants, and the environment. Take an active role in helping reduce greenhouse gases, thus slowing the effects of global warming. Spray polyurethane foam insulation and roofing, because of its efficacy as an air sealer and waterproofing agent, has the potential to be a key component of the durability management strategy for a building. The high R-Value and performance characteristics of spray foam contributes to energy efficiency of a building.