Olander GC is committed to build energy efficient, healthy, quiet, and more environmentally friendly homes using the latest insulation technology. We can help you make the best decision on which insulation to use for your project which will have a large impact on your home's efficiency, comfort, and indoor air quality. We are passionate about building technology and have extensive experience in insulation technology.
By educatiing and informing our customers about the latest information in building science, we can help you create an energy efficient, comfortable and safe home. Below you'll find information about construction and insulation technology:
Which insulation is best?... There will always be a debate on this, there are many aspects of insulation and it seems that foam usually rises to the top.....
Some key concepts:
Unvented Roof Design: Modern building science suggests using unvented roof designs. This type of roof design can be used in designing cathedral ceilings, bonus rooms, and retrofit applications, but requires a heat recovery ventilator.
R Value: Insulation is measured by 'R value', which measures a materials ability to resist conductive heat flow. It is also important to think about the materials ability to resist convective heat flow and radiant heat flow.
Convective Heat Loss From Your Attic: This is a significant heat loss area. It's especially true for homes constructed with loose fill insulation such as blown cellulose and fiberglass.
Air Permiability: The Department of Energy states that 40% of heat gain/loss in a building is due to air leakage. Fiberglass insulation does not stop air leakage in the house envelope.
Moisture Permiability: How does the insulation material react to moist air and change in temperature. If the material allows moisture to condense in the wall or ceiling it will have a tendency to create mold, rot and other issues.
Indoor Air Quality: Many factors impact the air quality of an indoor environment. The best way to ensure high IAQ is to coordinate the setup of the mechanical systems (boiler or HVAC) with the insulation being used. When using foam insulation you limit the potential for mold, dust, or other materials to infiltrate the home from the outer envelope.
Sound Attenuation: Insulation materials play a key role in reducing the amount of sound noticable from the exterior of a home as well as between rooms. What are the sound attenuation properties of your insulation?Foam Insulation
Types of Insulation:
Open-Cell Spray Foam Open-cell spray foam is one of the best all purpose home insulation materials. It's a lightweight semi-rigid polyurathane foam with the consistancy of a nerf football . It is is very light and springy. It has an open cell structure. It's main advantage is that it provides an excellent air barrier and good sound attenuation.
Closed-Cell Spray Foam Closed cell spray foam is a heavier rigid polyurathane foam and provides a higher R value/inch and gives a complete air and moisture barrier. This is also called rigid sprayfoam. We typically spec this product for exterior walls, below grade slabs on foundations, or interior applications moisture could be an issue.
Open Cell Pour Fill For wall retrofit situations, this open cell spray foam is specifically designed to rise slowly and fill empty stud bays in walls. It's the best efficiency upgrade material for filling walls. It's relatively costly and requires a competent installer and access to the wall areas being filled.
Cellulose Cellulose insulation is a fiberous material that is made from shredded newspaper, borates, and glue. It can be a good for an attic ceiling to insulate a large area economically. If you have enough depth it provides a fair quality air barrier, but it does settle or shift. Some applicators also mix cellulose with water and apply the material vertically in stud cavities. We can install cellulose when specifically requested or when doing retrofit work where there is already cellulose in the home, but we suggest foam because of it's superior qualities with respect to air, moisture, sound and vapor.
Fiberglass Fiberglass is a fiberous material made of woven strands of glass. It's mainly used because it is very inexpensive and it's better than nothing. (just barely). Unless forced to -we don't use and do not suggest this product.
Cementous Foams there are several brands of shaving cream type foams that are used for wall injection and block fill. These foams are relatively inexpensive and can infiltrate relatively well into an existing cavity. One drawback is the material is water based, and prone to shrinkage or collapse as it solidifies. Structurally Insulated Panels
Structually Insulated Panels, or SIPS, are made of a sandwich of plywood and polystyrene foam. This is an excellent approach for new construction, since it provides a great air barrier and thermal barrier. Most SIP wall pannels are CNC constructed which helps to keep the seams together so that they don't shift.
Insulated Concrete Forms Insulated Concrete Forms, or ICF is a very solid way to build a foundation wall, or an entire exterior wall. It is made with a sandwich of polystyrene with concrete poured on the inside. This provides an excellent mass wall with great insulating and structural properties. The cost of concrete can be the limiting factor with ICF's.
Federal Home Improvement Tax Credit: A $1,500 Federal tax credit is available for home improvements including insulation, new windows, and energy efficient appliances. http://www.energystar.gov/
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