Ceiling Insulation: Evaluate your options

Your priority at this point in your evaluation is to find the available ceiling insulation products in the market that best meet your needs. You can save a lot of time during this activity by quickly eliminating any options that are unsuitable because they don't meet your key requirements. For example, if you have a limited budget for this purchase then you can ignore any insulation that clearly exceeds your price limit.

Your choice of insulation will act as a barrier to heat flow and is an essential element in keeping your home warm in winter and cool in summer. A well insulated home will not only provide year round comfort, but also can cut energy bills by as much as half over an ineffectively insulated house.

Tip: Sealing out drafts is also important as they can account for up to 25% of the total heat loss from a home.

Some important considerations about the determining the effectiveness of your insulating materials include: thermal performance (R-value), completeness of coverage, how airtight the materials are, vapor barrier properties, and if the material will compress over time lowering the insulting quality.

When you discuss insulating qualities the “R” value is a common rule of thumb used to compare various insulating components. The R-value is simply a measurement ranging from less than 1 to 60, which refers to the insulation's ability to resist heat flow.

The R-value of insulating materials varies widely, but they will normally have the R-value of product stamped on the packaging. Both the quality of the material and the thickness of the material will impact the R-value. You will find that some foam products have a high R-value of 3.6 to 7.5 per inch of material applied, while gypsum board has a relatively low R-value of .45 per inch of thickness.

You can vary the thickness of the material when calculating the total insulating value. If you have chosen an insulation material of a bit lower R-value for another quality you desire, you can generally raise that R-value by increasing the thickness or the material's application.

Reflective insulations are rated with a System R-value. This value is determined through the combination of the R-value of insulation material used and the insulating value of the reflective material applied to that insulator.

Tip: R-values will vary on any particular product indicating its ability to restrict heat flows in either an upward or downward direction. Check the manufacturer's specifications.

Ceiling insulation is available in several basic forms: solid (sheet or boards), blown (loose or bulk), batts and rolls, and reflective. Solid formed insulation is generally not used in ceilings, but there are architectural situations where it is applicable.

The two most commonly used forms of insulation found in ceiling installation are bulk and batts or rolls. Foams applied by blown application are utilized, but are not in broad residential use.

Bulk insulators include those types of insulation that are installed with a blowing machine or can be poured into the attic. Batt or roll insulation will be produced in specific cut lengths or in an uncut blanket form.

Of particular concern to you the homeowner is the fire safety ratings of insulation materials. In the US, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) rates various insulation materials and this rating is normally listed upon the material's packaging. Those ratings are A, B, and C, with A possessing the highest resistance to fire. A rating of C would indicate a high combustibility for that particular substance.

Some cellulose materials are manufactured from recycled paper products. This type material would be highly flammable under normal circumstances. However, these materials are coated with fire retardants during manufacturing which make them considerably more resistant to fire.

As a general rule of thumb, the thicker the application of insulation, the lower the energy requirements you will encounter in maintaining a comfortable temperature level in your home. Your choice of materials to install will require you to balance those installation costs against your future savings in energy bills. Remember also that the better the insulated the house is, the higher the potential resale value will be.

When you were considering your requirements in ceiling insulation it's likely that you singled out certain factors such as R-value rating, amount required, insulation type, fire rating and cost as being of major significance. As with so many other products, the more features offered, the higher the price. Buyz123 has created a checklist containing examples of major features; you can work from this checklist when evaluating how well various ceiling insulation products meet your personal needs:

Features Checklist

General Forms of Insulation

Solid (sheets or boards)
Blown
Batts or rolls
Reflective

Effectiveness Factors for Ceiling Insulations

Thermal performance - R-value
Completeness of coverage
Air tight
Vapor barrier
Compression (over time)

R-Value (R=resistance)

Thermal resistance of insulation
The R-value ranges from less than 1 to 60
Higher the R-value the higher the thermal resistance
The R-value is generally printed on the packaging

Insulating Products Available for Ceilings

Loose - Rockwool granulated, vermiculite, cellulose fire retarded, seagrass
Batt - Glasswool batts, sheep's wool
Foam - Urea formaldehyde
Board - Calcium silicate, foamglass, foil FR batts, phenolic foam, melamine foams, polyimide foams, rigid polyurethane, polyisocyanurate foams, polystyrene extruded foams, thermotec P/E foams, nitrile foams
Blanket - Dacron (polyester), sheep's wool batts, acoustifoam, modacrylic

R-Value of Various Materials - 1 inch thickness unless specified

Foams (rigid boards) - 3.6 to 7.5
Cellulose (loose blown) - 2.8 to 3.8
Perlite (Conc. bulk. fill) - 2.5 to 4.0
Rockwool (batts) - 2.8 to 3.7
High Density Fibreglass (batts) - 3.2 to 3.5
Fibreglass (batts or blown) - 2.2 to 3.2
Vermiculite (conc. bulk. fill) - 2.4 to 3.0
Plywood - 1.25
Softwoods - 1.25
Wood Siding - 0.79
Concrete Blocks - 0.58
Gypsum Board (1/2 inch) - 0.45
Brick - 0.20
Concrete - 0.08
Stucco - 0.02
Wood Paneling ( inch) - 0.31

There are a lot of features listed here, and some of them may not be relevant to your particular requirements. So, work your way through the list and assess how each of these features impact on your needs. You can then create a personalized checklist of the features you really require.

Once you have finished evaluating the ceiling insulation products available for sale in the light of your personal needs and arrived at a short-list of 'possibles' you are ready to progress to the next stage. This involves comparing the insulation one-on-one in order to find those that really stand out.

Evaluate how well Ceiling Insulation compares with competing Ceiling Insulation

Comparing the items on your interim short-list, one to another, is an important part of the purchasing process - we all want to buy the best product we possibly can. So once you have established a short-list of ceiling insulation products that meet your needs it is time to evaluate how well they compare in fine detail. This way you can assemble a select list that stand out from the crowd.

Questions to ask yourself:

Which ceiling insulation on my short-list can offer the R-value I need?
Which of these provides the best coverage?
Which is the easiest to install?
Which seems of the highest quality?
Which has the materials I prefer?
Which ceiling insulation do I like the best?

By answering these simple questions, you are actually eliminating ceiling insulation products that aren't absolutely right for you. This is an excellent time - if you haven't done so already - to evaluate how well your short-listed products measure up in the following areas: Physical Quality and Warranty Conditions.

Physical Quality

Regardless of the method you use when purchasing the ceiling insulation, you need to find an opportunity to examine the product to evaluate how well it is made, and to check that it is truly suitable for you and your purpose. This is the time to examine the quality of the materials. It's also important to examine the ceiling insulation from the perspective of ease of use. How easy is the product to install? Make sure the insulation will fit your roof space properly, and that it is user-friendly - some ceiling insulation products look great on paper, but unexpected problems will show up when you finally get them home.

Physical Inspection Checklist:

Materials - quality, appearance
Size - appropriate for surroundings and purpose
Easy to use

Warranty Conditions

Similar products may be available with significantly different terms and conditions, and you want to get the best deal you can. Sometimes there can be a significant difference in the warranty offered with one insulation type compared to that offered with the next. It is particularly important to investigate any conditions that might void a warranty, such as if you install the insulation yourself.

Warranty Checklist:

Duration - check the specifics
Exactly what is covered
Exactly what is excluded
Conditions or actions that may void the warranty

Once you've worked through the Evaluation step you will have a final short-list of ceiling insulation products that meet your needs and stand out from competing products on the market. It's time then to move on to the third and final step: Purchase.

Video Links

Buyz123.com Research Links:

Types

Specifications, information and R rating on polyester, foil and glasswool insulation products

The different types and their advantages and disadvantages

Information on bulk and reflective types of insulation