Six Benefits of Spray Foam Insulation

1. A Highly Efficient Level of Support

Many homeowners are now opting for closed-sell spray foam insulation due to its extra efficiency. This tends to perform much better than the many other types of insulation available on today’s market. As this is an expansive product, it gives you the chance to seal off various gaps and corners that would otherwise be exposed. Few products available on the market today are efficient enough to deliver the kind of airtight seal this insulation gives you. As long as the product is installed correctly, it can improve your energy efficiency substantially. The more energy efficient your home is, the easier it becomes to reduce your fuel bills and therefore make a better contribution to the world around you.

Reduced utility bills are a major reason why so many people are looking into the benefits of spray foam insulation. You could cut your fuel bills by around 50% if your property currently has no insulation at all, and that you could save around 30% if you have an inferior, less efficient form of insulation. This product is commonly used alongside other forms of insulation to overcome air flow issues that might see heat being lost through your ceiling, floors and walls.

2. An Incredibly Tough Airtight Seal

Another big reason so many people are investing in spray foam insulation is that comes with an airtight seal that is incredibly hard to break. It can expand quickly into the kind of holes and cracks that you might encounter within your walls, loft and other spaces. These leaks can be incredibly costly as they are responsible for a great deal of the air loss that occurs within a home. It’s said that spray foam insulation could be 24 times less vulnerable to air movement than most other types of insulation. This helps you keep your home cooler during the summer months and warmer in the wintertime.

You can see how effective open cell spray foam is in the graph below. The law of diminishing returns applies here, as after an airtight seal has been formed, adding more spray foam will not increase the thermal efficiency. You can save money by not having to install as much as you think.

3. Impermeable to Water

The fact that spray foam insulation is impermeable to water is a big draw for many homeowners. This insulation will protect your loft from the moisture that attempts to enter your space, and it doesn’t absorb water during floods like some other materials will, so you can expect to see less damage after flooding as long as your installation is carried out correctly. Read on for more of the benefits of spray foam insulation.

4. Prevent the Build-Up of Mould and Mildew

Spray foam insulation can also deter the development of mould and mildew. The foam used to manufacture this product is made from an inert polymer, so it’s not a good food source for bacteria, mildew or mould even in the event it does become wet. Closed cell insulation tends to be more effective at preventing mould, mildew and bacteria but open cell insulation still performs better than many other insulation solutions. Another key benefit of spray foam insulation is that it’s likely to give you challenges with pest infestations in comparison to other products that are used for insulation.

5. Excellent Longevity

The benefits of spray foam insulation don’t stop there. Manufacturers of spray foam insulation often emphasise the longer lifespan offered by their products compared to other insulation solutions. As long as you take good care of your building as well as the insulation itself, it can last for decades without needing to be upgraded or replaced. Although the cost of spray foam insulation installations may seem off-putting for some, it’s very wise to regard your purchase as a long-term investment that will repay you in a relatively short time span.

6. An Eco-Friendly Option

If you want to make a better contribution to the world around you whilst reducing your home heating costs, spray foam insulation can be an outstanding investment. Spray foam insulation allows you to cut back your energy consumption and protect your home from the kind of moisture that can cause premature wear and tear. Another reason why spray foam insulation is regarded as a highly eco-friendly option is that only a few materials are needed to produce it. This popular form of insulation can also make your walls and roof stronger.

It can deliver a substantial improvement in racking strength whilst also helping you reduce noise pollution levels. Spray foam insulation performs convincingly throughout the year and won’t sag as long as it has been installed correctly. You can also expect spray foam insulation to help you keep contaminants out of your property due to the airtight seal that it provides. These include pollen and dust. Spray foam insulation can also reduce the workload faced by your HVAC system, giving you the chance to cut costs in other areas too.

Are There Any Disadvantages to Spray Foam Insulation?

As with many things in life, there are some downsides that you need to consider if you’re thinking about installing spray foam insulation. Unfortunately, spray foam insulation won’t be able to fill every single cavity. Gaps can form in your floors, ceiling and walls that the foam may be unable to reach during the expansion process. If cavities are not filled properly, you may experience air leakage, and your home could become warmer than you would like in the summer and colder during the winter months. This is why it’s so important to have the foam installed by a highly experienced installer who’ll ensure there are as few gaps as possible.

It is also possible for spray foam to shrink sometimes. This is only likely to happen as the product starts to age, and if you live in an area that sees big differences in extreme temperatures. If the spray foam does start to shrink and lose its efficiency, you can either install new spray foam to fill the gaps or start from scratch. It can also cost more to install spray foam insulation compared to some of the other options available to you such as fiberglass insulation.

Conclusion

There are clearly many advantages to spray foam insulation. One of the reasons many people choose not to have their lofts insulated is so they can use them for storage. However, spray foam insulation doesn’t normally need to be as thick as many of the other solutions on the market. This means it may well be possible to have spray foam insulation installed and still use your loft for storage. The insulation is likely to be much more effective if your roof is currently in good condition and is not leaking. Spray foam could be the right option for you if you’re unable to have external insulation installed for any reason or if you have cavity walls which are difficult to reach.

It's very important to be aware of the disadvantages of spray foam insulation as well as the advantages if you are considering going ahead with an installation. What’s right for one home or business owner isn’t always ideal for another. This means your property, budget and various other factors may come into play if you are in the process of deciding whether to have spray foam insulation installed at your property. Nonetheless, spray foam insulation has a good track record of improving comfort, reducing carbon footprints and lowering energy bills at many properties across the UK and elsewhere.