Here is our insulation exhibit wall at LaHouse showing a wide variety of types of insulation Properly installed so that you'll actually get the benefit that you're paying for We're accustomed to batt insulation, but it is often very poorly installed This is the way it should look very smooth Completely filling the space and in direct contact with the sheathing with the interior wall on all six sides For an insulation to be effective it needs to have that air barrier in Contact with it all six sides in a wall system a craft faced batt insulation Is a good choice in North Louisiana where you have some winter, but here in South, Louisiana We would recommend if you're going with a batt product to use the unphased batt We don't want or need a vapor retarder of any type on the interior side Moisture moves from out to end Everything will flow and dry better if it is unfaced plus unfaced batts or friction fit Generally you often get a better installation because with the craft paper what many Contractors do is they press it in and they side staple that actually causes compression and creates a void and an air current and it reduces the effectiveness of that insulation so with batt products every penetration wires Plumbing you need to split the insulation and put it around to avoid any compression and to avoid any voids Yes, it takes added effort Added workmanship you may need to pay extra to have it installed Very proper to have it installed properly according to good energy performance Standards this type of bad insulation is another option. This is actually cotton Insulation that is made from recycled blue jeans, so it's a recycled product, and it's very Safe to handle into touch with bare hands whereas you do need to use gloves But even the fiberglass industry has come out with types of fiberglass insulation That don't off gas Formaldehyde like previous ones did and that are easier and safer to handle with less personal protection The cotton insulation has a very similar R-value to the batts the batts come in various R-values and densities At different price performance points so in a three and a half inch stud space of a 2x4 wall you would you can get anywhere from an R-11 to 13 - R-15 for a higher-end batt as well an alternative to batts That gives excellent coverage is What's called a blown in blanket system or bibs There is a a mesh That is just strung across the studs kind of hold it in and then loose fill fiberglass is dense packed under dense pack to a certain density To create an r-value up to 15 the advantage of this is it it's full coverage without Voids and without compression and around all the little obstructions that may be in a wall So when a home is being rated for an energy certification or some of the incentive programs that are out there It's rated according to how well it meets installation standards of being in full contact with the air barrier on all six sides easier to achieve that Achievable with any insulation, but the bibs is one good way to do it Another way to do it is with the spray applied products so generally any of the spray applied Installations will give full even coverage around all the obstructions that may be in a wall So you may get better performance for the same r-value than with the cut and fit you know relying on workmanship with some other Installations, so it's a it's a good option The cellulose type is what was utilized in most of the framed section of Lahouse It's recycled newspapers So it's a green recycled material mixed with borates the borates are the fire retardant, but they also Give it some resistance to mold Bugs don't like borate So it has those advantages and it it can absorb a little bit of extra moisture in the system and release it later Dissipate it so it's an excellent product for our area the Spray cellulose insulation has a an adhesive mixed in it when combined with with water it becomes like a spongy Stabilized material, so it won't settle and it will fill that space However it is damp so it is important to allow it to dry before closing up the wall You know allow it to dry to a certain level before closing up the wall and to not over wet it so Properly trained and experienced contractors should be used to install damp spray cellulose insulation the other spray alternative they do have spray products now with fiberglass as well as with rock wall that mix with an adhesive and have similar performance The other option are the spray foams spray urethane foams. There are several types And we show with different types of formulations But two major categories are the open cell spray foams And the two closed cell spray foams are shown here the open cell foam Has a similar R-value to the other installations But in addition to our value it air seals, so it creates an air barrier And you don't need to do other measures to provide that air barrier Wherever you do have the spray foam so it creates a very tight building envelope It does cost more than the other installations But that air barrier comes with it the cellulose might cost maybe 20-25 percent more But it may give you 30% better performance than a typically installed batt product A spray foam will give a very tight construction the open cell foam is Vapor permeable you fill the space with it there may be some waste And it does tend to cost about double what what a batt product might cost in the installed cost and a professional who knows what they're doing must do it the roof here was done with open cell we would recommend in our climate zone open cell under the roof deck. I think is a lower risk product just in case there's any vapor drive inward the walls can be either open cell or closed cell But as we discussed before under a raised floor we would recommend closed cells also if you're wanting to build a or insulate for that washing-n-wear concept a flood hearty flood resistant type of Building system you would also need to use the clothes sell product closed cell foam Costs about twice what the open cell it uses more product, but it has a higher r-value So wherever you need those properties of more r-value per inch or you need it to be flood resistant Or you need it to be vapor more vapor impermeable, that's the place to Spend the extra money on the closed cell foam The knee walls and the walls of the 2x4 walls on the backside of the living room of the house have Foil faced foam to provide that rigidity and that extra insulation as well as the radiant barrier benefit as well another type of Insulation system which is not conventional insulation is the idea of a radiant barrier in our climate just as we discussed behind the brick veneer In addition to having insulation having an airtight building envelope the other important factor in our climate is to reduce that solar heat gain to reduce the radiant heat that you feel from the Sun or from hot materials and in doing so products that are effective our low-e windows the reflective roofs like we have with the cool color metal roof the radiant the foil faced foam on the walls behind brick veneer and here we show a radiant barrier under a roof deck This is a foil material that is just apply just staple to the underside of the rafters. This is an easy retrofittable material something people can even do themselves and shiny side down The shiny side down keeps it from getting dusty, and it still works. It's not reflecting It's a low emissivity product, so it keeps that radiant heat from coming through So it will keep a vented attic much cooler than it would be otherwise reduce the heat gain to the insulation on the floor reduce the heat gain to any ductwork or Air handling system or air conditioner that may be in the attic so it is something that is can be done inexpensively can be retrofitted which is a good solution for vented attics
