New Construction
Congratulations! You’ve decided to build a new home. You will only get one chance to completely insulate the building envelope correctly, so now’s the time to get it right with spray foam insulation. Because of the dramatic reduction in air-infiltration that a building envelope insulated with spray foam achieves, you can install a smaller HVAC system, saving you the money that a larger system would entail and saving you money in future utility costs by conserving energy. An HVAC system correctly sized to the efficiency of the building envelope is critical to thermal performance over the life of the structure. Your HVAC contractor should be able to provide you with a Manual J, 8th Edition from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), or equivalent certified software to insure that your system is correctly sized.
Modern spray foam insulation is produced from a two component process that, when the A and B components are combined, expands into a resilient foam that will adhere to almost any clean, dry surface. It seamlessly fills cracks and penetrations in the building envelope that conventional insulations like cellulose and fiberglass cannot. In the attic, the insulation deck is most often raised from the conventional location on the attic floor, to the underside of the roof decking to create an unvented attic. In this way, HVAC duct leakage issues are solved because all ducts in the unvented attic will be located within the thermal envelope. Any HVAC equipment located in the attic, will now be operating with much less stress and more efficiency in a semi-conditioned environment that is never more than 6 to 10 degrees warmer in summer or cooler in winter than the temperature of the conditioned space below. When matched with the correct HVAC system, the result is dramatic energy savings and much improved indoor air quality.
Although the initial cost of spray foam is higher than traditional insulation, the money and time saved in the future more than justifies the expense even at current utility rates. As rates trend higher over time, your home will be much more cost effective to operate and much more attractive to a prospective buyer at resale than the conventionally insulated home down the street. Because spray foam is a plastic, it is extremely stable and does not settle, compress or deteriorate. It will be as thermally effective years into the future as the day it was installed.
Lastly, not only will spray foam increase the energy efficiency of your home, but it is also environmentally friendly. First and foremost, by reducing the amount of energy required to heat and cool the structure by as much as 40% to 60%, it dramatically reduces the carbon footprint of the home. Additionally, certain polyurethane spray foam products have a percentage of renewable content that can qualify for LEED points (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a program developed by the U. S. Green Building Council) or other state and municipal green building programs. If you are trying to make your home or building green, then spray foam insulation is a smart decision and BuiltSmart Foam is the right choice.
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