High R Factor Insulation or Low?
When choosing insulation for your home, it's important to consider the R Factor insulation. The R Factor is an easy way to understand the type of insulation which should be installed on your property. This makes it possible to check that you are installing insulation that will make your home comfortable and warm enough without needing to waste any money on insulation which will be better than you need.
When considering the type of insulation that you require it's important to spend time deciding exactly which insulation you want to install.
What Is Insulation?
Insulation is designed to prevent the flow of something, this is normally designed to prevent heat from escaping out a property although it's possible to insulate against other things including sound.
Insulation for heat is rated in R ratings which are very important to know about when choosing the type of insulation you want to install.
What Is the R Value?
The R Value tells you about the heat insulation, this makes it possible to identify how well the insulation material will block the heat flow out of your home. The R value is applied to the insulation per inch which means that the higher the R value, the better insulation properties the material will provide.
Big or Small R Value
The higher the R Value of the insulation installed the better insulator it is. Rigid foam insulation has much better insulation properties than Glass fiber and so has a higher R value. This means that it's possible to use less insulation to achieve the same result of insulation.
Typical R Values
The typical R Values of various materials will differ, this means that different insulating materials will require different thicknesses to efficiently insulate your home. The R factor is designed as an easy way to compare the different types of insulation so that you can correctly insulate your home and prevent too much heat escaping.
The R value will differ depending on the material you are using to insulate your home. Blown in insulation will have a typical R value of around 3.70 per inch.
Fiberglass has a typical R value of 3.14 per inch, and the R value of rigid foam is 4.00 per inch. This means that the best insulator is rigid foam insulation.
Understanding the R Value
The R value should be published and printed on the package of the insulation you are purchasing. The R value of different materials will differ depending on the brands. The higher the R value is, the better insulator it is. This means that a material with a high R value will require less thickness to insulate your home.
Don't simply choose the cheapest insulating material possible because this won't guarantee to do the job properly. Instead you should choose the right insulator for the job. This means that if you only have a limited amount of space available in your wall then you should choose a material with a high R-value so that you can fit as much insulation in the wall or ceiling cavity as possible.
