Is Spray Foam Insulation Really 'Green?'
Is certainly polyurethane foam, in its sprayed form and as an insulator, in reality environmentally friendly? What does 'green' and 'environmentally friendly' mean? Virtually all excellent questions, and all of them are not answerable in a word or two. Let's begin with defining the concept of environmentally friendly.
According to the International Firm for Standardization (IOS) the term is too vague to be thoughtful. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) agrees, but only to a point. The very USEPA created the international Energy Star program in an attempt to present the manufacturers of goods with a voluntary labeling system for advertising and marketing energy efficient products.
In the 1990's when the program was initiated, it was only applied to appliances and electronics. However , at this time entire homes and home offices are able to gain Vigor Star certification. The only criteria is the building must usage 15% less energy than a standard home built to the very 2004 International Residential Code. How does a home achieve that evaluation? The things at the top of the list for getting an Energy Star rating are not incredible: insulation, high performance windows, tight construction and ducting, energy-efficient cooling and heating systems and Energy Star trained products (appliances, lighting, water heaters). Know more visit on Spray Foam Insulation in Harris County
Now, in reference to insulating specifically, its efficiency is measured according to R-value. Some sort of R-value is a mathematical calculation which produces the level of thermal resistance a building has. For the average North American your home insulated with traditional fiberglass batts, R-value sits for between 3. 1 and 4. 3 per pillow inch. Blown in fiberglass insulation has a typical R-value between 2 and 4 per square inch. As per the US Department of Energy, the same home insulated with bottle of spray foam polyurethane insulation will have an R-value between 14 and 8 per square inch. Clearly a home covered with spray foam would be well on its way to getting an Energy Star rating, even without installing LED lighting in addition to thermal windows.
When a building is insulated with polyurethane foam, the costs of heating and cooling will undoubtedly be vastly reduced. Countless spray foam manufacturers report that energy costs will be reduced by up to 40%; a claim that is together highly likely and easily attainable. With such a diminished consumption of energy, there is less demand for petroleum-based products and fossil fuels, causing a smaller carbon footprint being left on our planet.
You're half way to answering our title question, is spew foam insulation really green? Now we know its large potential for energy savings, but what about the manufacture of the foam itself? In the case of spray foam, the two substances that come alongside one another to produce the foam must remain separate until the time for application. Those two things are polyol (a naturally occurring alcohol) and diisocyanate (a group of organic compounds derived from place and animal materials). When they are brought together with water, some sort of exothermic reaction takes place producing the polyurethane foam. Although the froth is produced from organic substances, it does not breakdown over time instant a good thing for insulation applications, but where does it visit when it is no longer needed?
When the intended use of the polyurethane foam has been completed, it really is re-purposed and recycled. For example , the Polyurethane Foam Association has got pioneered a program in the US in which spray foam insulation plus products meant for the landfill are collected and made right into carpet foam underlay. The program is so successful that 80% of all carpet underlay used in the US is made from recycled reboundable foam. The reduction in waste going to landfills is incredible!
So , is spray foam insulation really 'green'? Yes, it happens to be. Polyurethane foam is produced in an environmentally friendly way in that it is comprised of organic compounds using very little energy or water, keeps the excess use of fuel in heating and cooling homes and is wholly recyclable for other uses.
According to the International Firm for Standardization (IOS) the term is too vague to be thoughtful. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) agrees, but only to a point. The very USEPA created the international Energy Star program in an attempt to present the manufacturers of goods with a voluntary labeling system for advertising and marketing energy efficient products.
In the 1990's when the program was initiated, it was only applied to appliances and electronics. However , at this time entire homes and home offices are able to gain Vigor Star certification. The only criteria is the building must usage 15% less energy than a standard home built to the very 2004 International Residential Code. How does a home achieve that evaluation? The things at the top of the list for getting an Energy Star rating are not incredible: insulation, high performance windows, tight construction and ducting, energy-efficient cooling and heating systems and Energy Star trained products (appliances, lighting, water heaters). Know more visit on Spray Foam Insulation in Harris County
Now, in reference to insulating specifically, its efficiency is measured according to R-value. Some sort of R-value is a mathematical calculation which produces the level of thermal resistance a building has. For the average North American your home insulated with traditional fiberglass batts, R-value sits for between 3. 1 and 4. 3 per pillow inch. Blown in fiberglass insulation has a typical R-value between 2 and 4 per square inch. As per the US Department of Energy, the same home insulated with bottle of spray foam polyurethane insulation will have an R-value between 14 and 8 per square inch. Clearly a home covered with spray foam would be well on its way to getting an Energy Star rating, even without installing LED lighting in addition to thermal windows.
When a building is insulated with polyurethane foam, the costs of heating and cooling will undoubtedly be vastly reduced. Countless spray foam manufacturers report that energy costs will be reduced by up to 40%; a claim that is together highly likely and easily attainable. With such a diminished consumption of energy, there is less demand for petroleum-based products and fossil fuels, causing a smaller carbon footprint being left on our planet.
You're half way to answering our title question, is spew foam insulation really green? Now we know its large potential for energy savings, but what about the manufacture of the foam itself? In the case of spray foam, the two substances that come alongside one another to produce the foam must remain separate until the time for application. Those two things are polyol (a naturally occurring alcohol) and diisocyanate (a group of organic compounds derived from place and animal materials). When they are brought together with water, some sort of exothermic reaction takes place producing the polyurethane foam. Although the froth is produced from organic substances, it does not breakdown over time instant a good thing for insulation applications, but where does it visit when it is no longer needed?
When the intended use of the polyurethane foam has been completed, it really is re-purposed and recycled. For example , the Polyurethane Foam Association has got pioneered a program in the US in which spray foam insulation plus products meant for the landfill are collected and made right into carpet foam underlay. The program is so successful that 80% of all carpet underlay used in the US is made from recycled reboundable foam. The reduction in waste going to landfills is incredible!
So , is spray foam insulation really 'green'? Yes, it happens to be. Polyurethane foam is produced in an environmentally friendly way in that it is comprised of organic compounds using very little energy or water, keeps the excess use of fuel in heating and cooling homes and is wholly recyclable for other uses.
