How Insulation Works

How Does It Work? | Moisture | Types of Insulation | Locations | When to Replace

What makes insulation necessary is the way heat moves through gasesand solids. Warmth, as a rule, will always diffuse to a less warm area. Like osmosis, heat seeks to spread evenly across an environment rather than remain in one area and be contained. When the weather is cold outside and you're heating your house, the heat seeks to escape the walls of your home to colder parts of your home (the attic, basement, etc.) and outdoors. In the summer, heat attempts to spread into your house that you're trying to cool with air conditioning.

The effectiveness of insulation is graded with something called an R-Value. An R-Value refers to an insulations resistance to change in temperature, or thermal resistance. R-Value is dependent on a number of factors, such as thickness, material, and placement. When insulators with different R-Values are used one on top of the other, the combined R-Value is derived from simply adding those of the originals.

Insulation is manufactured to attain a certain R-Value, but a wall or structure that is insulated by that insulation doesn't necessarily have the same R-Value as the insulation itself. Wooden beams and studs are generally worse insulators then most forms of insulation and allow some heat to escape through them. It is important to make sure that structural elements are not keeping your insulation from reaching its potential.

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For insulation information please visit the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association.