The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-11-10, Page 63Page 1e
Can't warm up winter so
Keep the heat you have indoors
We might as well forget
about trying to heat up the
great Canadian winter; 'we
just can't do it. So let's keep--
our
eepour heat indoors, where it will
•do us the most good.
As you read this sup-
plement you'll discover that
installing or adding insulation
is neither difficult nor par-
ticularly expensive.
Insulation conserves heating
energy which in turn saves
you money.
Two things happen when
insulation is added to your
new or existing .home. First,
and most important, you save
energy because you use less
fuel for heating. Secondly,
you feel warmer and more
comfortable.
From the moment heat is
generated, it tries to escape
into the colder air outside. It
vanishes through the ceiling
and walls, sneaks out round
windows and doors. The rate
of escape depends on the
difference between the inside
and outside temperatures,
and on the resistance it
meets. `insulation is the key
barrier that traps and holds
heat inside.
A thorough re -insulation
job can cut your annual
heating bill by as much as 50
percent. A more modest
improvement to your in-
sulation can save you 20 to 30
percent annually. So if your
bill is now $300, a 30 percent
saving could reduce it to $210.
The cost of insulating all or
part of a house is usually paid
for in 5 years or less, through
lower annual heating costs.
A quick .way to find out if
your house needs extra in-
sulation is to take a look
outside. On a dull day, is the
snow melting on the roof? If
so, you don't have enough
insulation in the attic. Is snow
disappearing from around the
sides of the house? If so you
need insulation on the
basement walls.
A poorly insulated house is
usually uncomfortable.
Blame it on the "cold wall"
effect. The inside surface of
an uninsulated wall may be
from 8 to 15 Fahrenheit
degrees (4 to 8 Celsius
degrees) colder than the
same wall with insulation. If
you're sitting near the wall,
your body heat will flow
towards the cooler surface
andyou'll soon begin to feel
chilly. At the same time, as
warm air meets the cool wall
it becomes more dense and
sinks towards the floor. This
displaces warm floor -air
which rises. The result can be
uncomfortable drafts.
Many of us turn up the
thermostat, blaming a chilly
feeling on the furnace or the ,
weather. The real problem is
often a lack of good insulation
and weather protection.
Years ago we assumed that
the best measure of insulation
was thickness. Times and
products have changed. This
rule -of -thumb is no longer
reliable.
Insulation is now
manufactured and sold by
"resistance value" (called
the "R" value) — a precise
measurement of 'the in-
sulation's resistance to heat
transfer. The higher the
resistance value, the less heat
will escape through the in-
sulating material.
One brand of insulation
may be thicker or thinner
than another, but if they both
show the same R value,
they'll perform equally well.
The R value is stamped in
large letters on the cover of
packaged insulation. If it isn't
there, check with your dealer.
who should know the value.
You can choose from "four
basic types of home in-
sulation: (1) batt and
blanket, (2) loose fill, (3)
rigid foam plastic, (4)
foamed -in-place plastic.
(1) Batt and blanket in-
sulation. This has a soft,
woolly texture and is made
from fibres of glass, rock or
slag. It is the most common
type and is probably up in
your attic right now.
The batts are sold in pre-
packaged bundles, in 4 -foot or
8 -foot lengths. They vary
from 2 to 6 inches in thickness
and come in standard widths
— to fit snugly between
uniform centre ceiling joists,
studs or wall strapping.
Blanket insulation is sold in
rolls of varying lengths,
widths and thicknesses.
Both types are sold with or
without an attached vapor
barrier. This barrier is a
protective coating in one side
of the insulation — using wax,
tarred kraft paper, aluminum
foil or plastic — to guard
against moisture damage
which would reduce the in-
sulation's effectiveness.
(Vapor barriers and their
uses are discussed again
further on.)
Batts or blankets are used
to insulate frame or brick
houses — in walls, over
ceilings, under floors, in
crawl spaces and garages.
They can be used on poured
concrete and block basement
walls where framing has been
applied.
(2) Loose -fill insulation.
Loose -fill insulation is sold by
the bag and may be in pellets,
fibrous or granular form.
When properly used, it leaves
few air gaps or pockets and
forms an effective heat
barrier. In wall cavities,
however, it may settle over
the years and leave a poorly
insulated gap at the top.
There is no vapor barrier,
so one must be applied to
protect the insulation from
moisture. (Because loose fill
is so easy to apply it's often
used to re -insulate an existing
home ceiling. Professional
insulation contractors also
use it as a "blown -in" type for
the wall cavities of existing
homes. Holes are drilled in
each stud space of the wall
and the insulation is blown in
using a compressor. The
holes are then sealed.)
Loose fill is manufactured
from glass, rock, slag,
pulverized paper or expanded
mica. The expanded mica
type (zonolite or vermiculite)
can be used in block -type
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walls in new construction,
where the material is poured
directly into the block cores.
(3) Rigid foam plastic
insulation. Rigid
polyurethane and polystyrene
insulation are sold in panels
of different sizes and
thickness. They offer several
advantages: high insulation
Value with minimum
thickness and weight rigidy,
sound absorption, vapor
barrier.
Polyurethane and
polystyrene foamed plastics
are now recognized as severe
fire hazards when used in
exposed or semi -exposed
applications. As now
manufactured, they not only
contribute to flame spread,
but produce •explosive and
poisonous gases under fire
conditions. They should not
be used in applications which
might expose them to open'
flame inside a building.
Foam plastic insulation can
still be used under these
conditions:
(a) inside, if covered by 3/ "
plaster or %" gypsum board,
(b) on the outside of con -
Crete, masonry or
frame walls,
(c) inside maseon
walls, suitably firs
slabs, under concrete
(e) as roof Insula
plied above structural
(4) Foamed•in place
lici
insulation. 'There are
brands of foam in
such as urea•torm•
and polyurethane,
be foamed -in-place a',,
cavities, They shoal':
installed by a prof'
contractor with the
equipment.
If a low flammabiu
such as unreafornyald
is chosen, or if D�
protective measures
taken, this can beano;
way of retrofitting b.
in older homes. See a
insulation contracta
more details.
Vapor barriers
essential part of �!
sulation story, Insdalii
wall, ceiling or floortn`.
protected by a vapor,;
applied to the
side of the insulation,{.
Turn to pagr
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