Home and Building Insulation in an Age of Freak Weather
Great changes are happening to our weather. Super typhoons, off-season tornadoes, heat waves, flash floods, and the recent polar vortex in the U.S. all indicate a new weather norm. Elderly folks are saying that never in their lives have they experienced such extreme furies unleashed by nature. They may or may not be directly linked to global warming, but one thing is for sure: this is one of those things we’ll have to learn to deal with and get used to from now on.
How’s Your Home and Building Insulation?
The recent spate of wind chills and cold front has us reconsidering the state of our home and building insulation. As we brace against more and more extreme kinds of weather, our current insulation might not be enough to keep the cold out and the warmth in.
For the longest time, the favourite insulating material is spray polyurethane foam. It performs extremely well—has good and stable R-value, saves up to 50{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab} in energy costs, contributes to a building’s structural strength, and is permanent. But it can also cause fires when improperly installed, may eventually off-gas, and is inherently still a petroleum-based product.
Fortunately, greener insulation alternatives exist.
Vacuum Insulated Panel. In recent years, VIPs have successfully crossed over from transportation and appliances to the building industry. VIPs consist of a core panel (usually glass mineral wool and polyester fibers) sealed in a vacuumed envelope made of aluminium, polyethylene, and polyester. The result is a high R-value insulation in a thin, lightweight profile. It’s recyclable too, so plus points on the green factor.
As with other insulating materials, proper handling and installation is of importance as tiny punctures can cause the VIPs to lose vacuum and suffer in performance. When installed properly however, VIPs can maintain up to 80{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab} of its thermal performance after 25 years.
Fungal Mycelium Fiber. Nothing can be more natural and sustainable than Greensulate, a fungus-based insulation material made from waste agricultural material (rice or wheat hulls) inoculated with fungal spores and then poured into molds. The result is a rigid foam that’s mold-resistant, does not off-gas, contains no chemical flame retardant, and has a respectable R-3.0 per inch to boot.
Hempcrete. The righteous might frown on hemp (from which marijuana comes), but hemp mixed with lime and water actually makes for something that’s even better than regular concrete. Aside from its high R-value, hempcrete wins points among green builders because of its sustainability, mold- and fire-resistance, and non-toxicity. Best of all, walls made of hempcrete are an effective carbon sink, sequestering carbon in its lifetime. It’s definitely time to rethink our perceptions regarding hemp.
Aerogel. Of course, what discussion about home and building insulation is complete without aerogels? Aerogels are extremely efficient in building insulation, offering one of the highest possible R-values, especially nanogels. They still remain expensive to produce though, but builders are wising up on the cost-benefit of aerogels.
