Looking for a way to differentiate your business? Take a step toward “greener” building practices by providing greater energy efficiency, as well as lowering installation costs. Helping you down that path is sprayed-foam insulation.
Sprayed foam acts as both an insulator and an air-sealant in residential structures. The insulation is sprayed between a home’s framed recesses—studs, joists, rafters—and expands to fill the space. As a result, wall cavities are filled and air holes sealed in a single step.
The two types of sprayed foam—open-cell (isocyanurate) and closed cell (polyurethane)—are excellent insulators. The closed cell foams typically weigh more and have a higher R-value than open-cell foam. However, most foam insulation products have R-value ratings twice the per-inch rating of fiberglass batts.
Applied in liquid form, sprayed-foam insulation contains a polymer (such as polyurethane or modified urethane) and a foaming agent. Certified installers, who are trained to use the equipment and the chemical mixtures, spray the liquid, preventing overspray, and finish the walls properly.
Once the foam is sprayed, it expands within minutes to fill the cavity. After it dries, the excess foam is trimmed and a thermal barrier, typically drywall, is installed. Because sprayed-foam insulation does not shrink, sag, settle or biodegrade, it helps minimize problems once the wall cavity is covered.
Benefits = Savings
The ability to expand into tight areas makes sprayed foam ideal for insulating steel-framed structures and for filling small spaces—areas such as window jambs, small stud bays, rim joist areas and around electrical boxes and other penetrations—where cutting fiberglass batt insulation to fit can be difficult and labor-intensive. By blocking wind and air infiltration, sprayed foam often eliminates the need for separate air-tightness detailing, such as caulking, applying housewrap and vapor barrier, and taping joints.
Another benefit is sprayed foam’s environmentally friendly composition. All sprayed foams are made from agriculturally derived resins and contain no hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) that are harmful to the earth's ozone layer. They also do not off-gas formaldehyde—a potentially harmful volatile organic compound.
Even though sprayed-foam materials may cost more initially than traditional fiberglass batt insulation, the savings add up. First, using foam is cost competitive because it reduces construction time. Next, it reduces the number of specialized contractors needed on the job. Finally, foam’s higher R-value delivers increased energy efficiency so downsized heating and cooling systems can be installed.
All three reasons—increased productivity, energy savings, environmental protection—provide benefits to the contractor and eventually the homebuyer, too.
Certification Process
The NAHB Research Center administers the Insulation Contractors Certification (ICC) program, providing third-party evaluation of participating contractors. The Research Center partners with CertainTeed Corp., which provides Quality Systems and Installer Training for the program. Certified installers are reviewed biannually, and are subject to jobsite visits by Research Center auditors.
“Builders are wise to hire contractors participating in a program evaluated by a name they trust,” says Michael Luzier, president of the NAHB Research Center. “In today’s tight labor market, no one can afford the time and cost of a callback.”