All insulation whether made from fibreglass, cellulose fibre, mineral wool, plastic or composite materials is meant to do one thing above all else: slow the movement of heat from one space to another. This means that when it’s warm inside your home, proper insulation will prevent heat leakage and when it’s hot outside your home, proper insulation will keep the inside cool.
Heat moves in three different ways and insulation is designed to resist all three forms of movement. Radiation heat movement occurs naturally and is generated through electromagnetic waves of light from the sun. Conduction heat movement occurs when heat molecules from one object affect an adjacent object. A good example of conduction heat movement is when a cooking pan becomes hot from contact with a hot stove. Convection heat movement occurs when a liquid, like water, is heated and put into contact with air. A good example of conduction heat movement is a standard forced air furnace.
Sounds complicated right? Well, it’s not; all you need to know is that proper insulation will keep your family warm in the winter and cool in the summer by restricting the movement of heat through your home’s walls, floors and ceilings. It is also important to note that no insulation can completely resist heat movement, nor should it, as that could create moisture and/or mould problems.
Air contains moisture; we wouldn’t be able to breathe if it didn’t. However, when air contains too much moisture it can cause problems in your home. Condensation, which describes water created when moist air comes into contact with a cold object, can cause serious mould and rot problems in your home’s walls or attic. Proper insulation and vapour retardants decrease the possibility of condensation within your home’s walls and attic by restricting the formation of water vapour.
Depending on your needs and preferences, standard thermal insulation may provide adequate sound protection for your home. If it doesn’t, you should consider installing acoustic insulation in your home. Acoustic insulation meets all the building requirements of standard thermal insulation and provides superior sound protection to homeowners who require absolute privacy for home offices, recording studios, entertainment rooms or other purposes.
Homeowners today are more environmentally aware than ever before. To meet growing demand, building material manufacturers are rolling out new products that pass even the closest scrutiny. This is very true of the insulation industry, where a number of options are now available that didn’t exist only a few years prior. To learn more, please contact Durham Insulation for a free estimate in the GTA, Kawarthas, or Durham area.