Natural Heat Insulation Materials

Rsi values and r values for various materials normalised to a one inch 25 4 mm thickness.

Natural heat insulation materials.

This man made material is 90 percent air but it is difficult for heat to pass through it making it excellent for insulation. Bulky materials resist conductive and to a lesser degree convective heat flow in a building cavity. Typical values are approximations based on the average of available figures. The high specific heat capacity of the insulation helps to keep the building warm during the winter but cool in summer preventing overheating.

In practice the values will have been obtained using different methods and thicknesses. Insulation materials run the gamut from bulky fiber materials such as fiberglass rock and slag wool cellulose and natural fibers to rigid foam boards to sleek foils. Increase your r value by layering insulation. Cold areas require a higher r value like an r 49.

Another important consideration should be where the insulation will go. Keep your space dry with faced insulation. Whatever your definition of green the best way to quantify how well insulation works is by its r value which measures its resistance to heat flow and ranges between less than r 1 and r 60. Mother s researchers show homesteaders how to make and install your own insulation creating a low cost good quality insulation using newspapers and a farm type hammermill.

Manufacturer isovlas application lofts timber frame walls intermediate floors roofs material flax polyester binder salts natural fibre content 80 per cent format flexible batts standard thickness. Clay coated straw has been shown to last over 700 years as a non deteriorating insulation. Rigid foam boards trap air or another gas to resist heat flow. The last column gives rsi values normalised to a metre thickness.

Building insulation materials are the building materials which form the thermal envelope of a building or otherwise reduce heat transfer. When choosing insulation most homeowners contemplate r value which measures resistance to heat flow. The legend has it that samuel stephens kistler invented aerogel in. The higher the r value the better the insulation material is at reducing energy consumption.

Insulation may be categorized by its composition natural or synthetic materials form batts blankets loose fill spray foam and panels structural contribution insulating concrete forms structured panels and straw bales functional mode. Still others consider insulation green when it s made of natural materials source.