Find the best type of insulation for your home. CallIt’s no secret that insulation can help keep your home comfortable throughout the winter, but it can do so much more for your home throughout the entire year than just that. Proper insulation, especially when combined with air sealing, can help protect your home from moisture issues, ice dams, and more.
There are many different types of insulation available and it can be difficult for homeowners to determine which one is best for their specific needs. As a professional insulation contractor serving the Greater Rochester area, Wise Home Energy can help! Our team of home performance experts has over 75 years of combined experience in finding long-lasting and reliable insulation solutions using building science—not guesswork. Here are the different types of insulation we use, and where we install them.
Closed-Cell Spray Foam Insulation
Spray foam insulation is made up of a mixture of polyurethane and isocyanate. When combined, the two chemicals create a foam that tightly fits into an area, expands, and hardens. Because of this, spray foam has both insulative and air sealing properties, giving you two services in one product.
Spray foam insulation consists of small bubbles, known as cells, which help make it resistant to air movement and heat flow. The cells in closed-cell spray foam are completely enclosed and tightly packed together, giving the final product a rigid structure that’s great for:
- Roof decks
- Rim Joists
- Closed crawl spaces
- Basement walls
- Pole barns
Cellulose Insulation
Cellulose insulation is made from recycled newspaper and treated with boric acid to be resistant to fire, mold, and pests. Cellulose offers environmentally friendly and cost-effective protection from heat transfer with a high R-value, however, it does not stop air movement so air sealing is also recommended when installing.
Cellulose insulation is blown-in and comes in both dense-pack, which easily fits into tight spaces, and loose-fill which is installed in thick layers. Each type of cellulose has areas of a home where it is best used:
Dense-Pack:
- Attic floors
- Exterior walls
Loose-Fill:
- Open attics
RetroFoam Injection Foam
RetroFoam is a non-toxic and odor-free resin based foam insulation that is installed on the outside of your home for minimal disturbance. Similarly to spray foam, RetroFoam insulation also has a spray application that is meant to fill gaps. Though RetroFoam is different from closed cell spray foam in a few key areas, one being that this foam can be “Injected” into enclosed walls from the outside, meaning you don’t need to demo your home to use a foam based insulation product.
Retrofoam insulation is fire and moisture resistant and offers superior protection against the outside elements. There are several home types and applications that are best for Retrofoam, including:
- Walls
- Concrete blocks
- Brick & stucco homes
- Older homes
Get Started with the Insulation Experts in the Greater Rochester Area
Regardless of what style of home you have, Wise Home Energy can solve several comfort and efficiency problems with our comprehensive insulation services. We recommend getting started with a Wise Home Assessment to allow our team to diagnose your home’s performance. We’ll perform several tests, like blower doors and infrared imaging, to determine where your home has air leaks and unwanted heat transfer to help you determine which type of insulation will meet your specific needs. We offer high-quality insulation installation in Rochester, Genesee, Monroe, and surrounding counties.