Everything you need to know about commercial insulation

When people think of insulation, they immediately think of an attic in a home. While the residential market is significant insulating commercial properties is also very important. What types of buildings should be insulated? Barns and other agricultural buildings, warehouses, offices, retail centers and stores, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, and more. If looking into energy projects to save energy costs in a building adding insulation should be at the top of the list.

The role of insulation is to prevent the heat from warmer spaces from escaping to cooler ones. This simple concept affects both residential and commercial buildings in many ways.  Insulation helps maintain indoor comfort because a properly insulated building is much more comfortable temperature-wise vs a poorly insulated building. Without insulation, the heat will escape during the winter months and enter during the summer months. With the correct amount of insulation, the heat transfer will be reduced or eliminated indoors and will stay at your preferred temperature. To keep up with the unequal temperature levels your AC unit, heat pump, etc. will have to work overtime. Having those issues not only lose the energy you’ve paid for, but it will also have to come out of pocket to pay for more energy to balance out the loss. Overall, this will cause unnecessary expenses every month and can be prevented. Having your HVAC system run overtime will more wear and tear quicker than it normally would under better circumstances. The increase of work will cause system malfunction or cause the systems to breakdown resulting in again, more money out of pocket to repair. The lifespan of the equipment will be shortened and must be replaced sooner than normal.  Insulation effectiveness is determined by its R-value, the higher the R-value the more effective the insulation will be.

Types of Insulation for Commercial Buildings

There are several different types of insulation for commercial buildings and certain types that accommodate the specific needs of that structure.

• Fiberglass blanket – This is a common type of insulation that most people are familiar with. Its long layers of fiberglass are stacked together making a thick blanket layer of insulation. The blanket is usually held together by two thick pieces of cardboard. Batt insulation also known as roll insulation is placed between floor joists, walls, and beams.
• Fiberglass board – Fiberglass board is used to insulate HVAC ductwork. Ducts are made up of super-thin metal that easily loses heat from warm air or allowing the cool air to warm up. Board insulation is a good option because it saves money and energy! You will normally see this sort of insulation around pipes and hot water tanks.
• Spray Foam- Spray foam insulation is a partly liquid material that is easily sprayed into areas using pressure-controlled equipment. When the foam dries it becomes a dense effective seal against air leaks.
• Loose-fill insulation- Lose-full insulation is made of cellulose or fiberglass. This type of insulation is also sprayed in and is effective to insulate areas that are unreachable or odd shapes.