Saturday, October 17, 2009

Polystyrene Insulation is The Best Material to Save Energy and Money

By Jack Connor

So what is polystyrene insulation? Maybe you have been told that it is a possible energy saving solution in your home and other buildings but chances are, you do not know much about it.

Is this insulation made from the same material as a portable cooler? What does it cost, and is the price worth the amount of energy it could save. Let's take a look at these questions and some of the answers to them.

Polystyrene insulation is one of the insulation materials, which is categorized in the group of rigid foam. This material is commonly used in both commercial and residential buildings and it works really well against extreme temperature changes caused by weather.

It is waterproof, lasts a very long time and would not degrade in structures. This indicates that polystyrene sheets are the right material for insulation if it's used in a right situation.

There are mainly two types of polystyrene that are widely used to insulate buildings. The first one is called expanded polystyrene. This material is also known as bead board and has lower density hence lower price. It does not insulate as well as another type since the cells inside the material are coarser and contain only air.

Another type is called Extruded polystyrene and is made up of much finer cells. This material contain not only air but also refrigerant gas in it and that makes them to insulate better.

Extruded polystyrene is also recommended because of other good reasons such as having uniformed and smooth surface. It can also be formed into several different shapes including blocks and panel shapes.

This insulation material is easy to cut so you would not have problems cutting it into any shape or size you want. You may also notice that some of the polystyrene insulation materials have hollows in them. They are normally used to be filled with concrete to create beam patterns and columns.

Price is a concern. As an insulation, polystyrene is fairly expensive. It can add five to ten percent onto home building costs. However, it offers significant energy savings over the life of the building, making it an economical choice in the long run. Plus, homes that are constructed using the concrete grid method avoid the issues you would encounter with a conventional wood frame. A fire protective coating is required, since polystyrene is flammable, and it should never be exposed to extremely high temperatures or direct sunlight. These are relatively minimal problems in most cases, however.

So what really is polystyrene insulation? It is one of the perfect products that will help you save a lot of energy hence reduce the costs in your home. There is a number of different advantages and is especially suited for a new construction.

To see if it is the right product you want to use for your new house or building, just take a little more time to research it. Chances are, you would probably decide that polystyrene insulation is the way to go.

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