The beauty of living in Canada is enjoying the quietness the winter months bring. It is a time to slow things down after months of hard work getting as much done during the warmer months. It’s the time to sit in front of the fire to enjoy a hot cup of tea while feeling proud of all of our accomplishments.

Being able to enjoy the indoors when it’s cold out wouldn’t be possible if our homes weren’t insulated. The house won’t be able to retain heat, meaning we’d have to crank the heat up. If you have a wood stove, you’ll probably have to have twice the amount of firewood to get you through. If you have electric heat, you’d pay twice the amount just to be comfortable in your own home. This is why insulation has been key to retaining heat while keeping costs down.

When we talk insulation, we talk in R-Value. R-Value simply means Resistance-Value or the measure of resistance to the flow of heat through a material (such as insulation). The higher the number is, the better its insulating properties.

The minimum R-value required by the building code are the following:

For walls: R-24, ceiling: R-50, basement walls: R-20, basement floors: R-10 under slab. Of course you can add more to this as you wish.

Today the most common types of insulation used in residential builds are batt insulation, rigid foam insulation, and spray foam insulation.

Batt insulation comes in two types: Fibreglass and Mineral wool. These types of insulation come in bags and expand when the bag is opened. They normally come “pre-cut” to 4’ by the width and depth of the cavity you’re filling (depending on the type of framing used – 2×6 or 2×4 wall construction with 12’, 16’ or 24’ on centre studs). The depth of the cavity will determine how much r-value you can get when installing batt insulation.

Rigid foam insulation are sheets of “styrofoam” that can be used in conjunction with batt insulation. Today, you can see the white foam insulation installed on the exterior wall prior to installing the exterior finish. This is one way to add more R-value into a home when there’s no more room in the wall cavity to fill.

Spray foam insulation can be seen used on basement walls most often. The composition of this product makes it ideal for that application as it acts as an insulator and a moisture barrier making it ideal for use on concrete foundation walls. It is also ideal for older homes with 2×4 construction in which the use of batt insulation won’t meet minimum r-value requirements. Because spray foam is much denser than batts, you can get a higher r-value rating from spray foam insulation. 

As we know, warm air rises, which means we get most of the heat loss from the ceiling. It only makes sense why ceilings require a higher r-value than the walls of our homes. Ceilings use batt insulation and/or loose fill insulation. Loose fill insulation is basically insulation that is broken down and blown in. Sloped ceilings won’t be able to hold loose-fill without it settling to the lowest sides, therefore batts are more ideal in that situation. In flat ceilings loose-fill is a more ideal choice as it is easier to bring into an attic through a machine that spews the insulation out. The r-value is determined by the thickness of insulation that has been blown into the space.

Remember to use spray foam around windows and doors as well. These openings are the best place for heat loss if not insulated properly.

After insulation, the walls must be enveloped with a moisture barrier, unless spray foam application is used. This makes the building air tight, therefore draft cannot enter, making the home more energy efficient. Of course this then could create mould problems in the home when air cannot move around, this is why an effective mechanical ventilation is required. These systems introduce fresh, clean air into the home and exhaust stale air out. 

Pro Tips:

1. Please wear proper PPE when handling insulation. Wear white suits, gloves, good masks, and tape around the sleeve cuffs into your gloves. These materials have very fine fibres that can easily be breathed in, making your throat feel scratchy. It attaches to any clothing and when it makes contact with your skin, it’s very itchy.

2. Is one type better than another? Perhaps on where it is being used. If you have pipes in a tight space and batt insulation will not do the job, then spray foam might be the best choice. How I see it, if you’re meeting the insulation requirements, then you should be good. But can you over-insulate? I say not. So don’t be afraid to use two different types of insulation to go over and above the minimum requirements if having a “net-zero” home is really important to you.
3. Too many times for the sake of “saving energy” people turn these ventilation systems off, or not perform routine maintenance on them. Please do not turn them off, ensure they are in good working order, and clean out the filters! This is going to be your saving grace from the health hazards mould can bring.