Spray Foam is magic. Well, not really, but the more you know about it, the more understandable it becomes why so many homeowners are having it installed. But is installing spray foam in the attic worth the investment?
The short answer is, yes.
For the longer answer, read on.
Spray foam is a great low maintenance insulation product. It’s quick to set, covers large areas and small, ensuring every crevice, seam or crack is sealed creating a permanent airtight system while making a home consistently comfortable year-round.
Spray foam is worth the investment, but sometimes, especially when you're dealing with attics, and you're trying to figure out if the juice is worth a squeeze, it might be a bit more of a long-term outlook.
Unlike, when you were a kid and a toonie got you a good haul from the corner gas station penny candy shelves – a good instantly gratifying investment– spray foam takes a little longer to see a return on. But, unlike kid logic, adult logic will help you understand why the longer outlook is a good thing.
Short term, a homeowner will notice right away that the house is more comfortable because the spray foam is doing its job in holding in the heat better in winter and keeping the warm air out in summer. Especially in the more extreme temperature ranges from below –15degrees Celsius and above 20 degrees Celsius.
Because spray foam is airtight it also keeps out pollutants and allergens such as pollen, which is ideal for those suffering with allergies.
Also immediately noticeable is less energy use. Spray foam keeps draftiness at minimum and maintains consistent temperature in the home.
In the same way that foam keeps your home comfortable, the foam is also helping reduce heat loss in winter, which means less adjusting the thermostat. In summer the same goes for turning up the air conditioning. The spray foam keeps the warm air at bay.
In the past, Beyond Group has asked clients to keep track of their utility bills to determine the changes, but those pesky fees, and rising rates, made the calculations difficult. However, tracking actual natural gas use saw that homeowners with newly installed attic spray foam saw a decrease in energy usage of 20 to 30 per cent per year! That’s a big benefit!
That amount won’t translate as much on the monthly bill itself (thanks to admin fees and other ambiguously named charges), but the benefits in the home will be there.
While drastically reducing the number of trips you make to tip the thermostat, it does take more time to recoup the spray foam installation costs. Decreased energy usage results in decreased bills.
In general, Beyond Group’s clients have seen a seven-to-ten-year complete return on investment financially.
Those little savings on your energy bill every month are great. It’s less stressful on your furnace and your pocketbook.
Spray Foam insulation in an attic is a very efficient way to keep the heat in your home. Adding spray foam to the walls will save homeowners money too, especially in combination with the attic space because there will be less thermal transfer from air infiltration coming in from outside.
It is mandatory to remove drywall before spray foam can be installed inside a wall cavity. During a new build, this isn’t really an issue, but during a renovation it can be a bit more work. And while it’s not always ideal to spray the walls of your home if it’s already lived in, it can be done.
"Those little savings on your energy bill every month are great"
We touched on how spray foam can make your home feel more pleasant, no matter the season and the yearly energy savings, but there are other benefits to this expandingin popularity product.
Closed cell spray foam is highly resistant to water absorption, which means it stays dry and helps prevent moisture accumulation within wall and roof assemblies. By limiting trapped moisture, it reduces the risk of mold growth and contributes to healthier indoor air quality.
This is very different from open-cell spray foam. While open cell is satisfying to watch as it expands, it is porous and vapor permeable - but we’ll dive deeper into that inanother blog.
Closed cell foam also has the ability to soundproof between rooms and the exterior of a building, and if used on a roof, spray foam’s durability makes a structure more resistant to weather-related damage.
Attics that are also used for storage space are great contenders for spray foam insulation. It allows you to go into the attic without disturbing any insulation because the spray foam is rigid.
Using spray foam to insulate an attic is a long-term investment. It does come with a higher up-front cost, but it will drastically change the comfort of your home and can reduce your heating and cooling costs up to 30 per cent annually.
Still not sure if it’s right for you? Give our team at Beyond Group a call today!
