Insulation - for Extreme Temperatures

Basically, the material used to contain heat or cold from spreading to the next area is what is termed insulation. There are several insulation materials around, but the most-commonly used are glasswool and rockwool batts.

The main idea is to prevent heat (or sound) from being transmitted from one place to another. The use is to keep the heat (or sound) in or out of your house. It might also work in confining it to certain points in your house.

There are many ways on how insulation works, but the most commonly incorporated materials include tiny pockets of air. Air is a very good insulator. Trapped pockets of air give most insulation their high thermal resistance.

Thermal insulation

Usually, this is the type of insulation people think of in association with insulation. This is usually found in walls and ceilings, especially the outer walls of a house where heat is most likely to be gained (or lost).

This is the sort of insulation people normally think of first when they hear the word ‘insulation’.  The idea is simple: to keep one side of the insulation warmer than the other. In cold countries or even in temperate ones where the weather varies with the seasons, insulation is incorporated into the house’s design.

Keeping one side warmer

This is found usually on walls and ceilings, mostly on outside walls of a home where heat is most likely to be gained or lost. Thermal insulation is simply to keep one side of the insulation warmer than the other.

It your residence is on areas where the weather varies through the seasons, the insulation will need to be coupled with the correct passive design principles. If the temperatures are in the extremes, your home design needs to be incorporated in everything.

Insulation types

The most common type is the batts, usually made of glasswool or rockwool.  In general, batts are light panels of materials that are fluffy-looking. This usually sits inside the frame of your house, in wall spaces or in ceilings.

These are made from fibrous materials and it works by trapping the tiny pockets of air within the fibers.

.The other common insulation type is the blown-in cellulose, polyurethane foam, polyester matting, and reflective foil. Each of these types works differently in trapping or repelling heat.

R values

The T values are the measuring stick in calculating the effectiveness of thermal insulation. The higher the R value, the better the thermal insulation it provides.

There are two ways R values are specified. One is the R value of the insulation material itself (the Rm. or the total R value) of the construction. This includes the all the other layers which may be concrete, bricks, plasterboard and others.

Sound control

In addition to heat, insulating can also control sound. This is usually found in walls, ceilings, and floors. The real specialized soundproofing is usually reserved in specialty rooms or buildings (home theaters, movie theaters, stage, etc.).

Insulation and the need for it are usually place-specific especially in places where extremes in temperature happen.