Spray Foam Insulation vs Traditional

  Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Home Logic’s bout of the century featuring two fantastic contenders for the title of ‘Best Insulating Material’. It’s spray foam insulation vs traditional insulation in today’s grudge match! In the red corner we have your traditional insulation method and in the blue corner we have the spray foam alternative. But before we begin, we must establish what we mean by ‘traditional’ insulation.

Traditional Fibreglass Insulation

Fibreglass insulation is found in most properties across the UK and is in fact the most commonly used product in our homes today. At one point in time, many would argue that this was the best choice or method available, hence why you will find it in millions of loft spaces all around the world. However, that perception and idea is changing. Fibreglass is becoming outdated and less effective in comparison with other alternatives and methods such as spraying foam, which is becoming more and more widespread. But which one is better in the spray foam insulation vs traditional insulation battle?

Let’s take a look at how they stack up against each other in each round…

Spray Foam Insulation vs Traditional

Round 1 – Thermal Qualities

The barrier that spray foam creates stops air escaping from your home and stops cold air from entering in. Whereas fibreglass acts more like a woolly-jumper, allowing air to pass through its delicate fibres. This air leakage can cause you to see a rise in your energy costs. So spray foam definitely wins the first round of spray foam insulation vs traditional insulation.

Winner: Spray foam

Round 2 – Coverage

Spray foam expands up to 100 times in size on contact with the area of application. This expansion means it can fill every nook and cranny with ease, allowing you to effectively insulate even the most awkward areas and property shapes. Whereas on the other hand, it’s hard to fit fibreglass pieces perfectly into place to achieve a similar all-encompassing effect.

Winner: Spray foam

Round 3 – Moisture

Some spray foam materials are permeable and others reject water completely. Either way moisture is not a problem. Whereas fibreglass insulation can often retain water and cause potential damage to your home. Another win for spray foam in the spray foam insulation vs traditional insulation battle!

Winner: Spray Foam

Round 4 – Initial Cost

Fibreglass is cheaper than spray foam but the gap is not a significant one. Especially when you consider the amount of money that spray foam can save you across the years. But the initial cost is usually lower for fibreglass installations.

Winner: Fibreglass

Round 5 – Lifetime

Over a long period of time, fibreglass material can settle and may need to be upgraded from time to time or completely replaced. Spray foam does not settle and stays in place to ensure continuous performance.

Winner: Spray foam

Round 6 – Safety

A lot of spray foams do not include any harmful chemicals and they pose no risk to human health. This is especially true for our product of choice – Icynene spray foam insulation. On the other hand, fibreglass contains formaldehyde and in some rare cases may even contain asbestos related substances.

Winner: Spray foam

The Result

We think this is a resounding win and a superb knock out for spray foam insulation vs traditional insulation. In comparison this method wins hands down as it offers a lot more benefits without any of the associated downfalls of fibreglass insulation. Here at Home Logic we swear by the sprayed-on approach and truly believe that this achieves the best energy saving results, also helping to lower your personal carbon footprint.

If you would like some more information or to see how we can help you save money on your energy costs – give us a call today on 0800 1700 636. Alternatively, you can reach out to us on survey@homelogic.co.uk or leave us a message on our contact page. Together let’s make your property a more thermally efficient and cost-saving environment!