Thermal insulation means reducing heat when two objects come in contact. It is vital in today’s world. You can achieve this by combining different materials.
You will find many cheap and standard materials in the market. But you need the most suitable ones for cea mai buna izolatie termica exterioara. Thus, it is crucial to select the proper materials for thermal insulation.
In this article, we will see the 5 common thermal insulation materials available for use.
How to Find the Best Thermal Insulation Materials
We often want the cheapest product to complete these works. The market is filled with many cheap thermal insulation materials.
But these materials are inefficient and can be a big headache in the long run. You may have to fix different issues now and then. So, it is essential to consider some factors before choosing the materials to use.
Insulations can increase heat capture during the winter. And during summer, you can expect a minimal gain in heat. So, it would be best if you considered different key factors.
These factors are the R-values, environmental effects, and flammability of different materials beforehand. All these can significantly affect how much you spend on installing thermal insulation.
The 5 Common Thermal Insulation Materials
So, you can find a few thermal insulation materials after considering all the factors.
Here are the most common 5 materials to ease your decision-making process.
Mineral Wool
Mineral wool is the first material on our list. It can refer to 3 different types of wool for insulation.
The first one is glass wool. It is made from recycled glasses turned into fibreglass. The second type is rock wool.
They are manufactured from basalts, and the last one is slag wool. This type of wool is made from steel mills’ slags.
One of the key features of mineral wool is its usability in larger areas. The non-combustible characteristic makes it a great choice.
But the material is not much fire resistant. So, you may not be able to use it in extreme heat environments.
Polyurethane Foam
Next up on the list is polyurethane foam. It has become a popular insulation material.
The material uses CFC gas as a combusting agent. As a result, polyurethane foams are very environmentally friendly.
This material is very light in weight and has a high R-value. Also, the material is fire resistant.
All these make polyurethane foams to be an excellent choice for thermal insulation.
The only problem you may face is with its availability. It is not a very abundant material for thermal insulation. So, you may not find it in every corner of your locality.
Fibreglass
The most common thermal insulation material today is fibreglass. Everyone is using fibreglass for insulation. The best part about this material is its manufacturing process.
Fibreglass is made from fine glass strands. It is one of the best insulation materials to reduce heat transfer.
It is also a non-flammable material, which means that fibreglass has low R-values. Finally, fibreglass is a cheap product as well.
But fibreglass comes with one major issue. Fibreglass is made from silicon-based glass powders. This makes the material very risky as tiny glass pieces can damage your organs.
You may damage your eyes, lungs, and skin when using fibreglass. So, it is essential to use protection when using the product.
Polystyrene
Polystyrene is a water-resistant material. It is also sound and temperature proof, and all these make our last material on the list a great choice.
There are two types of polystyrene available. The first is Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), and the other is Extruded Polystyrene (XEPS).
The second type of polystyrene has a much higher R-value. The two also differ in their prices.
The insulation material is great for wall insulation. The only drawback of polystyrene is that it is flammable.
So, you will need to coat it with fireproofing chemicals such as Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD).
Cellulose
Cellulose is one of the most environmentally friendly materials available.
Different raw materials like loose cardboard and paper are used to produce cellulose. This makes the material a very cheap one for thermal insulation.
Cellulose is an excellent thermal insulation material for fire damage control.
It contains almost zero amount of oxygen. So, you can protect your house from fire damage by using cellulose.
Cellulose has some disadvantages than other materials on the list. Firstly, it can be a complex material to handle. You will need a certain level of skillset to work with cellulose. And another problem with cellulose is that it can cause skin problems. The dust from cellulose can cause severe allergies to users.
Conclusion
So, these are the 5 common thermal insulation materials. You can still find suitable materials in the market.
Aerogel is another common but expensive material available in the market.
People are inventing many affordable and effective insulation materials every year. It all depends on your budget and expectation from the materials.
The higher your budget, the more options you will have. But remember to not compromise on insulation safety by using cheap materials.
