0.5 lb Spray Foam Insulation

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0.5 lb Spray Foam Insulation

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0.5 lb Spray Foam Insulation is a high yield, high quality product that is essential for today's rising energy costs

Achieves an R-Value of 3.9 per inch
Provides dramatic savings in heating & cooling costs
Creates a seamless air barrier
Helps to eliminate the growth of mold
Breathes (very slowly, still is an effective air barrier)
Provides excellent noise reduction due to softness
Lowest cost among different foam types

Half pound spray foam insulation is spray-applied as a liquid, expanding 100 times its volume. It cures within seconds to fill every crack and gap. Compared with traditional insulation, CPi's spray foam provides up to 50% energy savings due to its inherent, perfect air seal. CPi is an authorized distributor for several leading brands, including E:zero and EnduraTite™. This type of insulation material uses open-cell technology, which offers the best R-value/cost ratio. The high energy savings are the result of very low ACH (air changes per hour) ratings. Open-cell spray foam insulation performs as an effective air barrier but does not qualify as a vapor barrier. Building scientists are divided as to whether vapor barriers are always needed or not. CPi only distributes Class 1 foams which have passed burn and smoke development tests.

Physical Properties

Density: 0.50-0.65 lb/cu. ft. ASTM D-1622
Closed Cell Content: < 6% ASTM D-2856
K-Factor: 0.255 ASTM C-518
R-Value: 3.922

Surface Burning Characteristics

ASTM E-84
Foam Thickness - 6"
Flame Spread - 10
Smoke Development - 250

Important note: the results shown are typical laboratory results and are not intended to reflect hazards presented by this or any other material under actual fire conditions. The results above make this a Class 1 building material.

Product Comparisons

Positive Features	0.5 lb Spray Foam	Fiberglass Batts	Cellulose	Blown-in Fiberglass
R-Value per inch	3.9	3.9	4.0	3.2
Provides a seamless air barrier
Perfect fit every time
Blowing/foaming agent: water
Contains no formaldehyde
No harmful emissions after installation is complete
Potential for down-sized HVAC
Doesn't shrink, settle or sag over time
Effectively reduces airborne sound transfer
Not damaged by water
Stops airborne moisture transfer

High performance insulation which offers unbeatable cost/benefit ratios

Some quick facts about 0.5 lb spray foam insulation are:

Breathes (very slowly, still qualifies as an effective air barrier)
Not a vapor barrier
Lowest cost per installed R-value among all types of foam
R-value of 3.9 per inch
May be applied in any thickness in a single pass (low labor costs in attic and similar applications)

Case Studies

There is a lot of talk about how much a home insulation with spray foam can save versus a house insulated via traditional methods. We have listed a few case studies below to show some real statistical data on the savings that can be had by insulating your house with spray foam insulation.

Case Study #1

Sacramento, CA
Comparable single story 2,400 square foot homes
Several addresses apart on same side of street
Gas and electric bills Feb to Dec, 2003

Traditionally insulated home:	Closed-cell spray foam insulated:	Energy savings:
Utility bills $2,239 electric $477 gas $2,716 total	Total gas and electric $1,107 electric $306 gas $1,413 total	48% reduction in utility bills $118 per month average savings $1,422 per year; $42,645 over 30 years
Monthly average utilities $247	Monthly average utilities $128	How much extra financing could you afford on a 30 year mortgage with an extra $118 per month?
Average utility prices Gas $0.95 per therm Electric $0.17 per kWH	Average utility prices Gas $0.93 per therm Electric $0.13 per kWH	$19,758 at 6% $17,805 at 8%

Note: in our experience, a contractor might charge about $5,000 more for EnduraTite™ foam insulation compared with traditional fiberglass. If financed as part of the mortgage, the additional monthly cost is about $27 compared with $118 monthly savings.

Vapor Barriers:

A material that prevents the migration of water vapor across it.

Videos

Calculators

	Linear Feet	Avg Height	Area	R-Value	Type of Foam	Avg Thickness (inches)	Board Feet (open cell)	Board Feet (closed cell)
Walls:	ft	ft	ft			in.
Roof:	ft	ft	ft			in.
Ceilings:	ft	ft	ft			in.
Basement walls:	ft	ft	ft			in.
Other area:	ft	ft	ft			in
						Requirements in pounds	lbs	lbs
						Foam Cost (per pound)	$	$
						Job Cost (foam only)	$

Technical Data

At CPi we are proud distributors of E:zero Spray Foam Products. We offer the complete line of products from E:zero which include their seasonal blends of 0.5 lb and 2.0 lb spray foams.

Below you will find a complete selection of E:zero's technical papers:

Building Science and The Building Envelope

Building science is the collection of scientific knowledge dealing with the analysis and control of the physical aspects of buildings. One of the major branches of building science is the building envelope which includes insulation and waterproofing, among others.

Foam contractors should understand the following building science subjects in detail:

R-values
ACH – (involuntary) Air Changes per Hour
Vented vs. unvented attic design
Sound Control
Health
Environmental impact (or lack thereof)
And many more

Building Science is defined as: involving the application of basic knowledge and analysis procedures to the design of buildings. There is a special knowledge and experience required, and such expertise is also beneficial in determining how to correct problems in existing buildings and to explain what went wrong to cause the problem.

R-Values

R-value is a term predominantly used in the building industry to describe the insulation properties of building insulation materials. From our perspective, R-value does not really provide a relevant indication of the insulation performance of a material for the following reasons:

Heat transfer occurs by three means: conduction, convection and radiation. R-value only measures conduction.
The R-value test is conducted at 75°F, not 30°F, 100°F or any other temperature for a special reason. The explanation is that with the exception of polyurethane foam insulation, most insulation materials deliver their peak performance at 75°F, which sharp performance losses when it is hotter or colder. By the way, at 75°F you don’t need insulation.
The R-value test in the laboratory is done in a wind still box. The test would only be relevant if you built your house inside another, airtight building.

If it were not for the building codes, R-value would be useless in today’s world. While it is important to get some minimal R-value (say between R-11 and R-20) depending on climate and application, the ACH (explained below) is a far more reliable indicator of insulation performance.

R-Values for Common Insulation Types
Closed-Cell Spray Foam	Open-Cell Spray Foam	Fiberglass Batts	Cellulose
6.5	3.9	3.9	4.0

Note: the values shown are R-value per inch. Accordingly, 3 inches of closed-cell foam equate to R-19.5 compared with R-10.8 for fiberglass batts.

R-Value Calculator

Attic Ventilation

Attics or roofs can be designed and constructed to be either vented or unvented in any hygro-thermal zone (Map 1). The choice of venting or not venting is a design and construction choice, not a requirement determined by the physics or by the building code. Model codes allow both vented and unvented roof assemblies. The applicable physics impact the design of attic or roof systems, as does the applicable building code, but neither limit the choice.

Throughout the balance of this paper, the terms attic and roof will and can be used interchangeably.

In cold climates, the primary purpose of attic or roof ventilation is to maintain a cold roof temperature to control ice dams created by melting snow, and to vent moisture that moves from the conditioned space to the attic. Melted snow, in this case, is caused by heat loss from the conditioned space. The heat loss is typically a combination of air leakage and conductive losses. The air leakage is due to ex-filtration from the conditioned space (often because a ceiling air barrier is not present) and from leaky supply ductwork (often because ductwork located in attics is not sealed) and from penetrations like non-airtight recessed lights. The conductive losses are usually from supply ductwork and equipment located in attic spaces above ceiling insulation (ductwork is typically insulated only to R-6 – whereas ceiling insulation levels are above R-30). Conductive losses also occur directly through insulation, or where insulation is missing or thin.

In hot climates, the primary purpose of attic or roof ventilation is to expel solar-heated hot air from the attic to lessen the building’s cooling load.

The amount of attic cavity ventilation is specified by numerous ratios of free vent area to insulated ceiling area ranging from 1:150 to 1:600 depending on which building code is consulted, the 1:300 ratio being the most common.

Control of ice dams, moisture accumulation and heat gain can also be successfully addressed by unvented attic or roof design.

Take a more detailed look into Attic Ventilation >

Air Control and Loss

All houses and buildings are constantly both losing air and allowing area to enter into the structure through various different locations as seen in the picture to the right. It is important to control this air movement as much as possible by reducing the Air Changes Per Hour or ACH.

Air Changers Per Hour (ACH)

ACH is a measurement to determine the involuntary (or unintended) air changes per hour of a whole building. The intended air changes are open doors and windows as well as ventilation. For test purposes, one would close all windows, doors and turn off ventilation, and then conduct a so-called door-blower test. This test will reveal how much air is lost. Typical values are about 0.7 ACH for fiberglass and 0.1 ACH for foam insulation. Translation: a home of normal quality and without defects will lose 70% of its interior air every hour if it is insulated with fiberglass, whereas it will only lose 10% each hour if insulated with foam. This is the real reason why foam saves about 50% in energy compared with fiberglass: the interior air does not escape 17 times each day, but only 2 times.

Fiberglass has a 0.7 ACH (70%) vs. Spray Foam Insulation has a 0.1 ACH (10%)
What the above means is that 70% of interior air is lost involuntarily each hour through the building envelope
Using standard fiberglass insulation 17 times a day all of your heating and a/c will be lost vs. 2.4 times a day when using spray foam insulation.

Spray Foam Insulation is the most efficient insulation available today.

With savings of 60% available on your heating and cooling costs there is no comparison. Take a look at the long list of other benefits you can achieve by using spray foam insulation:

Comfort

Spray foam insulation greatly reduces drafting air throughout your house
Create a consistent and comfortable temperature throught your house whether one, two or even three levels

Health

Spray foam provides a dramatic increase to indoor air quality
With the creation of an air tight seal dangerous mold and damaging condensation are no longer a concern
Reduce the infiltration of outside air pollutants and gases

Environment

Spray foam insulation greatly reduces your carbon footprint by lowering your CO2 emissions and conserving energy
The addition of spray foam insulation to your home provides significant structural integrity to withstand high winds
Spray foam contains no formaldehyde or other ozone depleting substances

Value

A house insulated with spray foam will see instant reductions in heating and cooling costs upwards of 60%
Heating and Air Conditioning equipment can be downsized
Spray foam insulation will never sag or settle as is the case with other insulation methods