Insulation R-VALUE - What is R-Value?
Video Summary
Insulation R-VALUE - What is R-Value?
Well R, stands for resistance. And the resistance and what it's resisting is heat flowing. So resistance to heat flow is basically the definition of r-value. And the reason you want to slow heat from flowing is because heat naturally wants to go from hot to cold. Heat will naturally flow to a colder area.
So what we do to prevent that from happening is we put insulation in the walls. And the insulation, especially fiberglass insulation like this has tiny air pockets. In fact, 97% or 98% of this insulation is actually air. And the air slows down the heat from passing through it. So as heat comes to this side (and this is the outside) it takes a while for it to make it through the insulation.
There's millions more air pockets in this piece of insulation than there are in this piece of insulation. And what that does is it gives you greater r-value. Basically, that means more insulating power. So it takes longer for heat to go through the R30 insulation than it does to go through the R13 insulation.
So really the bottom line is you want as much r-value as you can possibly get. So why don't we put R30, R50, R100 in everything we have? If you're space was unlimited you could have whatever r-value you wanted. Unfortunately, most walls are built with 2X4 framing, like that. And so you only have so much space to put the insulation in before you start to compress it.
And you don't want to compress insulation because that squeezes out all of the air. There's no more bubbles or air pockets left and it decreases the r-value. You have to pick the right size of insulation or right depth of insulation for the right depth of your wall.
So the bottom line and most important thing to understand about r-value is that r-value = insulating power. The trick is to get as much r-value as you can in the spaces that you can reach. So if it's in the walls, floors or ceiling maximizing your r-value is going to make your home more comfortable or energy efficient.
If you're sick and tired of spending too much money on your energy bills, stop by my website at HowToHomeInsulation.com. You'll find the videos and information you need to start saving money on your energy bills right now. My name is Corey Binford. Thanks for watching.