Why Foam?

People ask me all the time why should I foam my house.  To me the answer is simple, but when your writing the check you need a little more answer than it’s the most energy efficient product you can use and it will save you up to 50% of the energy you would typically use with a standard insulation system.

I am very passionate about spray foam insulation.  I have been a contractor for over 10 years and have worked on some really amazing projects as a drywall and painting contractor.  As the years have passed I am still really passionate about doing great work in the painting and drywall side of my business, but the last few years I have realized that what I do as a painting and drywall contractor really doesn’t make a difference to anyone other than the home owner and their guests.  Fact is that when we turn a house from sheet-rock and trim into a beautiful home there is a sense of accomplishment.  That sense of accomplishment is minimal compared to the sense of accomplishment I get from installing foam in a house.

I won’t lie the work is hard and the installs are well not much fun.  Imagine dragging 30 pounds of house around all day, wearing a Tyvek suit, and a fresh air hood.  There is not much glamor in any of that. 

So why foam?   Well I do this now for the planet and my kid, and my kids kids.  I get more satisfaction out of knowing that every job we do we have reduced that consumers need for electricity, natural gas, or propane 50%.  What does that equate to?  Well that means we will potentially need to drill less holes in the ground looking for gas, we will need to reduce the removal of mountain tops in the coal country, we will not need to build new coal fired power, and hydro  plants to meet the demand of a growing country.  This is why we should foam. 

My company and many companies like mine who have taken on the job of improving the insulation envelope in homes and buildings are on the front lines of the war against the planet and its limited resources.  I am really grateful when I get a job and we do the job and we get paid.  That’s all good stuff but the really good stuff comes over the life of the building or home we have sprayed foam in.  I know that every house or building we have done is performing.  It is saving energy and it is saving the planet from our needs to extract more resources to meet a demand we can reduce by 50%. 

So the next time you are building a house or a building you should weigh several benefits to the use of foam insulation.  The savings of 50% of what you would be spending on energy is in your pocket and not the utilities pocket, the healthy living environment you are living inside of daily is one that is the healthiest you can possibly have, ( by the way studies show indoor air quality can be worse than the outdoor air quality) and you are being a positive force on this planet by reducing your needs for natural resources that are limited.  You can put up all the solar panels and wind turbines you like, and these are good things to utilize in your project, but if you do not insulate your project to the fullest then you are in a sense wasting all that energy that you are trying to save.

Remember you only get one chance to insulate your project, so please next time you are building a house or a building remember that the cost above and beyond a fiberglass system will be back in your pocket in a 3 to 5 year period.  I don’t know too many people who wouldn’t like to keep an extra $100 to $150 in their pocket every month.