Spray Foam Insulation vs Fiberglass
In the world of attic insulation, the debate for spray foam vs. fiberglass has been a hotly contested topic. Fiberglass has been the more established, classic insulation method while spray foam has experienced a boost in popularity in the recent past. The buzzworthy topic in the industry has begged the question of whether spray foam is a worthwhile, viable replacement or substitute for the more traditional fiberglass approach.
To answer this question, it is important to understand what exactly each insulation method is, how the two differ from each other, which needs each method better serves, and which of the two is more budget-friendly depending on your particular situation.
Key Takeaways
- Fiberglass Insulation: Fiberglass is a traditional insulation method made from very fine fibers, often from recyclable materials like glass. It is moderately priced and commonly used in American homes. It comes in two forms: batts and loose-fill. Batts are large, light, and easy to transport, but may require precise cutting to fit in irregular spaces. Loose-fill can be easily applied to tight spaces and hard-to-reach areas.
- Spray Foam Insulation: Spray foam insulation is a more recent method that is chemically composed to be sprayed into a variety of spaces. It expands to fill small crevices and corners, providing a good seal against air permeation. It comes in two types: open-cell and closed-cell. Open-cell foam is soft and flexible, while closed-cell foam provides a denser, more rigid seal that is highly resistant to moisture.
- Comparison: Spray foam has a higher R-value (resistance to heat flow) than fiberglass, meaning it’s more effective at keeping air and moisture out. However, fiberglass can be layered for additional insulation. Both materials are excellent at resisting moisture and have long lifespans (100 years for fiberglass, 80 years for spray foam). Installation of fiberglass is simpler, but spray foam can be more effective if applied correctly.
- Intangible Benefits: Both fiberglass and spray foam are non-combustible, making them fire-resistant. They also act as soundproofing barriers, reducing external noise and enhancing indoor acoustics.
- Cost-effectiveness: Fiberglass is less expensive than spray foam and can be a more cost-effective solution for many homeowners. Both types of insulation can save money on heating and electric bills due to their effectiveness at trapping air. However, the choice between the two often depends on factors such as regional climate, attic space coverage, safety hazards, and overall budget.
Fiberglass Insulation
Fiberglass is a material composed of very fine fibers. These are produced from a variety of recyclable materials, with melted down glass being chief among them. These small materials are held together by an adhesive agent such as paper or aluminum foil. This bonding of pieces serves as a vapor barrier, an attribute that makes it an effective insulator, which is very moderately priced, and currently used in most American homes.
Fiberglass Packaging
Fiberglass is commonly packaged in the form of batts, the cotton-candy-looking blankets of the insulation material. Somewhat less commonly, it also appears as a brown fill.
Batts
Batts are popular with homeowners seeking insulation of their homes because they are light, making them easily portable between rooms and floors, as well as large, with their rolled-out size allowing a wide area of distributed coverage. Even more conveniently, their size is typically cut to fit comfortably between studs to the walls of attics.
However, the size of the batts does present a particular challenge in terms of covering attics that may not be perfectly open or are awkwardly spaced, requiring that the batts be cut precisely to size. If they are too short, they will leave some amount of space uncovered, while being too long results in inconvenient excess resulting in abnormal compression. Neither is particularly favorable to reducing the electric or gas bills, the entire point of insulation.
While fiberglass batts are less costly, customization that some attics would call for can end up being quite costly. It is also a significant pain point to cut them to size depending on the attic layout. If you are a homeowner looking to save money by installing the fiberglass batts yourself, you will be unlikely to reduce fiberglass insulation costs by self-cutting, especially if your attic features a lot of obstacles.
Loose-Fill
Unlike the fluffy, large sheets of fiberglass in batts, some fiberglass insulation is offered in loose-filled fiberglass chunks, typically packaged in bags. The installation of these loose-filled chunks requires the use of a special insulation blowing machine to distribute the fiberglass evenly across a particular attic surface. This is why it is commonly referred by homeowners as blown in insulation.
Some insulation DIYers choose to rent a machine to help out with this, while others opt to hire a professional fiberglass insulator who owns such a machine, which reduces the necessity to move around in potentially tight and cramped attic spaces.
While batts need to be cut to size to fit obstructive, uneven areas, loose-fill can be easily applied to tight spaces, corners, segregated areas, and other hard-to-reach places without the hassle of cutting a large fiberglass sheet to do so. It also fits easily over wires and pipes, another area where batts end up struggling to lay out evenly.
Spray Foam Insulation
Spray foam insulation is chemically composed to be sprayed into everywhere ranging from open areas to tight nooks. As the foam covers an area, it expands getting into small crevices and corners where traditional fiberglass insulation just cannot reach. This helps to seal the cracks in the wood that could potentially allow air permeation.
Spray Foam Packaging
Spray foam packaging comes in either the open-cell or closed-cell variation. Open-cell foam is soft and highly flexible due to the air bubbles present inside, making this type of spray foam not fully enveloped. The closed-cell, on the other hand, is a near-total seal, with minimal space in the resulting foam. This promotes a far lower rate of air coming in through the more rigid, denser seal. Closed-seal’s dense nature also makes it highly resistant to moisture permeation, which makes it an ideal choice for those parts of the house that contact the home’s exterior, such as attics.
The efficiency of closed-cell foam, however, comes at a price. For one thing, its cost is significantly higher than other insulation variants, but it also expands less than open-cell foam, meaning that it is not as effective at getting into small, tight spaces.
Open cell is a more ideal choice for insulating interior areas (those with no contact with the outdoors). As it can allow moisture to pass through slightly more than the closed-cell variant, its contact with the outside is ideally needing to be minimized. Because it seeps in between studs and fills in all of the little cracks and nooks superbly upon expansion, it more tightly expands over the coverage area. This makes it a great soundproofing option.
Spray Foam Insulation vs Fiberglass Comparison
R-Value
Insulation is all about keeping the air and moisture out. The higher resistance to these elements that spray foam has, the higher its R-value score. The higher the R-value, the more effective the spray foam is at keeping water and air out (or in). Closed-cell foam is among the highest in this regard, able to achieve an R-value of up to 7.0. Unlike fiberglass, it does not settle or sag over time, a common downside of poorly installed fiberglass insulation.
Fiberglass does have one particular advantage over spray foam, however. Spray foam requires one application to cover an area, while fiberglass insulation limitations are significantly less. In other words, if you needed supplemental insulation, you can easily later fiberglass batts on one another.
Moisture Resistance
In terms of moisture resistance, both fiberglass and spray foam are excellent deterrents of mold and mildew, so this is a category that is truly a toss-up between the two. The ability to resist the overwhelming penetration of water makes either a viable option for insulation use.
Longevity
In terms of longevity, both spray foam and fiberglass are outstanding performers. If you use fiberglass to insulate your attic, unless you want to update it with spray foam, you will likely never need to reinsulate it again. That’s because fiberglass has an astonishingly long lifespan of 100 years.
While it doesn’t quite meet the century mark, spray foam is considered viable for a respectable 80 years, far longer than anyone homeowner will need in their lifetime. Unlike fiberglass which is not administered correctly, spray foam won’t settle or sag over time, but it does shrink gradually, giving fiberglass insulation a slight advantage in this category.
Installation
In terms of installing a particular type of insulation, there is no competition. In open attic spaces, few installations are simpler than that of unrolling batts of fiberglass. When no obstructions exist, and the spacing between joists is consistent, the fiberglass batt layout is a very simple process. Even when a machine needs to be used to fill in tighter attic spaces with loose-fill insulation, is simpler than the process of applying spray foam.
While professionals can effectively apply spray foam, it is, after all, a chemically rendered compound, which means if applied incorrectly, could have negative impacts on the health of the applicator or the home’s residents. While it is extremely effective in its performance, it is significantly more challenging to install.
Intangible Benefits
Both fiberglass insulation and spray foam possess two important attributes that make them stand out as the primary facilitators of indoor insulation.
The first is that they are both non-combustible, which means they are fire-resistant. That means that either one can be filled in between wood joists and in an attic, including around electrical boxes, without the concern of them catching on fire.
The second is that they both act as a soundproofing barrier. That means that not only do they reduce external noises from entering, but they also supply the indoor space with enhanced acoustic qualities.
Cost-Effectiveness
One of the main factors that influence the choice for homeowners in terms of insulation is which one is worth the expense. Will the less expensive, longevous, and easier-to-install fiberglass variation give them the best bang for their buck, or is the higher R-value, more inclusive, more efficient spray foam a better choice?
Fiberglass provides a quality insulation solution that is, in most ways, effectively comparable to that of the most expensive spray foam option, for a significantly lower cost. Both types will save you money in heat and electric bills, as both are effective at trapping air. Fiberglass has been shown to slash energy bills due to its energy efficiency (conserving 12x the energy it generates).
FAQs
Which is better fiberglass or spray foam insulation?
The choice between fiberglass and spray foam insulation depends on several factors, including your specific needs, budget, and the characteristics of the space you’re insulating. Here are some considerations:
- Performance: Spray foam insulation generally provides a higher R-value (resistance to heat flow), meaning it’s more effective at insulating and preventing air leaks. It can also get into small crevices and corners that fiberglass might not reach, providing a more comprehensive seal.
- Cost: Fiberglass insulation is typically less expensive than spray foam insulation. If budget is a primary concern, fiberglass might be the better choice.
- Installation: Fiberglass is easier and safer to install, especially for DIYers. Spray foam, on the other hand, can be more challenging to install correctly and may require professional installation.
- Longevity: Both materials have long lifespans, but fiberglass can last up to 100 years, slightly longer than spray foam’s 80 years.
- Soundproofing: Both materials provide good soundproofing, but spray foam might have a slight edge due to its ability to fill and seal small gaps and crevices.
- Environmental Impact: Fiberglass often contains recycled materials and can be a more eco-friendly choice. However, spray foam can lead to greater energy efficiency due to its higher R-value, which could result in lower energy consumption over time.
In summary, neither insulation type is universally “better” than the other. The best choice depends on your specific circumstances and needs. It’s recommended to consult with a professional insulation installer to determine the best option for your situation.
Conclusion
The high R-value of spray foam insulation makes it the dominant insulation solution on the market, but there are more considerations to choosing insulation types than just the R-value alone. A few other factors to consider include:
- Regional climate
- Attic space coverage
- Safety hazards
- Overall budget
By and large, there is a reason that fiberglass usage continues to dominate the market in terms of how many people utilize it. For attics in most homes, renovated buildings, or brand-new constructions that do not have wall-nestled pipes or floor-based HVAC units, fiberglass amounts to the better choice.
In most performance categories, fiberglass either matches or nominally trails spray foam insulation. It’s significantly less expensive and the ease of insulation makes it ideal for DIY installers, as well as budget-conscious ones. It is no wonder that while the benefits of spray foam are quite real, most American homes’ attics are still filled with cotton-candy-looking fiberglass insulation.