Insulation is an important part of a building's envelope, especially here in Colorado. It helps you more easily control the interior environment, keeping your space cool in the summer months and warm in the winter months. Plus, it's required by building codes!

Common Insulation Options:

1. Fiberglass batts: Relatively easy to install and certainly the most inexpensive insulation options.
2. Blown-In: Made from recycled paper, cardboard and other paper products. This offers an an easier, and sometimes more efficient, means of installation and is typically more expensive than batt insulation but not the most expensive insulating material.
3. Reflective or Radiant Barrier: This types of insulation is decent at blocking sweltering summer heat or winter chills in Colorado attics. It is commonly used with other insulating materials because it is used to reflect heat, rather than achieving code-required R-value.
4. Spray Foam: Spray foam insulation offers protection from the drastic Colorado weather by not only insulating homes and buildings but also sealing gaps and cracks which stop air and moisture leaks in their tracks. Although the up-front cost is typically higher than traditional insulation types, the savings on energy costs provide a tremendous return on your investment.

What effects the price of spray foam?

In short, there are many variable that influence the cost of spray foam; a few of which are:

• Which type of spray foam you are purchasing
• The amount of material required for your job
• Urgency of a job
• Work required (tasks such as protecting excessive amounts of windows, working on scaffolding, hard to reach areas)
• Experience of a contractor

How much does insulation cost?

(Without taking into consideration any of the aforementioned variable.)

• Open-cell spray foam: $0.25 to $0.50 per *board foot
• Closed-cell spray foam: $0.90 to $1.50 per *board foot

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*A board foot is 1 foot in length by 1 foot in width by 1 inch in depth. Thus, an application of 3 inches of closed cell foam at $1.00 per board foot would cost $3.00 per square foot.

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An expert should, at all times, install spray foam insulation. Spray foam installation is a very tedious and technical process that requires a trained, certified and experienced insulation contractor to get it right. With that being said, you should also be wary of any contractor willing to install spray foam at a discounted rate. Failure to install foam correctly can compromise you and your family's and be much more expensive to fix.