7_13_20079_23_14-centerimage4.jpgIn my ever on-going house renovation I found myself up against Florida Building codes. They want a 1 inch foam layer on the outside of all new construction. This is to provide both an air barrier and insulation. It goes under whatever siding you are using. This usually provides a R2 to R3.5 insulation value to your house. Also these traditional materials can be mading using CFC or HCFC’s. Well no more. The Polyiso Corporation now makes a polyisocyanurate foam board that meets the 1 inch requirement that has a R7.1 to R8+ rating, and uses no Ozone depleting materials in it’s manufacture. It has a wider temperature range that it works in (-100F to +250F). It’s not cheap, but it’s twice the R value and it’s safer for the environment. I’m placing my order tomorrow (really I am). Depending on the manufacture (they are listed on the Polyiso web site) they make various version of this for roofs, walls, flat roofs, heck they even have vent channels in it to vent the air outward. Some versions also come with radiant heat barriers or OSB pre-attached to save time in construction.

Good for the environment, better insulation and made to be convenient for contractors to install and work with. What more could you ask for out of a green product but to provide more bang for the buck (this stuff should save more money than it’s increased price costs) and it’s designed for builders (wow, what a weird concept).