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10 Home Improvement, Supplement of The Canadian Statesman, Wednesday, October 1th, 1978 First line of defense ... F-oam in sidt-ewalls aves on fuel buits Weather and tbe energy crunch have joined forces the past two severe winters to tell homeowners: the longer you wait to insulate,,the more it ultimately costs you. It's clear now to many fam- ilies that the era of cheap energy-and low beating bils-is gone forever. It's a foregone conclusion that energy costs are headed still bigher, For many, the cost of comfort is creeping up on the cost of the mortgage pay- ment. Proper home insulation is the first line of defense in keeping the beating bll under control, according to energy experts such as Scientific Applications, lac. of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, licensor of the nation's largest network of foami insulation spe- cialists, The HOME- FOAMER.,S®ý. Tbe company bas more than 750 deal- erships from coast to coast. For tbe famîly bent on home improvement and fuel bill savings, adding insula- tion has become a top prior- ity. The resulting rush to in- sulate, while generally good for both homeowners and marketers, has led to some disappointments. Unprecedented demand has left somne insulation ma- teniaIs in short supply. Com- pounding thîs, many of us leave the insulation decision to late faîl when big heating buils are just around the corner. For some wbo decide late to start saving through insu- lation, precious time may be lost and another season of in- efficient heating go by. If this winter follows the pattera of the last couple, homeowaers may fiad evea mnstallers of materials in plentiful sup- ply--such as foami insula- tion-booked up well into the winter. Secondly, doing less than a full insulation job often brings less than desired sav- iags .. .and a long "'pay back- period: Insilate sidewalls Wben coasideriag insula- tion, maay homeowaers thiak first of attics and ceil- iags. We ail know hot air rises. Yet, The HOME- FOAMERS point out, often more thermal energy may be lost tbrough poorly insuhted or uninsulated sidewalls. Ia many homes, especially two-story houses, sidewalls have more surface area for beat loss tban rooftops. And sidewalls must stand up to tbe wi nd and ats -wiping -ef- fect, which speeds heat transfer. Existing homes tend ai- ready to bave better ceiliag than wall insulation. Several satisfactory types of insula- tion materials are available for celings. Tbey are rela- tively easy te, instaîl and the homeowner can usually see the insulation in place. On the other hand, unless the homeowner saw bis bouse under construction and looked before the inter- ior walls were put up, it's much harder to know how weil the sulewalls are insu- lated. Aad easier to assume protection is adequate. Insulatiag the sidewalls of an existiag home bas, until recently, been no easy task. But today, bundreds of tbousands of homeowners have found a rewarding,, practîcal and efficient solu- tion: foamed-in-place urea- formnaldehyde insulation. " While the product itself is not new-it bas been used extensively throughout Europe for more than tbree decades-it is relatively new to the Amnerican energy mar- ket. Its popularity is gaining for several reasons. Foam is an extremrely çffi- cient insulator, with one of the highest R-values of any material commonly used to ENERGY-SAVING SOLUTION FOR SIDEWALLS- The HOMEFOAMERSOprofessioflal insulation special- ist insulates an older home's sidewalls with urea- formaldehyde foam. Here, he has removed a few strips of siding ail the way around the house before drilling holes through which the foam is pumped between ex- terior and interior walls. The foam flows into gaps and. crevices, around wiring, pipes~ and electrical outiet boxes. Within minutes, it sets to formi a thermal barrier that reduces heating and cooling energy consumption. The siding is easily replaced with scarcely a trace upon completion of foaming. When fuel t It's qui te possible that a th( could cut your annual ho percent! Even a littie improvement 20 to 30 percent annually. the initial cost-of the insui your home will be a muci Doit *YOI number indicating ai, insula- tion's resistance to the pas- sage of heat or cold.) And it is, easily installed in sidewalls of existi ng homes as well as new buildings. Installing foam In the most popular method of installing foam in an existing home, the dealer removes a few strips of sid- ing, whether wood, metal or pressboard, around the bouse. Small holes are drilled into the wall and the foamn is pumped into the space be- tween exterior and interior walls with a special gun. Applied under pressure, foam flows into gaps and cre- vices, around wiring, pipes and electrical outlet boxes. Tt then dries and sets to form a thermal barrier. After appli- cation, the boles are neatly sealed and the siding re- placed. Installing foam into other wood frame, stucco or brick homes is done by drilling a series of small holes directly through the exterior wall and pumping in the, foam. The holes are then P:lugged and, can be refinished to match the original with new stucco, mortar or sanded Wood and paint. Installation takes about a day and does not interfère with normal, everyday fam- ily actîvities. In new construction, foam can be troweled between Wall studs before the interior Wall is put up. Properly installed, foam is an especially attractive choice for insulating side- walls to make significant fuel bill savings. But, cautions The HOMEFOAMERS, im- proper installation can lead to problems., Clearly, they say, it is no job for amateurs. Like most new products and technologies, foam insu- lation applicatio--n requires professionalism and careful quality control to assure total product benefits. -Shopping tipS" The firm recommends that bomeowners shop carefully insmulation gsAoes UpI, ilis g;o down! orough insutation upgrading eating bill by as much as 50 in your insulation could save r At that rate, you wiIl recover lation, and in the mneanti me, ýh more comfortableplace to Save time and moneý on your rec room projeot with light-weight rigid-foam in- sulation from Buildali. With the proper adhesive, it instaits like a charm and t will keep your rec room comfortable ail year while reducing fuel costs. It won't sag or shrink due to moisture because rigid foam insulation acts as its own vapour barrier - another money saver! Many thicknesses in stock at Buildaîl. Save on Fuel Costs at HENRY BUILDALI SCOURTICE Bloor St. E. of OSHAWA Mon. to Wed. to 6.00 Thurs. & Fr1. to 9.00. set. te 5:30 728-1611 SPORT HOPE 116 Peter St. Mon. ta Thurs. te 5:30 Frida y 'tii 9:00 Saturday 'tii 4:00 r for a foamn insulation profes-' sional and offers these tips: -Educate yourself. Read manufacturers' literature. Ask your local utilîties.. -Ask what quality control equipment, such as metering and ratio controllers and in- frared thermography de- vices, are used. -Get estimates from more than one company. -Be skeptical of ex-, travagant energy saving dlaims. Be willing to pay more only for established higher R-value. -Be thorough in checking the contractor' s reliability. Ask your Better Business' Bureau. -Get references from the, contractor. And check out some of his other customers. They won't be trying to sel you something., A brochure answering many questions frequently asked about home insulation is available free from HOMEFOAMERS dealers or by writing to: Scientific Applications, Inc., P.O. Box 615, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa 52641. live. We can help you decide on the type of insu lation to use and what 'R' value you'II need. (The 'R' value is a Àf precise measurement of the insulation's resistanoe to BUILIIL heat transfer). Nobody wants high fuel bis. The best way to lower yours is to put up insulatilon, and Buildali makes it easier than you think. RigidFoam M NouâtionInsuation Year-round comfort iT's CHEAPER TO INSULATE THAN KEEP and economy in your WIASTINQ FUEL... rec room. ANOYOUDOITONLYONCE Now, for the f irst tlm, voiscen instai vour ewn "blown-in" Insulatlen andgavelI Iudoquate insulation costs you moneyl Expansive boit ebcapesunwanted cold air slips in ...vyour unc worksharder, burning more and more f vol. USE THE BUILDALL BLOWING MACHINE AND SAVE! The Buildal bIowing machine is easy to use and can leave the machine outside. The remoe controi cord allows the operator in the attic te control the flow. The machine is easily portable. . --