Hot or warm climates like the southern states of the USA can benefit equally as well as their northern counterparts from spray foam insulation. In fact, one area of the typical family home that can benefit from spray foam insulation is the unvented attic.
A report titled Energy Efficient Homes: The Duct System from The University of Florida - IFAS Extension suggests that typical duct systems lose up to 40% of heating or cooling energy leading HVAC equipment to work harder. According to the report, ducts leaking just 20% of the conditioned air passing through them cause your system to work 50% harder. In turn, duct leakage not only translates to higher utility bills but also can contribute to mold problems as well as potential health and safety issues. To combat these potential issues, installation of spray foam insulation like Icynene Classic Max in an unvented attic in hot climates like Florida and Texas can allow:
- duct leakage to remain in the conditioned space, eliminating the loss of conditioned air
- increases the efficiency of the HAVC equipment
- maintains a temperature in the attic space roughly 5o to 10oF within the living environment below
- Plus, spray foam insulation products like Icynene Classic Max allows builders to build homes with the safest attic configuration available on the market
The graphic below demonstrates how an unvented attic with Icynene open cell spray foam insulation in a hot climate or southern US climate can help regulate HVAC efficiency and maintain improved indoor temperatures.
Ninety-nine percent of moisture travels through the air. An integrated open-cell spray foam insulation and air barrier system minimizes air leakage and, therefore, accompanying moisture. Diffusion represents only 1% of the total moisture flow. Diffused moisture travels through the sheathing and the insulation to the interior space where it is easily removed from the air by the A/C sytem. The moisture load and latent heat load is thereby dramatically reduced with the use of air-impermeable, soft foam insulation.
