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Renewable Energy
Getting started
Solar energy
Solar air heating
Solar pool heating
Solar power
Solar pumping
Solar cooking
Solar hot water
Wind power
Solar house simulator
Solar in winter issues
Finding true south
Shading/obstacle issues
Simple shade finding tool
Fancy shade finding tool
How to for a Sun Chart
Sun/solar finder
Heat energy
Insulation
Insulation Table
Squaring array frameMini solar tower
Efficiency & Conservation
Composting
Food
Non-conv. Energy
Non-conv. Propulsion
Space
Equipment
Materials
Stories
Blog
The following insulation table was compiled from various sources in the references below. The selection is intended to be of use to solar/renewable energy DIYers. See the manufacturer for actual values for specific products.
If you're not familiar with insulation at all or what R-value means then have a look at the insulation page first.
Sample photos of different types of insulation
It's not recommended that polystyrene be used for most solar heating applications due to it's low melting temperature. If you want to use a rigid board then most often polyisocyanurate is used.
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A batt is a blanket or roll of insulation.
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Table of insulation commonly used in DIY solar/renewable energy projects
| Material | R-value per inch (US) |
R-value per thickness |
Working temperature |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| polyisocyanurate rigid board (foil faced) | 6.8 - 7.7 | 200F (93C) | ||
| polyurethane rigid board (foil faced) | 6.8 | 200F (93C) | ||
| extruded polystyrene rigid board | 5.0 | 165F (74C) | ||
| expanded polystyrene rigid board | 3.6-4.4 | 165F (74C) | Combustable. Not a good choice for a solar collector. This is the white one. Also in the form of "peanuts". | |
| fiber glass batts | 3.0 - 4.3 | 180F (82C) | Good fire resistance. | |
| mineral/rock wool batts | 3.0 - 4.0 | > 500F (> 260C) | Excellent fire resistance. | |
| straw bale | 1.45 | |||
| wood (general) | 0.75 - 1.41 | |||
| wood (oak) | 0.75 | |||
| wood (pine) | 0.91 - 1.32 | |||
| wood (cedar) | 1.09 - 1.41 | |||
| plywood | 1.25 | |||
| glass - single pane | 0.91 | |||
| glass with 1/4" air gap | 1.69 | |||
| glass with 1/2" air gap | 2.04 | |||
| glass with 3/4" air gap | 2.38 | |||
| low-E glass (0.20) with 1/2" air gap | 3.13 |
References:
1. Choosing your Wood Species.
LogHome.com
2. Thermal conductivity.
Wikipedia
3. R-value (insulation).
Wikipedia
4. Insulation Factsheet.
University of Alaska Fairbanks - via builditsolar.com
5. R-Values Table.
COLORADOENERGY.org
