Insulation is a material that is used to slow down or reduce the flow of energy. The substances used to produce insulating materials are poor conductors of heat and electricity.
Insulators can be of several types. Thermal insulators slow down the transfer of heat energy, acoustic insulators reduce the flow of sound and electrical insulators prevent the flow of electrical energy.
Materials like fiberglass, rock wool and slag wool are widely used by the insulation industry. A large variety of materials may be used to make the insulators. These include organic, inorganic, rigid, soft, fibrous or granular materials. Generally, organic insulators are produced from petrochemicals and recyclable plastic, while inorganic insulators are made from recycled glass and furnace slag.
An interesting research revealed that the insulation industry is among the leading industries in the US It not only strengthens the US economy and increases monetary savings for consumers, but also helps improve the state of the global environment.
The energy savings resulting from good insulation add up to big dollar savings. Interestingly, current insulation levels save US homeowners approximately $ 74 billion dollars in energy costs each year, or an average of $ 780 per household. Without insulation, homeowners in the US typically spend about $ 2,000 on energy each year; whereas, with the use of insulators, they spend an average of only $ 1,200. Current insulation levels have helped cut residential energy bills by forty per cent. Commercial building owners are also saving money on their heating and cooling bills by over $ 9.6 billion dollars a year nationwide, or an average of $ 2,100 a year per building.
Although existing insulation is saving enormous amounts of energy and pollution, there remains a substantial potential for cost-effective investments in building and industrial insulation. Residential buildings, commercial buildings and industrial plants, which are insulated with proper protocols, not only save energy but also help avoid a substantial amount of air pollution as well.