Soy Foam Insulation

Soy Foam Insulation - Made From Soybeans

As an insulation product, spray foam insulation has a lot going for it. It provides very high R-values, it fills wall and ceiling cavities completely, it blocks air leakage effectively, it is long lasting and durable.

However, as a component to a green built home, there are some negative environmental aspects to spray foam insulation that must be considered.

Traditional spray foam insulation is manufactured from polyurethane, which is a synthetic compound made from fossil fuels (petroleum).

These are a non-renewable resource whose extraction and use contribute to a number of environmental problems, from oil spills to climate changing gas emissions.

Some spray foam insulation products also still use ozone-depleting HCFC gas as a blowing agent during installation, another drawback to spray foam's environmental credibility.

If you are considering building a green home, you may be asking yourself, 'How environmentally friendly can a super-efficient home truly be if it's filled with ozone-depleting HCFCs and polyurethane derived from oil?' This is a completely legitimate question.

Greener Spray Foam Insulation Options of Soy Foam Insulation

Fortunately, some companies have taken on these concerns in recent years, and have come up with some viable alternatives to traditional polyurethane-based spray foam insulations that are much safer to the environment without sacrificing the high efficiency of spray foam insulations.

These companies have found ways to replace the petroleum based ingredients in spray foam insulation with renewable compounds derived from the oil of the soybean without sacrificing any of the traditional spray foam insulation's performance. This is known as Soy Foam Insulation.

Many companies have also found ways to reduce or eliminate the use of ozone-depleting HCFC gases by switching to non-CFC gases or water to install the foam insulation product.

By taking the superior energy-saving performance of traditional spray foam insulations and replacing the environmentally-damaging petroleum and HCFC materials with clean, renewable ingredients like soybeans and water, these companies have created a truly viable green insulation product.

Anybody considering building a green house should seriously consider this bio-based soy foam insulation to insulate and protect their new home.