Residential Spray Foam Insulation Alberta

The house is a system, and air moves through it

Warm air rises, escapes through the top of the house, and pulls cold air in at the bottom to replace it. That is the stack effect, and it runs continuously all winter.

It explains most of what homeowners actually complain about. Cold floors on the main level are the bottom of the loop. Drafts along the baseboards are the make-up air coming in. The furnace running constantly is the system trying to condition air that keeps leaving.

Adding insulation without stopping the air movement treats the symptom. Spray foam is used in houses because it does both in one layer.

Where the money goes, in order

The attic and ceiling plane. The top of the loop. Sealing the penetrations - pot lights, plumbing stacks, bath fans, the attic hatch, the top plates - is the highest-return work in most Alberta houses. See attics and ceilings.

The rim joist. A small area with an outsized effect, and one of the cheapest items on the list. See rim joists.

The basement or crawl space. The bottom of the loop, and the place where the wrong assembly does the most damage. See basements and crawl spaces.

The problem room. Usually over the garage, and usually for structural reasons rather than mechanical ones. See bonus rooms.

The walls. Largest surface, hardest to retrofit, best addressed during a re-side or a renovation when the cavity is open. See walls.

Closed-cell or open-cell in a house

Both have a place and the choice is per assembly rather than per house.

Closed-cell where vapour control and high R in a shallow space matter - basements, rim joists, cathedral ceilings, cantilevered floors. Open-cell where the priority is air sealing and sound in a dry interior assembly - interior partitions, floor systems between storeys.

See closed-cell and open-cell.

Tight houses need deliberate ventilation

A well-sealed house does not ventilate itself, and it should not be expected to. Mechanical ventilation - usually an HRV in Alberta - is how a modern house gets fresh air.

This is not an argument against sealing. It is how the building works, and it belongs in the plan from the start rather than being discovered afterwards.

Residential Spray Foam Insulation Alberta: Common Questions

Where should I start if I can only do one thing? For most older Alberta houses, the attic air seal and the rim joist. Small money, large effect, and they address the top and bottom of the stack effect that drives everything else.

Will it lower my heating bill? It reduces the heating load. How that shows up depends on your house, your habits and energy prices. What is consistent is the comfort change - even temperatures and no drafts - which is what most people actually notice.

Do I need to move out during the work? Sprayed areas need to be unoccupied during application and for the re-entry period. Most residential jobs are a day or two in a defined area rather than a whole-house evacuation.

How do I know where my house is losing heat? A thermal imaging inspection turns the question into data, and it frequently reorders the priority list.

Get your house assessed

Get a free quote with the age of the house, what you have noticed and where. See spray foam insulation cost.