Insulation 101: The Basics

There are three main types of insulation: thermal, and electrical, and acoustic insulation.

Thermal Insulation: Reduction of Rate of Heat Transfer

Thermal insulation refers to the utilization of certain materials to reduce the rate of heat transfer in an object. To execute this, the use of insulation materials must be employed. These are common thermally insulating materials:

1. Glass
2. BrickMost Hardwood
3. Snow
4. Aerated or Cellular Concrete
5. Wood chips and other loose-fill wood products
6. Most Softwood 
7. Papercrete
8. Straw Bale
9.  Vermiculite
10. Fiberglass rigid panel
11. Wood panels
12. Perlite loose fill
13.  Cementitious foam
14.  Polyethylene foam

One very practical application of thermal insulation is building insulation. Insulating a structure may be the easiest and the most efficient way to cut heating and cooling costs in the structure. Building thermal insulation increases the efficiency of heaters and air conditioners and boosts their effectivity; a consistent temperature is maintained whatever the weather outside may be since the air outside the structure is sealed out. Insulations reduce the workload on air conditioners during summer since it slows down the heat coming in the building that is absorbed by the building and keeps the building warmer during winters and thus reducing the number of work cycles required from the heater to keep the structure at a comfortable temperature. Because of these, savings are gained through reduced heating and cooling costs.

There are two main types od building insulation. One is insulated siding, which involves home siding that includes rigid foam insulation. Another is insulated glazing, which involves a thermally insulating window construction.

Electrical Insulation: Restricting Current Flow

Electrical insulation involves the use of an electrical insulator. An electrical insulator is a material whose internal electric charges are restricted to flow, which means that they do not flow freely and very little current will flow through it given the influence of an electric field. These are some common electrically insulating materials:

1. Glass
2. Plastic
3. Rubber
4. Air
5. Wood
6. PVC
7. Asbestos
8. Rigid Laminate
9. Varnish
10. Resin
11. Paper
12. Teflon

Moreover, there are different type of electrical insulators. These include:

1. Pin type insulator
2. Post Insulator
3. Suspension Insulator
4. Strain Insulator
5. Shackle Insulator
6. Bushing
7. Line post Insulator
8. Station Post Insulator
9. Cut out

Acoustic Insulation: The Blocking of Sound

The last main type of insulation is acoustic insulation. Sound is made up of vibrations that propagates as waves through a given medium such as air. And since it travels as waves, it can be absorbed, diffused, reflected, or transmitted.  When sound is absorbed, it is minimized and is quieted down. On the other hand, when sound is diffused, it scatters--it is heard in a much larger area. When sound is reflected, it bounces off a surface, and when it is transmitted, it passes through surfaces and enters other spaces.

As mentioned, sound may be absorbed—acoustic insulation may be installed to pacify the noise and make the environment more peaceful and living-conducive.