Yah I know it is a downer to have to go back to work after the weekend PLUS back to back MLK/BHO days but life must go on. My motto for 38 years has been “You never ever lose money by investing in energy conservation”. So put R60 in your attic.

Published on April 11th, 2008

Posted in Energy, Heating & Cooling, Materials

Aerogel is almost a product out of science fiction.

Nicknamed “frozen smoke,” aerogel is extremely lightweight material, with a density only 3 times that of air. Only a small fraction of a volume of aerogel is the material itself. Most of the volume is filled with air. This makes aerogel an excellent insulator. (Aerogel provides nearly 40 times the insulation of fiberglass insulation.)

Aerogel can withstand great pressures and is also an excellent sound insulator. Aerogels can also be used to absorb airborne pollutants and have been used to clean up oil spills. NASA also used a section of aerogel as part of its Stardust probe to collect samples of material from the tail of a comet.

Aerogel is available for some high-performance applications, but due to its high cost, it has not been widely used. However, new research from a Malaysian scientist offers the potential to drastically reduce the cost of producing aerogel, and could lead to new possibilities for its use as a building and insulation material.

» Read more on Energy

Dr. Halimaton Hamdan from the Universiti Teknologi in Malaysia has developed a method of producing aerogel that could reduce the cost of producing aerogel by 80% by using agricultural waste from rice husks as the feedstock. Rice husks evidently have a high silica content, and silica is the main constituent of aerogel. In addition to potentially being able to produce aerogel for one-fifth the current cost, this also addresses a problem with disposing of rice husk waste.

Because aerogel is translucent, rather than completely transparent, one of the places it has first been used in architectural applications has been in daylighting panels. Commercial applications of aerogel are from companies such as Kalwall and Advanced Glazings,…..

This stuff is really amazing and no you won’t put it in your attic because it costs a gazzillion dollars and is used in outerspace…still if you built a room out of it you could heat it with a candle until the air ran out…for cool videos however please see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukq5Uy7iv7k

Oh you speak english…sorry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhcgI_DsSa4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeQJ6e_8Wqs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf06j4eWeMk

Yes I am bored SOOOOwhat? Here is the stuff you can put in your attic:

http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/spray-foam-insulation-drastically-decreases-air-leakage-from-a-home-365453.html

Spray Foam Insulation

Drastically Decreases Air Leakage from a Home

Andrew Stratton

According to the US Department of Energy, more than half of the energy cost of the average home goes into heating and cooling. Furthermore, 30% of the heating and cooling cost is the result of air infiltration. One of the newest advancements in home products, expanding spray foam insulation, can significantly reduce the amount of air leakage within a house.

Air leakage is often most noticeable during winter months. This is because it is during the winter that the maximum temperature difference exists between the warm interior and the cold exterior of a house. This maximum difference in temperature causes a large pressure discrepancy between a home’s inside and outside environments. In turn, this pressure discrepancy causes the warm inside air to be pushed through any small gaps to the cold laying outdoors. Therefore, these small gaps allow the heat which you paid for to escape from your house.

Expanding spray foam insulation can plug these small holes. The spray foam insulation accomplishes this task by expanding into the small gaps onto which it has been sprayed.

However, to be effective it may be helpful to understand where these small holes may occur. One often thinks of the spaces near a door or window when thinking about the possible locations where currents may arise. However, there may be other locations which are not as apparent. These other locations are usually less apparent because they are found within the attic, basement or crawlspace.

For more please read the rest of the article or:

http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/spray-foam-environmentally-friendly-insulation-601399.html

Spray Foam: Environmentally

Friendly Insulation

Andrew Stratton

Everyone is going green, and many companies are making it easier than ever. If you want to do your part for the environment, a great way to start is right in your own home. With the advent of new technologies, there are now products available that will help keep the environment healthier without having to compromise your own comfort.

Spray foam insulation is one product for your home that has recently gone green. Spray foam insulation begins as liquid polyurethane that is then sprayed onto surfaces, creating a protective, insulating barrier. Since the foam is initially liquid, it easily covers all cracks and holes in the wall, covering a more thorough area than fiberglass or cellulose.

This means that your house will be more climate efficient. The heat will stay trapped inside during the cold months and the cool air will stay in during the summer. Not only will the temperature of your house be more comfortable, but you’ll save energy on your heating and cooling.

So you can use a little or a lot. More places for this stuff are:

http://www.greenbuildingenergystar.org/home-insulation-sealing.php

http://www.basf-pfe.com/index.php?location=RRE&section=view-PRP&select=117

http://www.sprayfoamdirect.com/?gclid=COTskbqvoJgCFRlcagoddQHZng

www.TigerFoam.com/Insulation

www.icynene.com/

Or if you like video and it seems we do today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFjxWdPPY1Q