Jake is at his Spring Valley project with Steve Riemer of G5 Enterprises to answer one of the most common questions he gets from clients: what is the best type of insulation?

Steve installed his first batt in 1977 so he's got a lot of experience with insulation. And unfortunately, he's here to tell you that the answer is really: "It depends,"

Your insulation choice will depend on two factors: what you want to accomplish and what your budget is. 

But, first let's talk about R-Values.

A general rule of thumb put forth by Building Science Corporation is: 10 - 20 - 40 - 60 - 5. (For more information about Building Science Coporation's R-Values visit this website.) The R in R-value stands for the ability for it to resist heat transfer. 

So that's R-10 under your slab, R-20 under foundation walls, R-40 on walls above grade, 60 in the attic, and windows or doors that are at least R-5.

Steve and Jake will explore different types of insulation: fiberglass batt insulation, Rockwool mineral wool batt insulation, virgin wool fiberglass insulation (different than your standard, made for blown-in), cellulose, and board insulations like EPS, polyiso, and extruded polystyrene (XPS).