Soybean: Innovative Insulation

With energy costs rising, you're probably wondering how to keep precious dollars from flying out all the leaks in your walls. The best solution is insulation. It will not only tighten things up come winter, it will also keep your air-conditioning from going into overdrive when the weather's still warm. But before you start tearing down drywall, you'll want to thoroughly research your options.

Chicago homeowners Jason and Jennifer LaFleur practically became experts last year after insulating the newly renovated kitchen in their 1919 Arts and Crafts bungalow.

They learned that unlike the traditional pink stuff, some of the most innovative insulation on the market is green, made from various materials, including recycled denim and shredded newspaper. But the most airtight is spray foam derived from soybeans. This renewable alternative to spray foams—packed principally with petrochemicals—is what the LaFleurs chose for the hub of their home.

While the editors of This Old House have written about soy-based spray foams before, we have yet to use it in any of our homes. So to get the real scoop on soy, we asked the LaFleurs the questions that only people who have done the work, shelled out the cash, and lived with the stuff for a while could answer.

Here's what we learned.

Q. Spray-foam insulation, whether it's made mainly from soybean oil or petroleum, is pricey compared with fiberglass batt—$1.50 to $3 per square foot installed, versus 48 cents. Is it worth the extra money?
A. We wanted the best, most energy-efficient and sustainable insulation we could find for our drafty old house. Soy spray foam was the eco-friendly choice, but we also knew it would get us a better return on our investment with cheaper heating bills: about 15 per­cent less a year. Spray foam provided a much tighter air barrier than batting. And since we live in Illinois, we figured, why not support local soybean farmers? There are a ton of them here.

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