Why Looking Beyond R-Values Yields Big Insulation Benefits

By Mike Rust - Global Development Manager – T-FIT®

Ask most engineers how they measure the performance of thermal insulation and it’s almost certain they’ll reply, “Using the R-value, of course.” It’s an answer that’s virtually hard-wired into them. So it’s no surprise that “What’s the R-value?” is guaranteed to be one of their first question in any sales negotiation — certainly in my experience, and that of many colleagues.

R-values are the received wisdom for evaluating thermal insulation efficiency, but — as is often true of received wisdom — they don’t tell the whole story. In fact, they might even be misleading, which matters when governments around the world are setting ambitious targets for carbon reduction, and fit-for-purpose thermal insulation has never been more important.