What Is A Hybrid Insulation System?

You want the best insulation for your new home but don’t know if you can afford it. You heard about a method of insulation called flash and batt, which combines high-performing spray foam with cheaper batt insulation. But you also heard that traditional flash and batt can cause problems in a home.

South Central Services has insulated hundreds of homes with spray foam. Spray foam is expensive, and we understand the need to keep costs low. While our crews do not install traditional flash and batt insulation, we offer something similar that we call a hybrid insulation system. We recommend hybrid insulation as an alternative to flash and batt.

By the end of this article, you will know:

• What hybrid insulation systems are
• What features hybrid insulation systems offer
• How flash and batt is different from a hybrid insulation system

What Hybrid Insulation Systems Are

A hybrid insulation system is used in exterior walls and ceilings. Hybrid systems can be installed in new construction homes or homes being renovated. Exterior walls need a high level of performance since they make up part of the home’s thermal barrier. A hybrid insulation system is designed to deliver high performance at a slightly lower cost.

Instead of insulating the wall with only spray foam insulation, a hybrid system combines closed cell spray foam with batt insulation. In the case of a ceiling, a hybrid system combines spray foam and blown-in insulation.

To install a hybrid insulation system, we spray 2 inches of closed cell spray foam into the wall cavities. As little as an hour after spraying the foam, we install a batt of fiberglass or rockwool insulation on top of the spray foam.

This combination allows the exterior wall insulation to have an air barrier, a vapor barrier, and meet the necessary R-values for code compliance. Let’s examine each of these benefits in more detail.

How Hybrid Systems Provide An Air Barrier

Spray foam insulation is one of the only insulations that offers an airtight seal. Other insulations, like batt and blown-in, allow air to flow through them. Because heat can travel through conduction, convection, and radiation, other insulations cannot stop all forms of heat transfer.

Without an air barrier, air and heat can travel through gaps and cracks in the thermal envelope. This unwanted air exchange is similar to paying for air conditioning and leaving the front door open. Air barriers help to lower energy costs and improve indoor air quality.

Closed cell spray foam can form an airtight seal at approximately 1 inch depth. The air barrier it creates stops convection heat transfer and air infiltration.

With 2 inches of closed cell, a hybrid insulation system guarantees an airtight seal.

How Hybrid Systems Provide A Vapor Barrier

First, what is a vapor barrier? The goal of a vapor barrier is to stop vapor from passing through a building envelope and condensing inside.

When we think of air, we often think about temperature. However, air also has a water content called vapor. You can think of vapor as the humidity in the air.

Air can only hold so much water, and how much water it holds depends on its temperature. Warm air holds significantly more water than cold air. When air reaches its dew point, water condenses from a gaseous state into a liquid state.

Pennsylvania homes without a vapor barrier are at risk of condensation in their walls. This risk is especially prevalent in winter when the temperature differences between inside and outside are so significant.

Hybrid insulation systems offer vapor barriers to prevent vapor from condensing inside the walls. Closed cell spray foam creates a vapor barrier at 2 inches of depth. Our hybrid systems ensure a vapor barrier by installing 2 inches of closed cell spray foam.

How Hybrid Systems Provide Necessary R-Value

R-value is the traditional measurement of insulation performance. R-value, or resistance value, explains how well a material can resist heat transfer. A good insulation material has a high R-value.

High R-values are essential for the home’s thermal envelope. You want good insulation in your walls to keep heat out in the summer and to keep heat in during the winter.

A hybrid system provides about R-14 from the closed cell spray foam alone. Depending on the R-value of the batt insulation, hybrid system R-values could range anywhere from R-25 to R-44.

In our climate zone, exterior walls need a minimum of R-19 to R-21 to meet building codes. Hybrid systems deliver this R-value with only 2 inches of closed cell and a batt of insulation.

How Do Hybrid Systems Differ From Flash And Batt Insulation?

Technically, a hybrid system is a type of flash and batt insulation. However, in almost every case, flash and batt insulation systems only use 1 inch of closed cell spray foam. This is why we refer to flash and batt as “the traditional flash and batt method.” There may be some cases where additional spray foam is installed. However, in most instances, flash and batt is just 1 inch of closed cell spray foam.

The additional inch of spray foam in a hybrid system may not seem like a big deal, but it makes a significant difference in the performance of your insulation.

Not only does 1 more inch of closed cell spray foam offer an additional R-7 to the overall R-value of the wall, but that inch also ensures a vapor barrier.

Hybrid systems and traditional flash and batt are similar in their attempts to cut costs and provide quality performance. However, only a hybrid system can offer effective long-term performance in our climate zone.

The Bottom Line About Hybrid Insulation Systems

Hybrid insulation systems are an excellent option for new construction homes trying to save money on effective insulation. A hybrid system is much more efficient than batt insulation alone and can be cheaper than spray foam insulation.

The main difference between a hybrid insulation system and flash and batt insulation is a single inch of closed cell spray foam. While that inch of insulation may seem insignificant and not worth paying for, the vapor barrier it provides is essential in Pennsylvania weather.

Now that you know what a hybrid insulation system is, your next step is to:

• Weigh the pros and cons of a hybrid insulation system
• Discover the best way to insulate a new construction house
• Learn why homeowners trust our team to insulate their new homes