Easy to install insulation and prevents heat from escaping through the roof.
Fills the gaps between wall cavities to help to help keep your home warmer
Insulation in your converted roof space creates a blanket effect to trap heat within the home
Can be installed in properties that have a suspended floor or a cavity underneath
Provides an option for properties that do not have any wall cavities by adding insulation to internal walls
A useful option for solid walled properties unable to benefit from cavity wall insulation
Spray foam is one of the most instantly recognisable types of insulation, and it looks almost cloud-like. Also known as polyurethane foam, this product is a liquid foam insulation.
Unlike traditional insulation or rigid foam insulation, spray foam must be installed by a professional. The insulating material will be sprayed onto your location of choice where it expands to at least 30 times its size. The polyurethane spray foam sets to form a solid layer of insulation.
Insulation is now widely discussed as a way to combat both growing carbon footprints and growing energy costs – and for good reason. Insulating your home can make it more planet-friendly while saving you hundreds of pounds per year off your energy bills.
But with so many types of insulation on the market, it can be difficult to know which particular types are suitable for your home and whether you are best spending your money on modern or traditional insulation. Equally, you may not know whether your home is better suited to installing spray foam insulation, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation or any other type of insulation product.
One of the best-known types of insulation available is spray foam insulation. If you’re considering this insulating material for your home, here’s a guide to the advantages and disadvantages and how much you can expect to pay.
One of the main benefits of spray foam is its versatility. Spray foam can be used to insulate your walls, floor, roof, or loft.
An additional benefit is, if you have spray foam left over at the end of your insulation project, it can be used for other quick fixes around the home. These include soundproofing, stopping pipes from rattling, and protecting fragile items.
Just like every type of insulation, you can expect to pay varying amounts for installation depending on which part of the country you live in. You’ll also pay more if your property is larger or you’re using spray foam to insulate multiple areas.
The cost of the material itself, however, doesn’t tend to vary much. In general, spray foam costs between £20 and £60 per square metre.
Here’s a breakdown of the average amount you can expect to pay for the material alone, depending on the size of your property.
Type of property | Cost to insulate |
Flat | £1200-£1600 |
Maisonette | £2500-£2900 |
Bungalow | £2600-£3100 |
House | £3400-£4000 |
Although it requires professional installation, spray foam is quick to install and dry. You shouldn’t need to pay an installer for more than a few hours or half a day, so you can expect to pay up to £500 for installation.
Most tradespeople charge a rate of between £100-£200 per day, but bear in mind that other jobs such as electrical wire relocation may need to be carried out.
If you’re insulating every possible part of your home, e.g loft, floor, cavity walls, etc, you’ll pay higher labour costs to hire the installer for a few days.
For an accurate overview of what you’ll pay, ask a professional for a quote. They’ll likely have to carry out a survey to carry out the extent of the work that needs to be completed.
There are two main types of spray foam insulation – open cell and closed cell.
Open cell spray foam tends to be softer, cheaper, and more flexible. However, its low price comes as a result of it being less effective at insulating your home, meaning your foam installer will need to spray a thick level to achieve a similar result.
On the plus side, open cell spray foam doubles up as acoustic insulation, so it’s ideal if you’ve got noisy neighbours or just a teenager with a drum kit. This welcome benefit comes as a result of the ability of open cell foam to block sound from travelling around rooms.
Closed cell spray foam, on the other hand, is more expensive but more thermally efficient, so you can expect it to keep your home warmer than its open cell counterpart. Closed cell foam insulation has insulating properties that make it harder for heat to pass through. It also makes it harder for water or moisture to pass through, so avoid damp by ensuring your home has adequate ventilation.
There’s no one-size-fits-all test to establish whether or not your home is suitable for spray foam insulation. Your best chance of making an informed decision is by getting a professional to come and look at your home and advise.
An expert installer can carry out a survey to determine the level of condensation in your home, perform a U-value calculation, and identify any possible barriers or problems.
It’s incredibly hard to remove spray foam once it’s been installed, and you can’t decorate over it, so make sure it’s suitable for your property before installing it.
One of the most frequently cited reasons to install insulation is to save money on bills, which is especially important in times of economic difficulties.
The good news is spray foam insulation is an excellent option for those looking to reduce their annual energy spending. Using spray foam insulation is estimated to save households up to 50% off your energy bills.
Spray foam insulation is one of the most effective insulation materials, so you can expect to save more money using spray foam than you would using other types of insulation. This saving is in part offset by the higher cost to install spray foam in the first place.
Naturally, the larger your property, the more money you can expect to save per year. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that insulation can save you around £250 per year on your heating bills.
If you’re looking for another easy way to shave thousands off your annual energy bills, consider insulating your pipes and installing radiator reflector panels.
In general, insulation is an attractive prospect for potential buyers because it reduces their energy bills and helps their home work more efficiently. Unfortunately, the situation with spray foam is a little more complicated.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says that if a surveyor encounters spray foam insulation during an inspection, they may in some cases reduce the value of the property. In some cases, mortgage lenders won’t lend money for a home with spray foam insulation.
The good news is that the spray foam industry is in conversation with lenders and valuers in an attempt to resolve this issue. The best way to ensure that spray foam doesn’t jeopardise a house sale is to work with a trusted installer and make sure they provide you with the relevant paperwork in case of a dispute with the lender or surveyor.
A consideration worth taking into account when installing insulation is its safety. Spray foam is unique in that it takes form on-site, rather than being produced beforehand. This can result in harmful fumes being emitted while the installation takes place.
Steer clear of the installation area for around a day afterwards, if possible. That way, you’ll avoid breathing in any harmful fumes left over by the installation process. A professional installer will be able to advise you on the steps to take after your insulation has been installed.
While professionally installed spray foam shouldn’t cause damp, it sometimes happens because of reduced ventilation in the home.
In the case of an increase in damp around your home, first check for other causes, such as missing slates or tiles, blocked downpipes, blocked air bricks, and plumbing leaks.
If your insulation ends up being to blame, speak to your original installer and discuss the problem and their suggested solution. If the installer you used is no longer in business, check for a guarantee or contact your installer’s trade association.
Switchable partners with hundreds of fully approved insulation installers throughout the UK. We only work with the best in your area.
Get a free no obligation spray foam insulation quote from Switchable today.
While polyurethane spray foam, like other options such as external insulation, is one of the more expensive insulation options on the market, you can expect to get a return on investment and more during its lifespan. Put simply, it will pay for itself multiple times over.
This is because, by improving your home’s energy efficiency, you won’t have to put your heating on as often or for as long, reducing your heating bills significantly.
Some types of insulation, such as board insulation, have to be cut and fit into a particular space. If there’s a difficult-to-access corner or nook, installing it will prove difficult.
Spray foam boasts the advantage of being able to insulate hard-to-reach areas and corners. Since the material expands to fill, all you need to do is spray it into the corner you wish to insulate and let it work its magic.
When installed properly, spray foam insulation expands and seals to become airtight. This quality prevents draughts from entering your home, which, alongside the heat-loss prevention properties of spray foam, improves your property’s thermal efficiency.
No more listening to your 10-year-old’s trombone practice or next door’s barking dog when you’re trying to get to sleep with spray foam insulation. Open cell spray foam insulation in particular can help to soundproof your home, creating a more peaceful environment for you and your family.
For more info on soundproofing spray foam insulation, read our helpful guide.
There’s a reason why environmental groups are lobbying the government to fund more home insulation – it’s great for reducing a home’s carbon footprint. The less often you put the heating on, the less you’ll burn fossil fuels, which is great for the planet.
The Great British Insulation Scheme (formerly ECO+) is a government scheme providing free insulation funding for low energy efficient and low council tax band households In England, Scotland and Wales (there is a separate but similar scheme for Northern Ireland). Eligible households could be able to get one type of insulation installed, such as loft insulation or cavity wall insulation, but not both.
If you were thinking of saving installation costs by adding spray foam insulation yourself, unfortunately, this isn’t an option. Spray foam is one of the few types of insulation that has to be installed by a professional.
Spray foam is one of the most expensive insulation materials, especially because you’ll need an expert to install it. If you’re insulating your home on a budget, it’s worth considering cheaper options.
Spray foam is one of the most expensive insulation materials, especially because you’ll need an expert to install it. If you’re insulating your home on a budget, it’s worth considering cheaper options.
