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Steve Thomas, during a recent episode of Renovation Nation, suited up in full-on hazardous material-type garb and sprayed a bunch of chemicals into the attic of a house. When the chemicals came in contact with the attic walls, the chemicals expanded into a goop that looked like ice cream. How can this possibly be in sync with the planet, Steve? What are you doing? These are the actions of a Captain Planet villain, not the actions of the kindly, bespectacled renovator that we all know and love.
I calmed down, drank some tea, called my therapist and watched the episode again. It turns out that this foam is non-toxic and that the hazmat suits were just a precaution. But what about the goop? The goop was actually a specialized type of insulating foam that doesn't harm the air quality of the house, and it ensures that a home's thermal envelope is efficiently sealed. They even make a soy-based insulating foam.
Before I go off praising the benefits of insulating foam, you should know that it is made with petroleum products. Yeah. I know. That's something that we don't want to hear.
Steve basically called the insulating foam the lesser of two evils. If you heat your house from the grid, you will probably be doing so with nonrenewable resources. When you use the foam, it will insulate your attic. That's the place where the most heat is lost. The foam will reduce the amount of nonrenewable products expended overall.
Insulating foam is not a pure-green technology, but it is the lesser of two evils. It could also be the crucial first step for someone wanting to head down the green path. It is a "gateway green."
Insulating foam may not be for the purists out there, but it is out there, keeping heating costs down.
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