When used in the description of construction materials, the R-value is the indicator of the material’s capacity to resist heat transfer from one side of the material to the other – in other words, the value represents the efficiency of the insulation provided by the material. As a general rule, the higher the R-value, the higher the efficiency of the insulation provided by the rated material.
Every material and every substance can be rated based on its resistance to heat transfer, air just as well as cement or fiberglass. The value usually becomes important when the materials are chosen for a construction project – whether it is a residential, commercial or industrial construction, the R-value of the materials chosen will determine how energy-efficient the building is from top to bottom, how much money the building owner will have to spend on heating and cooling the building and how large the building’s environmental footprint will be. The building materials and products for which the R-value is an important feature include wall and roof insulation, siding panels, flooring, doors and windows. Whatever the product type that you need, it is recommended by quality conscious Colorado Springs roofing companies to choose the material with the highest R-value to ensure that you maximize your building’s thermal efficiency.