Effective thermal management is vital to maintain the correct conditions for poultry and produce production. However, to really understand how insulation plays such an important role in the agriculture industry, we need to go over certain principles of heat flow.
Firstly, heat always flows from hot areas to cold areas. And while insulation doesn’t stop heat flow – it does slow the process down. The poorer the insulation material is as a heat conductor, the more “resistance” it will offer to the natural flow of heat. This resistance is measured in R-Vale: the higher the R-Value, the better it insulates.
Secondly, warm air holds more moisture than cold air. In fact, the moisture-holding capacity of air roughly doubles with each 11°C rise in temperature. This is important to consider in this context because poultry and other livestock will add heat and moisture vapour to the surrounding air.
When warm, moisture-laden air comes in contact with a cool surface – such as a poorly insulated wall or ceiling – the air will cool and won’t be able to hold as much water vapour. This causes condensation and if the surface is cold enough, this condensate can freeze. Insulation prevents this from happening.
Now that you have a better understanding of insulation, we can look at how insulation benefits the agricultural market and poultry.
The benefits of insulation in agriculture
How does insulation benefit food storage?
Managing temperatures within food storage buildings – such as cold storage, or fruit and vegetable warehouses – is vital to the longevity of the produce. Low temperatures keep food fresher for longer, which directly translates into profitability.
As we learned above, insulation also helps manage and reduce moisture in the air, which can cause fungi in food and attract vermin. Extruded polystyrene foam board – otherwise known as XPS insulation – is a type of insulation made with rigid polystyrene with high compressive strength. Its closed-cell structure provides excellent long-term thermal insulation performance, due to its inherent resistance to moisture transfer.
How does insulation benefit poultry?
Proper insulation is critically important when it comes to maintaining the correct climate within livestock buildings. Any structure housing poultry has to meet particular temperature standards in order for the birds to live comfortably within them.
Extreme environmental conditions, such as heat and cold – the result of air-temperature variations, thermal radiation, and humidity – cause stress and suboptimal animal performance, which lowers productivity. Insulation ensures general animal health, creates a more comfortable working environment, and lowers input costs.
What’s more, XPS isn’t poisonous and has zero nutritional value, which means it can be used in buildings intended for housing poultry and other animals.
How does insulation benefit agriculture?
Overall, effective insulation:
- reduces operating and input costs,
- ensures the general wellbeing of poultry and animals,
- creates a more comfortable working environment for employees and
- increases production.
By insulating your agricultural and poultry barns, you also do your part for the environment. Summit XPS insulation board helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lowers the carbon footprint of your building, and achieves compliance with National Building Regulations SANS 10400-XA:2021. The product has an almost indefinite lifespan (if installed correctly) and will contribute to significant energy savings.
Now that you know you need insulation, how do you go about choosing the right solution? According to Daneel Pretorius, the Summit Category Manager at Swartland, you need to look at the comparative effectiveness of different options when choosing an insulation material for your specific needs. Summit XPS insulation, for example:
- is easy to install,
- has low input costs,
- is water- and fire spread-resistant,
- can insulate ceilings, cavity walls, and underfloors,
- does not require maintenance,
- and is Fire Rating and TIPSASA accredited.
That’s a lot of information to digest! If you’d like to learn more about Summit insulation, click here for the catalogue detailing how XPS insulation is made, how to install it, and much more.
