Steel Building insulation comes in a variety of different options.  If you are planning to heat and cool your building it is an excellent idea to insulate it and depending on the use a higher R-value system might work best.  The use of a higher R value system will cost more upfront but may cut your heating costs in half.   Insulation also slows down heat transfer, reduces noise and reduces condensation in your new steel building.

Traditional R20 Insulation with a WMP-50 Vapour Barrier.

This rolled blanket insulation is the most commonly used insulation in steel buildings.   It is ideal for agricultural buildings and residential steel buildings.   It has a white reflective vapour barrier pre-installed on the fibreglass that is most commonly sealed with a preinstalled tape on the tabs.  This insulation really brightens up a building and is effective for those applications.  Please confirm that R20 meets the requirements in your township as SB-10 compliance is mandatory in certain applications.

Long Tab Insulation System

For the ceiling the long tab insulation system is by far one of our favorites.  Depending on the depth of the buildings purlins you can achieve over R41.  This system uses banding to hold the insulation in place usually a layer if uncompressed R28 fibreglass insulation with a long tab WMP-50 vapour barrier which seals over the purlins. The R28 long tab is run the same direction as the purlins.  A second layer of R13 unfaced insulation is rolled perpendicular to the purlins making sure there are no gaps to ensure there is minimal heat loss. Steel Buildings Canada

Energy Saver Insulation System

The energy saver insulation system is similar to the long tab system but uses one large sheet or vapour barrier.  The purlins are not visible and allows up to R41 insulation in the walls.  This system is more costly to install but allows you to take full advantage of the high R-value insulation system.