Structural effect on insulation

Margie wrote greenmesh responding to
Yellow Pine Energy Storage:

Does using brick, stone or other natural siding effect the insulation value?

Masonry products increase the insulation value of a home over wood frame construction by nature of their thermal mass that can moderate temperature swings.

When we think of insulation, fiberglass and foam with an "R-value" come to mind. The amount of dead air trapped in these closed spaces from spun wool, blown foam, or double glass panes keeps heat from transferring. Just as air moving fast in your heating system transfers heat.

The dead air space in your walls provided by insulation is only part of the equation that cuts heating/cooling costs.

The most efficient building material in the desert Southwest is a couple feet of Adobe which has a very low R-value. However, in places where temperature can vary 50 degrees day/night, the Adobe provides a great deal of thermal lag and dampening of the extremes. The dense surface heats up slowly by day and takes time to cool down at night.

The masons that built my 100+ year old brick row house in Emigsville, built an airspace between two courses of brick as a method of dead air space insulation. The brick walls are structural and thick. The modern layer of insulation, I put on the inside between the studding, doesn't have to work as hard during days of temperature extremes as the same insulation does in the wood frame house next door.

High mass walls work best to enhance insulation factors in temperature climates that are moderate with extreme temperature swings within 24 hours in places like New Mexico and Colorado.

The amount of insulation in a home doesn't paint an accurate picture of total home efficiency. You have to take in the whole picture of construction and how it relates to exposure in the context of a particular climate to maximize efficiency.