BIBS fills in tightly around all wiring, electrical boxes,and piping; leaving no costly gaps or voids that could allow cold air to enter your home and warm air to escape.

BIBS is a better sealer against air infiltration and is guaranteed to fill the entire cavity because it is installed at a density 3 times that of a standard batt. If you touch the BIBS product before putting on the drywall, you will find a dense feeling product that weighs 2 pounds per cubic foot - versus half a pound for batts.

Tests performed by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) show that an R20 batt with a mere 6% void area in the cavity at cold temperatures will perform at only R12½. That's 36.5% less than the stated R Value.

One reason batt insulation performs so ineffeciently is because it is 15" wide and being installed into a 14½" wide cavity. This causes the batt to arch at the back and creates void areas (shown in picture at bottom) which in turn cause convective air currents inside the cavity.

Additionally, the study shows that increases in the convective airflow of 40% and 56% (depending on the density of the batt insulation) was attributed not only to the open air channels, but also the batt insulation itself. In colder climates and with more defects, these percentages will increase significantly.

For more information: Measured Thermal Performance of Frame Walls with Defects in the Installation of Mineral Fibre Insulation