apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I am not an expert and I do not know how these products work. Take every precaution while making this a DIY project. From what I have learned is that the pro products work by expanding 100X in size from what you spray in. So you can see they are very carefully protected by goggles, air masks, and a bio suit. If the smallest particle gets into your lungs and it does get airborne it will expand in your lungs. It can also get into your skin pores. I would not call this DIY, but then again maybe they have some technique or safety precaution I do not know about.

The stuff works really well. There are some downsides to it. If there was ever a fire, the foam goes up really fast. Second, if you need to fish wires inside the wall post construction....good luck, its just not going to happen.
Third, stud finders will see it as "one big stud" making it difficult to locate the actual studs you intend to find. I would suggest 2X6 construction with R-19 or greater in the walls.

You can also use electrical outlet switch cover sealers/gaskets really do work. In addition to having good insulation in the walls, they can reduce your heating and cooling bill by as much as 20%. They are a cheap way to retain heating and cooling in your home. If you place your hand over your outlets in the Winter on a windy day, you will feel air blowing through them. So the purpose is to seal off the outlets & switches from the living space.

I found a local energy audit firm to conduct what is called a blower door test on my home. Before the sealers were installed, the outlets whistled; they leaked so bad. The tech conducted a post test after the sealers were installed and they were not only sealed, but I reduced my home's over-all air infiltration rate. Simply stated, I am now retaining my heating and cooling. What good is a high efficiency or geo-thermal system if your home cannot retain what is generated?

I went to Home Depot and paid a fortune in small Frost King packs to do my entire home. (It cost me over $100). A couple years later I built a new home, which I had more modern switches and receptacles. I found a company that sells the "Decorator" or "Decora" Leviton switch and outlet sealers/gaskets in bulk, costing a fraction compared to those retail Frost King packs that you find at Home Depot or Lowes. I looked all over for these foam gaskets. For those of you don't know, the Decora are the fat, contemporary rocker style switches found in newer homes. They will also work on bathroom GFI outlets. I ordered them from ReduceMyEnergy.com and installed them in my home. What a BIG difference. My rooms are cozy and more comfortable too. They have already more than paid for themselves.

Here is a link that might be useful: Electrical Outlet Switch GFI Leviton Decora Sealers Gaskets http://www.reducemyenergy.com/draftproducts.htm