Comparing Insulated vs. Non-Insulated Siding: Which Is Best for Your Home?
Jun 10, 2025If you’re in the process of planning a siding upgrade at your home, you’re undoubtedly aware of the fact that you’ll soon have plenty of important decisions to make. Of course, one of those is whether to invest in insulated or non-insulated siding. Which is best for your home in the Chicagoland area? When it comes to answering that question, it’s important to understand all the facts, as well as get a good look at the options available to you. Lucky for you, your friends at Craftsmen Revival have you covered. In this blog, we’ll take a look at both insulated and non-insulated siding with the ultimate goal of giving you the information you need to make the right choice for your home.
Understanding Insulated & Non-Insulated Siding
For starters, it’s important to know the difference between insulated and non-insulated siding. Insulated siding is siding with built-in rigid foam insulation that ultimately serves the purpose of limiting heat transfer and helping your siding’s—as well as your home’s—energy efficiency. For example, some vinyl siding is insulated with a foam backing, which is why you may hear about the performance benefits it can provide for your home.
On the flip side, non-insulated siding obviously doesn’t come equipped with that same layer of insulation. While that may lead you to believe that it can’t provide the energy efficiency you need from your siding, that’s not necessarily the case. It’s all about how your siding is engineered. Typically, the likes of basic vinyl, aluminum, and fiber cement siding may be non-insulated options. However, there are exceptions and, in some cases, even the right non-insulated siding can deliver the performance you need for your home.
Knowing When to Choose Insulated or Non-Insulated Siding
Ultimately, you’ll want to make your decision on your siding material based on your budget and perhaps more importantly, the climate you live in. If you live in a colder climate with harsh winters, it’s important to find siding that offers good energy efficiency. That can mean choosing insulated siding, but you can also get away with a non-insulated material if it’s otherwise equipped with energy-efficient properties. Of course, you’ll also be OK prioritizing energy efficiency a little less if you live in a milder climate where heat transfer isn’t as big of a concern. In Chicagoland, as you very well know, energy efficiency is key—especially in terms of limiting the amount of heat that escapes your home’s interior during the winter.
Make the Right Choice for Your Home When You Partner With Us for Your Siding Needs
The good news for you as a homeowner in the Chicagoland area is that you have options when it comes to your siding investment. You also have a reliable team of siding experts to turn to, as Craftsmen Revival is well versed in a variety of siding options. We offer both fiber cement siding and vinyl siding, so when you turn to us for your project, we can help make sure you’re making the right choice for your home. While ProVia® does offer insulated vinyl siding, we can also walk you through the energy efficiency features of a James Hardie™ fiber cement siding to see if that suits your preferences and works for your home.
When you’re ready to start planning a siding upgrade at your home in Chicagoland, reach out to Craftsmen Revival. We’d be happy to answer any questions you have about insulated and non-insulated siding on our way to helping you make the right investment for your property.
