Spray Foam Insulation in Scranton, PA

Spray foam insulation in Scranton starts with the houses. Census estimates compiled by Point2Homes show 51.8% of Scranton's homes were built in 1939 or earlier, and only a few percent since 1990. Winters are long: the 1991-2020 normals for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton airport show about 45.1 inches of snow a year and an average January low near 20F. We air seal and insulate those houses, using closed-cell or open-cell spray foam where it pays and blown or dense-packed cellulose where it does the job for less.

How coal-region houses leak

Scranton boomed on iron, steel, railroads and anthracite, and its population peaked at 143,433 in 1930. Many of the houses from that era are tall, narrow wood-frame homes, often balloon-framed, so the wall cavities run straight from the basement to the attic. Warm air rises through those open cavities and out the top, pulling cold air in at the bottom. Add a stone or brick foundation with a bare wood sill on top, plaster ceilings with light fixtures and a chimney running through, and a porch roof or two, and you have a house that loses heat everywhere. The fix starts with blocking the top and bottom of those cavities, sealing the attic floor and foaming the sill and rim.

Pennsylvania code and climate zone

Pennsylvania's 2021 Uniform Construction Code took effect statewide on January 1, 2026. Penn State's PHRC places Lackawanna and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania's Central climate zone (Zone 5), and OpenEI lists both in Zone 5A. PHRC's Pennsylvania Alternative Residential Energy Provisions list R-49 ceilings and R-20 (or R-13 plus R-5) walls for that zone. Wayne and Susquehanna counties to the north fall in the colder North zone. For an existing attic, the Department of Energy recommends R-60 in Zone 5 if it is uninsulated, or adding R-49 where 3 to 4 inches are already there.

Closed cell vs open cell

Closed-cell foam is dense and rigid, about R-5 to R-7 per inch according to HomeGuide, and at normal thickness it slows vapor and does not absorb water. It suits stone and block foundation walls, sills and rim joists, and roof bays with no room for venting. Open-cell foam is lighter, about R-3.5 to R-3.7 per inch, and seals air well but lets vapor pass, so it needs a moisture plan in this climate. In old plaster walls we usually dense-pack cellulose instead of foam, because it fills around old framing, can be installed through small holes and lets the wall dry.

Old wiring, chimneys and vermiculite

Old houses come with old hazards. Knob-and-tube wiring that is still in use should not be buried in insulation. Chimneys need metal flashing and fire-rated sealant, not foam. And vermiculite, a pebbly gray-brown or gold fill common in older attics, may contain asbestos and should be tested before anyone disturbs it. We check for all three on every visit and tell you before we price the work.

Spray foam insulation contractors: what to ask

When you talk to spray foam insulation contractors or insulation companies around Scranton, ask each the same questions. What will they seal before insulating, and how? Which material goes where, at what thickness and R-value? How will they handle balloon-framed walls, chimneys and old wiring? How long should you stay out while foam cures (HomeGuide suggests 24 hours or more)? A good company answers in writing. We do, area by area.

Spray foam insulation cost

HomeGuide's 2026 guide lists installed spray foam at $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot, with open-cell at $1.50 to $3.50 and closed-cell at $3.00 to $5.00. A rim joist foam job typically runs $2,000 to $2,500, an average attic job $1,000 to $2,700, and dense-pack cellulose $1.60 to $4.20 per square foot. Older Scranton houses often need more air sealing than newer ones, which HomeGuide puts at $350 to $3,000. We price your house after seeing it, and the written estimate is the price.

PPL rebates

If PPL Electric Utilities serves your home, its rebate form for the program running June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2031 lists insulation rebates of 75% of cost, up to $500 for homes with primary electric heat or $200 for homes with central air and non-electric heat, for attic, basement wall, exterior wall and rim joist insulation. Air sealing pays $0.25 per CFM of reduction, up to $150, with blower door testing. Rim joist insulation has to be spray foam or rigid foam. Check PPL's current rules and keep your invoice. Get a free estimate

We work in Scranton and across the Lackawanna Valley: Dunmore, Throop, Olyphant, Dickson City, Archbald and Carbondale up the valley; Clarks Summit to the north; Taylor, Old Forge and Moosic down the valley; and in the Wyoming Valley in Pittston, Kingston and Wilkes-Barre. The old mining boroughs have the most pre-war frame houses and double-blocks. Clarks Summit has more 1960s and 1970s homes. Wilkes-Barre and Kingston add river-flat neighborhoods shaped by the 1972 flood. Each town page covers what is different there.