Sustainable Insulation Options

One of the largest - yet least noticed - systems in your home is the insulation. We rarely ever see it unless we're in the attic or crawlspace, and we hardly ever have to worry about it breaking down or needing to be fixed. However, when performing sustainable construction, the type of insulation you choose should be at the top of your list. When you look at the amount of material you use when insulating your home and how important of a role it plays in making your home energy efficient, you begin to realize how important this hidden product is.

The good news is that all insulation performs about the same when considering insulating value. This may be contrary to what many people have heard or what some contractors may tell you, but we' get to that in a second. When selecting the insulation, review the information you have on hand and make an educated decision on which product best fits your installation.

For the most part, everyone is familiar with fiberglass insulation; while it is the cheapest of all of them, it is also probably the furthest from green. So let’s take a look at some of the alternative choices you have when selecting you product.

Cellulose:

Like all of the different insulation types that we're discussing, cellulose will have an R-value of about 3.6 per inch. This means that its insulating properties will be comparable to fiberglass and the others when installing it in your home. Cellulose can be wet sprayed or dried sprayed, depending on the application, and when it is dense packed it can provide air sealing.

It comes from recycled paper, approximately 80% post-consumer newspaper. Due to the insulation being made of paper, it must be treated with a borate solution to make it fire, insect, and mold resistant. Cellulose is also hygroscopic, so it will hold moisture if exposed to it. For this reason, many people will argue that cellulose is bad to have in the home because it can hide minor leaks.

For the dense-pack application, it must be applied correctly to avoid sags and separation from the wall. This is a common issue with all sprayed in insulations, including foam.

Denim:

As the name implies, denim is made from recycled denim. Utratouch by Bonded Logic is manufactured from 100% recycled content, 85% of it being post-industrial waste. Denim has no harmful chemicals and is safe to the touch, which means there is no protective clothing required for install. In fact, there are several pictures available with children playing with the product.

One argument of the denim is the cost to collect and ship material to a central manufacturing plant and then reship across the country. However, when looking at this argument, one must also consider that this is true for most any recycled material; but you are also preventing material from going to landfills. Another downside to denim is that is can hold water similar to the cellulose.

Wool:

Wool is another alternative material, made from sheep wool. It is very similar to the denim insulation in properties, as it comes from an organic source as well. The unfortunate part of wool is that it is currently only available in England. For more information, visit Thermafleece.




Spray Foam:

There are several manufacturers of spray foam, and there are different types. To remain brief, there are two main types, open cell and closed cell. Open cell allows moisture to pass through and closed does not. The products can also be petroleum based or soy based, and finally, they can use water or polyurethane in their application.

Icyene is the most popular. It is made from petroleum extracts, and it is applied with water. Spray foam has been praised for its air-sealing abilities and insulating properties. However, for the most part the open cell does not insulate any better than the others mentioned here. It does have very good air sealing properties when applied correctly, though.

The open cell product is supposed to allow water to pass through, allowing for the discovery of leaks. However, there have been some complaints regarding this leading to the questioning of quality between manufacturers. Other possible downfalls of the product have to do with how hard it can be to work with when retrofitting or remodeling, and it's much more expensive than the other products.

The largest misconception with this product occurs with the marketing practices of the companies that install it. They continue to claim that you can install less of this product and achieve the same insulating rating you would from other products. In all actuality, it basically has the same rating as all the other products, and what people are using in their marketing is an “effective” R-value to relate the ability of the insulation to provide air sealing. This practice has led to the acceptance of the product to be applied in lower quantities, leading to under insulating.

Nanogel:

This product is one that will probably not be seen in home installation, but it is still worth the mention just to show what products are available and new innovations. This product is a NASA-developed silica gel that is super strong, super light, and super insulating. It is primarily used in clear panel applications for commercial settings. Due to the inherent properties of it, it is sealed into panels for use. For more information, check out one of the panel manufacturers, Kalwall.

The pictures below are not photo shopped. These are real images of the product.