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When choosing an insulation product, it is important to consider not only the impact of insulation on utility bills, but also its impact on the environment. It is true that all insulation products will help reduce a home's energy consumption, but this does not necessarily make all insulation products "green."
Mineral fiber insulations, such as fiberglass, require tremendous amounts of energy during the manufacturing process. Furthermore, fiberglass insulation contains no more than 40% recycled content. Foam insulation products have little or no recycled content and require even more energy to manufacture.
By comparison, Fiberlite's Cellulose Insulation contains 82% post-consumer recycled paper and takes very little energy to produce. Insulating just one 1,500 square foot home with Cellulose Insulation recycles as much newspaper as an individual will consume in 40 years! Add to that there is very little product waste during installation and with paper as the main ingredient it come from a renewable resource derived from planted trees.
These facts, combined with the energy saving benefits of a Cellulose insulated home, prove that Cellulose Insulation is truly the Greenest of the Green.
Type |
Installation Methods |
R-value per inch (RSI/m) |
Raw Materials |
Pollution From Manufacture |
Indoor Air Quality Impacts |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cellulose | Loose-fill, wall-spray (damp), dense pack, stabilized | 3.6-4.0 (21-26) |
Newspaper, cardboard, fire retardants | Negligible | Fibers and chemicals can be irritants | High Recycled content and very low embodied energy |
| Fiberglass | Batts, Loose-fill, semi-rigid board | 3.0-4.0 (15-28) |
Silica sand, limestone, boron, recycled glass, PF resin or acrylic resin, ammonia | Formaldehyde emissions and high energy use during manufacture | Fibers can be irritants | High embodied energy |
| Mineral Wool | Loose-fill, batts, semi-rigid or rigid board | 2.8-3.7 (19-26) |
Iron-ore blast furnace slag, natural rock, PF binder | Formaldehyde emissions and high energy use during manufacture | Fibers can be irritants | High Embodied Energy; Rigid board can be an excellent foundation drainage and insulator |
| Cotton | Batts | 3.0-3.7 (21-26) |
Cotton and polyester mill scraps (especially denim) | Negligible | Considered safe | Two producers so transportation pollution is higher than other insulation |
| Closed-cell spray polyurethane foams | Spray-in cavity-fill or spray-on roofing | 5.8-6.8 (40-47) |
Fossil Fuels; HFC-24.5fa blowing agent; non-brominated flame retardant | High energy use during manufacture; global warming potential from HFC blowing agent | Quite toxic during installation (respirators or supplied air required); allow several days of airing out prior to occupancy | Very High embodied Energy |
| Open-cell, low-density polyurethane foam (Soy) | Spray-in cavity-fill | 3.6-3.8 (25-27) |
Fossil Fuels and soybeans; water as blowing agent; non-brominated flame retardant | High energy use during manufacture | Quite toxic during installation (respirators or supplied air required); allow several days of airing out prior to occupancy | Very High embodied energy |
