Eco Green Technologies and Insulation

The factors of in-home insulation: 

 

     Cellulose insulation is blown or sprayed into place, preventing gaps and stopping air leaks better because of the way it's applied. And cellulose insulation is two to three times more dense than comparable fiberglass batts. That means heated air can't transfer through dense cellulose insulation as easily as it does through typically installed fiberglass.  Insulation may be used in walls and attics of residential or commercial structures. It may be used in cathedral or flat ceilings, crawl spaces, basements and as insulation under floors. Cellulose insulation may be blown in horizontal applications such as attics and crawl spaces, and professionally sprayed into wall cavities and attics in new construction.

R-Value 

      A material's resistance to heat flow is called its Resistance-value or R-value. Having high R-value insulation installed in the cavities of your home slows the flow of heat through walls, floors and ceilings.

      The higher the R-value, the more effective the insulation. For example, heat flows through an R-8 wall twice as fast as through an R-16 wall. Different types of insulation have different R-values per inch, and have varying construction and insulation applications.    

     Cellulose insulation is made from treated, recycled paper and is generally blown into finished walls, attic floors and other hard-to-reach enclosed cavities. Dense packed cellulose has an R-value of 3.8 per inch.  Blown-in cellulose is not only the best insulator but the easiest to install by simply using an insulation blowing machine to blow the cellulose fiber into an attic or walls. A 10 inch layer is a minimum which will give about a R30 rating.  About every 15 or 20 years you will need to check the depth in several places on a 10 inch layer because the dynamic shifting of the movement of the structure will cause packing and you may need to blow in another couple of inches to keep the R-value consistent.

 

     Insulation can increase a wall's fire resistance by 22-57%. The boric acid flame retardant used in cellulose insulation is infused in the natural fibers of the cellulose. During a fire, the retardant melts and holds the heat until the cellulose fibers char. The cellulose then becomes a layer of carbon protection, because the charred fibers won't burn. The density of the insulation prevents the passage of flames and hot gases, so fire does not spread as readily into cellulose-installed walls or ceilings, and it restricts the amount of oxygen available to support combustion.

     Cellulose insulation is a non-toxic natural product made from 85% recycled paper fiber, reducing landfill waste. Each 40 sq. ft. bag contains the equivalent of about 46 Sunday newspapers. It is processed by electrically-driven mills that consume relatively little energy when operating.

 

Environmental advantages of cellulose insulation:

 Cellulose insulation recycles a waste product that represents a significant disposal problem.
Cellulose insulation is made from recycled wood fiber, primarily newspaper. One hundred pounds of cellulose insulation contains 80 to 85 pounds of recycled newsprint.

America's cities are struggling with the challenge of solid waste disposal. Waste paper is a major part of the refuse stream. Today more and more communities are addressing this problem through "curbside recycling" and similar conservation programs. These efforts work only if there is demand for recycled products.

The federal government is attempting to create demand through such measures as the Environmental Protection Agency "Guideline for Procurement of Building Insulation Products Containing Recovered Materials" (40 CFR Part 248). Cellulose unquestionably meets every provision of this guideline.

Paper that is not recycled ends up in landfills where it may contribute to environmental pollution, or at incinerators where energy is wasted, reducing it to ashes, soot, and smoke.

When you choose cellulose insulation you are making a positive contribution toward solving the solid waste disposal problem. That may help your community hold down taxes or refuse disposal charges. It certainly contributes to a cleaner environment!

Cellulose insulation represents responsible use of resources.
Even if waste paper did not create a disposal problem, most people believe we have an obligation to make maximum use of the resources we consume.

Cellulose insulation does not "save trees," but it makes maximum use of the trees we do harvest. Using trees we cut to make paper to save energy is responsible resource use.

The highest standards of any insulation material.
Today's cellulose insulation is covered by American Society for Testing and Materials Standard Specifications C-739 for loose-fill insulation and C-1149 for spray-applied self-supporting insulation. Developed and refined over many years through the consensus standard development process of ASTM, the cellulose insulation standards cover several material properties, including:

Heat transfer resistance (R-value)
Settled (or design) density
Critical radiant flux (a measure of surface burning characteristics)
Smoldering combustion (an assessment of fire resistance within the insulation layer)
Corrosiveness
Starch content
Odor emission
Moisture vapor absorption
Fungi resistance
Adhesive/Cohesive Strength (spray-on only)

This consensus industry standard is much more comprehensive than the four-point Consumer Products Safety Commission standard that is the minimum legal requirement for cellulose insulation.