Product Review – Insulation

Proper insulation plays an important role in creating energy efficient, sustainable homes. But its not just pink batts of fiberglass anymore. In this article we explore what insulation works, what’s green and what it all costs.

We review and rank types of insulation
See below for more information on each of these materials, where to apply them and whether you can install them yourself.

Product Category	R-Value (per inch)	Installed Cost per sq ft**	Cost per sq ft to get R20***	Drawbacks	Green Traits
Batt	R-3 to R-5	$.50-.60 for R-13 batts (3 1/2" thickness)	$.85	Fiberglass is a skin irritant. Batts can settle over time. R-value is dependent on lack of compression of product.	Fiberglass products = Moisture and mold resistant, non-corrosive. Recycled content in many cases. Some products are now VOC free.
Loose Fill	R-2.5 to R-4	$.45-.60 blown in @ 6" thickness. (R-19)	$.55	Fill can settle over time. Extra installation equipment needed for certain applications. R-value is dependent on lack of compression of product.	Fiberglass products = Moisture and mold resistant, non-corrosive. Recycled content in many cases. Some products are now VOC free.
Spray-Foam	R-3 to R-8.5	$.85-1.50 per inch closed cell & $.40-.65 for open cell. Retrofit jobs cost much more ($2-3 per foot)	$3.00	Must be professionally installed, and this can be very messy. Waste stream is created during installation and is non-recyclable for many products.	Complete air and moisture barrier. Many products are toxin, VOC and HCFC free. One of the better products for Indoor Air Quality. Higher R-values per inch than other insulations.
Rigid Board	R-3.5 to R-8.5 initial R-3.5 to R6.25 aged	$1-1.50 per square foot of 1" material on exterior walls. Roof applications are more expensive.	$4.00	Not suitable for most applications such as stud framing. Tendency for gaps in retrofit applications. Some products lose R-value over time.	Higher R-values per inch than batt or loose fill.

* While we are definitely big fans of those out there with the DIY spirit, we do encourage you to have a professional do the installation or at least be there when you are getting started. Insulation that is not installed correctly can dramatically decrease the overall performance of your system.
** Prices are for professional installation. You can save some money by doing it yourself.
***Approximations only. Note that basements and walls don’t call for R20, so this calculation is a guideline only.

More about the different types of insulation
Most insulation products fall under these general categories; batt/blanket, loose fill, expanding foams and rigid board.

Fiberglass Batt insulation
These are the most common insulation. Batts can also be made of Rock Wool, Recycled Denim, Sheep's Wool, Cellulose Materials. Typically batts go in Walls, Ceilings, Underside of Roofs, Attic Spaces, and Floors over crawl spaces. Typically, batts can be installed by a competent do it yourselfer.

Loose Fill insulation
This insulation is typically blown into Attic Spaces, Walls and Ceilings with specialized Blow-in-Blanket equipment. The material is either Fiberglass, Rock Wool, Recycled Denim, Sheep's Wool or Cellulose Materials. This is usually a professional job.

Spray-in Expanding Foam
This insulation is made of Petrochemical Polymers or Bio-based Polymers (typically soy) and includes either Water or Pentafluoropropane as a blowing agent. You can apply small areas yourself, but we recommend a professional installation for larger jobs. Typical places for spray foam insulation are to fill small cracks, but also for larger application such as Walls, Ceilings, Underside of Roofs, Attic Spaces and Floors over crawl spaces.

Rigid Board insulation
These insulating boards of Fiberglass, Polystyrene or Polyurethane are typically applied in basements or on exterior walls. They can be done yourself, but it’s easy to miss cracks and compromise your installation unless you are extremely competent.

What can insulation do for you?
Insulation helps to reduce the rate of heat loss through your walls, ceilings and roof. The measure of this resistance to heat loss is called R-value. When shopping or researching insulation, it is this number you want to look for. You should also pay attention to the thickness of the material as R-value builds as the material gets thicker. Some products attain higher R-values with less thickness, and for certain applications, this is important.

Your choice of insulation product is dependent on your application. You will need to choose a different product for insulating an attic space as compared to a vaulted ceiling.

Among the products on the market, some are produced in a sustainable fashion or contain recycled materials. These materials often perform as well as their 'traditional' counterparts and in some cases actually outperform other products.

Conclusions:
Insulating your home and doing it properly is always a wise and sustainable choice. By properly insulating our homes, we reduce the load on our power grid and the pollution caused by this system, and we also make our homes more comfortable in the process. The right choice of product is based on many factors including location to be insulated, price, desired R-value and stage in the construction process.

We promote the use of newer bio-based spray foam insulation. These products are perhaps the most versatile insulation on the market. Whether it be for new construction or renovation, there is a spray or injection foam product that can fill your needs. Combined with a quality ventilation system, indoor air quality can be increased dramatically. While the installation costs may be higher, the cost benefits over time will more than make up for this expense. There will always be a need for multiple products when it comes to insulation applications, but for our and your dollars, spray foams are far superior and worth the money.

We review and rank types of insulation
See below for more information on each of these materials, where to apply them and whether you can install them yourself.

Product Category	R-Value (per inch)	Installed Cost per sq ft**	Cost per sq ft to get R20***	Drawbacks	Green Traits
Batt	R-3 to R-5	$.50-.60 for R-13 batts (3 1/2" thickness)	$.85	Fiberglass is a skin irritant. Batts can settle over time. R-value is dependent on lack of compression of product.	Fiberglass products = Moisture and mold resistant, non-corrosive. Recycled content in many cases. Some products are now VOC free.
Loose Fill	R-2.5 to R-4	$.45-.60 blown in @ 6" thickness. (R-19)	$.55	Fill can settle over time. Extra installation equipment needed for certain applications. R-value is dependent on lack of compression of product.	Fiberglass products = Moisture and mold resistant, non-corrosive. Recycled content in many cases. Some products are now VOC free.
Spray-Foam	R-3 to R-8.5	$.85-1.50 per inch closed cell & $.40-.65 for open cell. Retrofit jobs cost much more ($2-3 per foot)	$3.00	Must be professionally installed, and this can be very messy. Waste stream is created during installation and is non-recyclable for many products.	Complete air and moisture barrier. Many products are toxin, VOC and HCFC free. One of the better products for Indoor Air Quality. Higher R-values per inch than other insulations.
Rigid Board	R-3.5 to R-8.5 initial R-3.5 to R6.25 aged	$1-1.50 per square foot of 1" material on exterior walls. Roof applications are more expensive.	$4.00	Not suitable for most applications such as stud framing. Tendency for gaps in retrofit applications. Some products lose R-value over time.	Higher R-values per inch than batt or loose fill.

More about the different types of insulation
Most insulation products fall under these general categories; batt/blanket, loose fill, expanding foams and rigid board.

Your choice of insulation product is dependent on your application. You will need to choose a different product for insulating an attic space as compared to a vaulted ceiling.