I just moved into a new house, well a new house to me, it was built in the 1920s. The weather is getting cold and I have noticed that the floors and walls seem cold. What do I need to do to rectify this situation and are there green choices that I can make?

I would suggest blown-in celluloce or Icynene insulation for your walls. Some might sat that celluloce is the "Greenest" choice since it is about 95% recycled - from newspapers. However, Icynene insulation has a higher R-value, seals cracks, reduces air infiltration, has superior acoustical performance. As for the floors, radiant insulation migh be the best answer.

Hope this helps,

Dan Bossenbroek
www.justgreenhomes.com

boss, does blown in insulation work for wall that are sealed up and finished? How do they get it in. I have heard that the expanding foams can also be used for that application, but I worry about the pressure bowing my walls or squirting out through holes. What is the best choice for older walls that are already finished?

I saw the spray in on This Old House once used on an existing house, and it did ooze out. They were doing a complete rehab so it wasn't a bid deal, but if you are trying to do it without having to redo siding or interior walls, this might be an issue.

I say go with a soy based injection foam product. You get all the benefits of the icynene mentioned above plus it doesn't have all those petrochemical components. The injection foams are similar to the spray foams but the delivery mechanism allows you to do the project without taking off the drywall. They drill a hole near the top of the wall and use a hose to quickly disperse the foam in the wall as they pull the hose out.

You will have superior insulation after that. The reason you would want to take the drywall off is to clean out the cavity which may have old insulation and building supplies (yes this is where construction crews dump their lunches and scrap) in them.