Warm and cool air can escape your home without proper insulation. This wastes energy and drives up your cooling and heating bill. Updating will save you money and bring comfort to your home all year long.
The question is – which material is best for your insulation project?
Cellulose vs. Fiberglass
Energy Efficiency
Cellulose is three times denser and packs tighter than fiberglass insulation. It also allows for 30% less air infiltration than fiberglass, which can translate into an energy savings of 25% for home heating.
Tighter Air Sealing
Fiberglass is subject to air movement around and through batts. This causes loss to the insulation’s R-value. The R-value is a measure of how well a layer of insulation resists the flow of heat.
Cellulose is good at fitting around walls, pipes and wiring, allowing for better air sealing and fewer air pockets creating an effective air barrier, especially when coupled with advanced air sealing prior to installing the insulation.
Effectiveness
If 12 inches of fiberglass batts are installed with gaps over only 5% of the insulated area (¾ inch space along a 14 ½ inch batt), the effective R-value drops from R-30 to R-9 according to BPI standards
Better Thermal Performance
In the event of a temperature drop from 45° to 18° F, fiberglass can lose up to 50% of its R-value, while cellulose has no loss.
Environmentally Friendly
Cellulose is made of 75-85% recycled products, as compared to only 30% in fiberglass insulation. It requires 1/10th of the total energy to produce cellulose as opposed to fiberglass.
No Known Health Risks
Fiberglass is often a nesting material for bats, mice and other rodents, but animals find it almost impossible to live in cellulose due to the lack of oxygen and presence of borates. These borated also give cellulose insulation a class-one rating and help to prevent mold.
Lantern Energy is a certified installer of cellulose insulation, and we offer a 5% discount on insulation jobs scheduled during energy assessments. Lantern technicians will perform an insulation check as part of every energy assessment. If your insulation falls short, we can help.
Call us at 1-877-878-3006 and visit our insulation services page for more information.