Cellulose Or Fiberglass Blown In Insulation Attic

Making cellulose a better choice for homes in northern climates.

Cellulose or fiberglass blown in insulation attic.

However that service does add to the cost of restoration. The situation was made much worse by the attic s blown in cellulose insulation. According to research done at the oak ridge national lab fiberglass loses up to 50 of its r value in very cold conditions. For eco minded homeowners cellulose is often the insulation of choice because it s made from finely shredded recycled cardboard or newspaper.

Installation costs for blown in insulation costs around 2 a square foot where installation costs for batts is around 1 a square foot. Assuming your current attic insulation is made from fiberglass and has a value of r 13 you d have to add roughly 10 inches of additional fiberglass to hit r 38. For attics cellulose insulation is blown in parallel to the joists. As a recycled paper product cellulose is prone to absorb moisture that can cause wood rot and mould.

It can be used by itself to fill in joist cavities that have no insulation or laid as a thick layer over the top of existing batts of fiberglass insulation. Or 7 inches of cellulose. Rather than trying to meticulously lay fiberglass insulation over the attic homeowners and builders can simply blow cellulose insulation throughout the attic. At 3 5 per inch of material the r value of blown in cellulose is 23 better per inch than fiberglass batts.

Loose fill or blown cellulose insulation is manufactured primarily from recycled newspapers a very benign product so it poses virtually no ongoing health risk. Blown fiberglass on the other hand is made up of very fine strands of glass and these tiny fibers are a carcinogen that can easily be inhaled into your lungs. In this case we worked with the insurance company and took care of packing out belongings in the attic. Blown in insulation may be used in attics with ample room for an installer.

Often fiberglass batts are used in areas with limited access. The installation process for dry cellulose insulation looks like this. Attic blown cellulose is typically the preferred choice of insulation for attics. This is the most common type of blown in.

You can get to the same place with either material. Blown in cellulose and fiberglass are excellent products for new construction. When comparing blown in insulation both fiberglass and cellulose are nearly identical in price both costing around 0 70 to 0 80 per square foot for 6 inches of insulation. Fiberglass batts however are less expensive costing on average 0 30 to 0 40 a square foot for 6 inches of insulation.

Advantages and disadvantages of fiberglass. Once the material becomes wet it s very difficult to clean up.