Cellulose Or Fiberglass Attic Insulation

Like cellulose you need a big machine to blow it in.

Cellulose or fiberglass attic insulation.

Fiberglass is a suspected carcinogen. 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. It is made from paper that has a minimum of 85 recycled content such as newspaper. Cellulose provides better sound insulation than fiberglass i e homes are less noisy with it.

Unless you opt for spray foam then the insulation choices normally come down to cellulose and fibreglass. In addition to its great r value cellulose also provides sounds insulation by providing mass and dampening. Attic blown cellulose is typically the preferred choice of insulation for attics. It has a better resistance to air flow and prevents the upward movement of air caused by temperature differences.

Rather than trying to meticulously lay fiberglass insulation over the attic homeowners and builders can simply blow cellulose insulation throughout the attic. This keeps the air from moving within the insulation and from penetrations between the air conditioned space and the attic. Like cellulose you need a big machine to blow it in. It does not pollute the air during manufacture or use as much energy to produce as fiberglass.

Cellulose is more difficult to cheat than fiberglass. Loose fill fiberglass seems to dominate attic insulation in new construction homes and has an r value of approximately 2 5 per inch. Cellulose insulation is considered green as it is made from recycled newspaper and requires less energy to manufacture than fiberglass insulation. Cellulose forms a dense continuous mat of insulation in your attic.

Fiberglass fibers may become airborne which can be considered a pollutant. Cellulose insulation is considered a greener material than fiberglass. Or 7 inches of cellulose. You can get to the same place with either material.

In the summer according to research by the brookhaven national lab fiberglass loses 3 times more r value than cellulose when attics reach 110 degrees f very common in most areas of the country. Cellulose cellulose insulation offers many advantages to your home such as its r value of r 2 6 per 100mm metric which is better than glass wool or rock wool. Cellulose has 38 better air infiltration than fiberglass.