Cellulose Or Fiberglass Blown In Insulation Attic

Advantages and disadvantages of fiberglass.

Cellulose or fiberglass blown in insulation attic.

The installation process for dry cellulose insulation looks like this. Loose fill or blown cellulose insulation is manufactured primarily from recycled newspapers a very benign product so it poses virtually no ongoing health risk. According to research done at the oak ridge national lab fiberglass loses up to 50 of its r value in very cold conditions. Dry blown cellulose will characteristically settle and sag in place reducing its r value.

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. As a recycled paper product cellulose is prone to absorb moisture that can cause wood rot and mould. Blown in insulation may be used in attics with ample room for an installer. However that service does add to the cost of restoration.

Fiberglass batts however are less expensive costing on average 0 30 to 0 40 a square foot for 6 inches of insulation. At 3 5 per inch of material the r value of blown in cellulose is 23 better per inch than fiberglass batts. Attic blown cellulose is typically the preferred choice of insulation for attics. For eco minded homeowners cellulose is often the insulation of choice because it s made from finely shredded recycled cardboard or newspaper.

This is the most common type of blown in. 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. 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. For attics cellulose insulation is blown in parallel to the joists.

In this case we worked with the insurance company and took care of packing out belongings in the attic. Typically attics with a pitch of 3 12 or greater will provide enough room for an installer to crawl through the trusses. 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. Once the material becomes wet it s very difficult to clean up.

Installation costs for blown in insulation costs around 2 a square foot where installation costs for batts is around 1 a square foot. You can get to the same place with either material. The situation was made much worse by the attic s blown in cellulose insulation. Blown in cellulose and fiberglass are excellent products for new construction.

Making cellulose a better choice for homes in northern climates. Often fiberglass batts are used in areas with limited access.