Rather than trying to meticulously lay fiberglass insulation over the attic homeowners and builders can simply blow cellulose insulation throughout the attic.
Cellulose vs fiberglass blown in insulation attic.
Energy saver and attic systems we prefer blown in cellulose over blown in and fiberglass batts for several reasons.
Batts or loose fill.
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.
The material can be either fiberglass or cellulose and consists of fiber foam or other materials in small particles and can even feel like down.
Higher r value per inch.
Fiberglass batts however are less expensive costing on average 0 30 to 0 40 a square foot for 6 inches of insulation.
Cellulose insulation blown in wall r 3 8 r3 9.
Loose fill or blown cellulose insulation is manufactured primarily from recycled newspapers a very benign product so it poses virtually no ongoing health risk.
Types of fiberglass and cellulose insulation.
So what are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these insulation materials.
There are two ways to get your insulation whether fiberglass or cellulose.
Cellulose retains more of its r value through a wider range of temperatures compared to fiberglass.
Blown cellulose is typically the preferred choice of insulation for attics.
Both fiberglass and cellulose insulation can be installed to completely fill the space inside of wall floor or ceiling cavity.
Sometimes loose fill insulation is referred to as blown in insulation because an installer literally blows it into your home with a special machine.
So it seems to me the real debate.
Blown in cellulose homeowner benefits.
Cellulose has an r value of 3 5 3 7 per inch where fiberglass has around 2 1 2 7 r per inch.
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.
Properly installed they will both remain in place for the life of the home.
Unless you opt for spray foam then the insulation choices normally come down to cellulose and fibreglass.
Blown in insulation sometimes referred to as loose fill insulation is insulation literally blown in with a blowing machine.
R value measures the resistance of heat flow through a material the higher the r value the better the material is at resisting heat flow.
In most situations we prefer the air and heat flow resistance of.
The two main least expensive and most commonly used residential insulation materials is cellulose and fibreglass.