Insulating your home properly will make your home more comfortable and energy efficient. The value of the insulation in your home is measured by its R value, which is its resistance to heat flow.
There are many types of insulation available and talking to an insulation expert may help you choose the right insulation for your home. Whether being installed in walls or in attics can have a huge difference in the type of insulation you should choose. Choose a supplier that carries all types to prevent being sold the product that he carries, rather than the one that is right for you.
If you have a brick home with blown in fiberglass insulation then it is more than likely your have mice living in your attic. Mice can climb straight up brick walls and enter through any tiny crack or hole to winter in your attic. If you have vinyl siding then you would be safe from climbing mice as its surface is too slippery for them.
Fiberglass insulation is made by jetting molten glass through tiny heated holes in a high-speed stream. The resulting fibers are drawn very thin and to great length. The fibers are then collected into a matte to produce fiberglass insulation.
The R values between blown in cellulose insulation and fiberglass insulation are the same but the thickness varies. On average, blown in cellulose insulation is 2-3 inches thinner than fiberglass insulation when both have the same R values. Both blown in cellulose insulation and fiberglass insulation perform well to insulate your home. However, regardless of which insulation you choose, the performance of the insulation varies greatly on the quality of workmanship. This is generally true more so for cellulose insulation than fiberglass insulation. in addition cellulose insulation could cause some corrosion on metal that it touches but can also insulate the entire cavity of the wall and flow around wall studs while fiberglass insulation may not cause corrosion but it can not flow around wall stubs as it has to be placed there. However, this is generally not done.
Blown in cellulose insulation is 2-3 times denser than fiberglass insulation. Studies comparing Blown in cellulose insulation Vs fiberglass insulation show that cellulose insulation was 38% tighter and required 26% less energy. A Princeton University study shows, a group of homes with blown in cellulose insulation in the walls had an average of 24.5% reduction of air infiltration compared to fiberglass insulation, with only the walls insulated. A similar study, the Leominster MA Housing Project for the Elderly found that, a building with blown in cellulose insulation compared to a building with R-13 fiberglass batt insulation in the walls and R-38 fiberglass batt insulation in the ceiling, had 40% lower leakage. However, when it comes to air infiltration, sheathing and drywall are better air barriers than any cavity insulation. Air infiltration barriers such as high-density polyethylene membranes are installed for this specific purpose.
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