Go Green With Insulation: Save on Heating and Cooling Costs

As global warming becomes more of a concern, people are looking for ways to go "green". Beefing up the insulation in the attic is a great way to reduce heating and cooling costs. Don't have an attic, no matter. Having a properly insulated home, attic or no attic, can reduce heating and cooling costs up to 30%.

Now in order to help save the world and save money, you need to choose a insulation material. But take heed, choosing a insulation type may prove to be a little more complicated if you don't know what to look for. Go with the most environmentally savvy material to do the job. There are different types of insulation material to choose from. Fiberglass, Cellulose, the Poly foams, Mineral wool, and cotton.

When choosing insulation material, you will need to consider the R-value. It is a nummerical indicator of an insulation's efficiency at retarding the flow of heat. So basically the higher the R-value the better. Right now building codes recommend R-38 for attics in most of the country.

Fiberglass and Cellulose are the most common attic insulation material. If doing it yourself, installing the fiberglass can be quite difficult. The material needs to be installed without any gaps and wholes to be most effective. Since fiberglass is made up of billions of strands of extruded glass fibers packed into specific sized batts, it is throat, eye, and skin irritants and can cause problems for residents if it gets into the air.

Cellulose fiber may do a more comprehensive job of insulating attics than fiberglass, but it cannot be used on the foundation. It is made up of mostly recycled newspaper and will absorb moisture, leading to mold. With cellulose, the R-value decreases over time. It does, however, cost 25% less than fiberglass. Unfortunatley, to get it professionally installed tends to be more expensive than fiberglass. You can install cellulose on your own, since many home centers will loan out the blower equipment.