How Insulation can Save You Money, Energy, and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Save Energy and Your Carbon Footprint immediately by Insulating Your Home? If you are cold and want to figure some of the quickest ways to save money year round, you need to add insulation to your home. The United States Department of Energy (USDOE) states:

So, bottom line is insulation:

- Will reduce your carbon footprint, save you money on your energy bill and reduces your reliance on fossil fuels

- Will make your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the house, and

- Will make walls, ceilings, and floors warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

What is that insulation up there made of? Usually Fiberglass or Cellulose

- Fiberglass Insulation Fiberglass insulation comes in loose-fill (what you can get at the hardware store) or blown-in material. Blown-in materials get contracted out to a professional.

The batts of insulation you see at the Home Depot are rolled up blankets of insulation that you install in between the beams in the attic. They are flexible products made from mineral fibers, such as fiberglass and rock wool.

- Cellulose Fiber Insulation Cellulose fiber consists of ground-up newspaper material, which is then treated with fire-retardant chemicals. It can get into any nook or cranny. This makes cellulose the better, greener, more complete insulation.

Here are the places in your home that need to be insulated Source: US Department of Energy- Slabs According to the US Department of Energy: - That has an R-value of at least R-8 in milder climates and up to R-10 in colder areas. Reminder: Only use insulation that is approved for use "below-grade." Note: Slab insulation is not insulating under the slab, but is only insulating the edge of the slab. In new construction many people insulate under the slab but it is only possible in new construction.- Wall Insulation- CrawlspaceResearch has shown that this approach can lead to moisture problems, especially in areas with cold or humid air. You can insulate the perimeter just like you do in a basement, (although you then have to heat the crawl space) or you can insulate the floor itself and then ventilate the crawl space. However, if you do this then duct work and plumbing all has to be insulated and the floor may be cold no matter how much insulation you put into it as heat rises and there is none in the floor.- BasementWall insulation in basements is similar to the approaches described for crawlspaces. And basement floors are insulated in ways similar to slabs. Exterior wall insulation is preferred over interior approaches (Broniek 2003; Yost and Lstiburek 2002).- Exterior InsulationExterior insulation's position outside of damp proofing makes it less likely to contribute to problems of trapped moisture inside basement walls. Exterior wall insulation must be approved for below-grade use.- Don't Forget That R-FactorAs we all know (or should know) the effectiveness of insulating your attic depends on the proper R-value for your home (depending upon where you live) and how you insulate the attic. Your R-factor is this scale that goes from low to high, with the higher numbers for better insulation effectiveness. The crazy thing about insulation in attics is most people are under-insulated. Most attics need an R-38 but my attic needs an R-49. There are even proposed energy codes that would increase that number to over R-50.The effectiveness of an insulated attic, wall or floor depends on how and where the insulation is installed.Here are some important tips on installing insulation to remember: - Do not compress the insulation.- Insulation should cover the tops of the joists.Recycled Insulation—Now That's The Green Way To Go!- Recycled Paper InsulationRecycled paper insulation is made from 100% waste recycled newsprint and has been successfully installed in more than 1 million homes in the England. Warmcel is a company that makes insulation from 100 percent recycled newspapers. It's non-toxic, non-irritant, and presents no health hazard. The best part is that the insulation can be disposed of safely without creating toxic waste and it uses very little energy to manufacture compared to other types of insulation materials.- Recyled Denim Insulation—Bonded Logic Bonded Logic's UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber insulation contains 85 percent post-industrial recycled natural fibers making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to use a high quality sustainable building material. UltraTouch consists almost entirely of natural denim and cotton fibers that are 100 percent recyclable. The product requires a minimal amount of energy to manufacture - Ecovative Design.Eben Bayer of Ecovative Design talked with Planet Green about Greensulate insulation and Negative Volume packaging, by Ecovative Design LLC. Greensulate Insulation, which is an excellent insulation with several unique properties. It is inexpensive, effective, and can be easily broken down in the soil once its useful. The idea behind Ecovative Design is to find new ways to insulate buildings and package material goods without the traditional use of petroleum based insulation with polystyrene and styrofoams. The Ecovative product is made from local, sustainable resources such as the agricultural byproducts of rice (China), buckwheat, and cottonseed (Texas) hull. How it works is these waste products are placed within a dark room without electricity (no CO2 emissions) and a growing organism is introduced to it. Within the course of seven days the organism coats the byproduct creating a strong material suitable for insulation and packaging. It features a competitive R-value, comparable rigidity to polystyrene, and when the product is no longer needed it can be buried in the ground to be easily broken down.The idea behind Ecovative Design is to find new ways to insulate buildings and package material goods without the traditional use of petroleum based insulation with polystyrene and styrofoams.The Ecovative product is made from local, sustainable resources such as the agricultural byproducts of rice (China), buckwheat, and cottonseed (Texas) hull. How it works is these waste products are placed within a dark room without electricity (no CO2 emissions) and a growing organism is introduced to it. Within the course of seven days the organism coats the byproduct creating a strong material suitable for insulation and packaging.It features a competitive R-value, comparable rigidity to polystyrene, and when the product is no longer needed it can be buried in the ground to be easily broken down.Now that you know the who, what, where, why, when, how and greening of your insulation, here is some