What
Insulation?
When you choose insulation for a new or existing home you will
find many alternative products available. You must sort through
confusing and conflicting claims to find the right insulation
material.
When you know all the facts, however, you'll find that one insulation
material stands out from the rest. CELLULOSE! It's the
insulation you will want in your home. It's best because...
...Cellulose insulates better. It not only offers more heat transfer
resistance per inch than other fiber insulation materials, it
also seals the home against air infiltration better than other
fiber insulations.
...Cellulose insulation productively recycles a waste product
that presents communities with a serious disposal problem.
...Cellulose insulation saves more energy when the energy required
to make the material -- "embodied energy" -- is figured
into total energy savings.
...Cellulose insulation makes homes safer by slowing the spread
of fire.
...Cellulose insulation makes efficient use of natural resources.
Want to
know more about these benefits of cellulose? Read on!
1.
Cellulose Insulation -- Saving your energy and your money!
2. Highest savings, lowest cost!
3. Cellulose fills walls and stops air infiltration
better!
4. Cellulose makes homes safer
5. A naturally recycled product
6. The highest standards of any insulation material
1.
Cellulose Insulation -- Saving your energy and your money!
NatraCel believes today's discerning consumer has the right to
know about the quality, performance, health implications, cost-effectiveness,
and environmental impacts of products going into their homes.
After all, your home or remodeling project is one of the biggest
transactions you can accomplish in life.
The information on this page, and the publications available from
NatraCel should help you decide for yourself which insulation
approach is right for your project. We hope you agree with the
evidence and the experts: Cellulose Insulation is the natural
choice for making your home more energy efficient.
2.
Highest savings, lowest cost!
"R-Value" (an expression of heat transfer resistance)
is the standard for measuring insulation performance. At R 3.6
to 3.8 per inch cellulose insulation is considerably better than
most mineral fiber blowing wools, but R-value is only one factor
in the energy efficiency of a home. Studies of actual buildings
regularly show that cellulose-insulated buildings may use 20%
to 40% less energy than buildings with fiber glass, even if the
R-value of the insulation in the walls and ceilings is identical.
One reason for this is the capacity of cellulose to stop air infiltration.
3.
Cellulose fills walls and stops air infiltration better!
Demonstrations using transparent plastic "walls" show
the superiority of cellulose in filling existing walls with many
fewer gaps and voids than mineral fiber materials.
The fibers of cellulose insulation are much finer than mineral
fiber blowing wool. When cellulose is pneumatically installed
it takes on almost liquid-like properties that let it flow into
cavities and around obstructions to completely fill walls and
seal every crack and seam. No fiber glass or rock wool material
duplicates this action. Liquid-applied foam plastics do, but they
cost much more than cellulose.
In new construction cellulose insulation can be installed in walls
using a spray process or several different dense-pack dry techniques
that are also effective at sealing homes against air infiltration.
4.
Cellulose makes homes safer
Most residential structures contain large amounts of wood. Cellulose
insulation is the only wood-based building material that is always
treated for fire retardancy. This makes cellulose insulation one
of the safest materials used in home construction.
If a fire occurs, the dense structure of cellulose and its fire
retardants slow its spread through the building by blocking flames
and hot gases and restricting the availability of oxygen in insulated
walls and ceilings. Scientists at the National Research Council
Canada report that "cellulose in the wall cavity provided
an increase in the fire resistance performance of 22% to 55%."
Several revealing fire demonstrations have been conducted in which
cellulose-insulated structures have remained virtually intact
while uninsulated and mineral-fiber insulated structures burned
to the ground.
5.
A naturally recycled product
Cellulose insulation is made from recycled wood fiber, primarily
newspaper. One hundred pounds of cellulose insulation contains
80 to 85 pounds of recycled newsprint.
Waste disposal is a major problem for cities. Waste paper is a
major part of the refuse stream. Today more and more communities
are addressing this challenge through "curbside recycling"
and similar conservation programs. These efforts work only if
there is demand for recycled products.
The federal government is attempting to create demand through
such measures as the Environmental Protection Agency's comprehensive
procurement guideline for products containing recovered materials.
Cellulose unquestionably meets all requirements for insulation
specified by the guideline.
Paper that is not recycled ends up in landfills, where it may
contribute to environmental pollution, or at incinerators where
energy is wasted reducing it to ashes, soot, and smoke.
When you choose cellulose insulation you help solve the waste
disposal problem and help fight air pollution. This may help your
community hold down taxes or refuse disposal charges. It certainly
contributes to a cleaner environment.
6.
The highest standards of any insulation material
The cellulose insulation standards cover several material properties,
including:
