Have you heard about cellulose insulation? Cellulose blow-in insulation is becoming a popular option and there’s plenty of reasons why. Did you know that heating and cooling account for over 50% of the energy you use in your home or business? Although we can’t control the weather and make it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, there is hope! A simple way to make your home more energy efficient is through proper insulation. It can save you money on energy bills and help you do your part in conserving energy each year.
Insulating places in your home, like your attic and walls, ensures that your home is energy efficient. Blown-in cellulose insulation is a popular option. When you install it into an enclosed wall, blowing in cellulose insulation is typically the most cost-effective and most practical option. This is a paper or wood-based material that’s blown into spaces inside the structural walls of a building. It helps to slow down the loss of cool or hot air.
Loose-Fill Cellulose Insulation
This insulation has a consistency that is clumpy and dense like down feathers. The size and shape of this type of insulation are good because they can fill in any enclosed area. It can also conform around ducts, wires, and any other obstructions behind walls and in attics. This makes it the preferred method for most homeowners.
Where Does Cellulose Insulation Come From?
Derived from cellular plant sources like sisal and corncobs, cellulose insulation makes an eco-friendly choice. Normally commercial cellulose comes from wood in the form of recycled paper. These sources can include common waste products, newspapers, office paper, or cardboard. Cellulose insulation is an eco-friendly alternative to less eco-friendly insulation products like spray foam and rigid polystyrene foam.
How do you install cellulose insulation?
One of the great features of cellulose insulation is that it’s quick and easy for an experienced team to install. We place dense packs of cellulose into a hopper of an insulation blower. Powered by electricity, there are spinning prongs or teeth in the hopper to fluff and prepare the cellulose for installation. Then we blow it into the walls or attic through tubes attached to the blower. The cellulose blankets any existing insulation, filling in existing empty spaces. We then patch and paint any openings, making sure things look flawless.
The Advantages Of Loose-Fill Cellulose Insulation
There’s plenty to love about loose-fill cellulose insulation. Here’s three reasons your home will benefit from it:
- Loose-fill cellulose is not expensive.
- When it comes to finished walls, loose-fill cellulose can settle and conform around any obstructions in attics or walls. This will reduce your energy leakage by 40-70%!
- Since it is specially treated with borate, a naturally occurring wood preservative, loose-fill insulation resists any vermin or insect infestation, a common concern for most homeowners.
Is Loose Fill Insulation Eco-friendly?
Unlike foam insulation, cellulose insulation doesn’t produce greenhouse gases. That’s a major benefit and goes a long way to helping the environment. Eighty-five percent of cellulose insulation is manufactured using recycled material. The other 15% is a little less green because it contains borate. That’s the only chemical it contains, but the peace of mind of knowing it’s defending your home from unwanted pests and fungus makes it worth it.
How safe is cellulose insulation?
Cellulose insulation in its raw state is mostly paper so it is combustible, but because it’s treated with borates during the manufacturing process, it’s safe and not a fire hazard. Borates act not only as a smoke suppressor, they are fire retardants.
To give you an example of how cellulose insulation is a powerful flame retardant, the following test has been performed. It’s possible to warp a penny lying in a bed of cellulose in your hand using a blowtorch. The cellulose remains completely unaffected as the penny begins to melt. Due to the insulating properties of cellulose, you’ll never even feel any heat from the blowtorch on your hand. We don’t recommend you try this, but it has been done and is a testament to the value of this type of insulation for your home.
Insulation Pairs Perfectly with Solar Energy
If you’ve been thinking about better insulating your home to not only save on your energy bills but to conserve the heat and cool air in your home, now is the time. It’s a great way to have a cost-effective, more energy-efficient home all year round. Without the proper insulation in place, you could be losing 60% of your energy during the winter and summer in Southern Colorado. Having loose-fill cellulose installed will make you feel safe knowing there isn’t any excess moisture or airborne fiberglass in your home. The insulation we use is fiberglass-free, and best of all, moisture-resistant and fire-retardant.
Solar panels draw clean energy from the sun, but did you know that they also serve as insulation on your roof? They absorb the heat from the sun to power your home and protect it from the heat in the summer and cold in the winter. When you combine that with a properly insulated home on the inside, you’ve got a winning combination of energy efficacy. That’s going to save you money on your energy bills during any season of the year!
Reach out to Steel City Solar today for all of your insulation and solar solutions for your home or business. You can give us a call at 719-569-5166 or visit our website for a free estimate!
