BOULDER Blog

Let’s Talk About Different Types of Insulation

There are many different types of insulation that you can use within your home or business.  However, there are four main types that the majority of our residential or commercial projects use.  Those are: blown-in fiberglass, blown-in cellulose, closed-cell spray foam, and batt insulation.

 

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Blown-in Fiberglass:

 

Blown-in fiberglass is thermally efficient, moisture resistant, fire resistant (noncombustible), lightweight, and is made up of recycled content (most folks don’t know this!).

 

The R-Value per inch is ~2.7/inch.  Once again, the R-value is the resistance value is a measure of how well two-dimensional barrier (insulation) resists the conductive flow of heat.

 

Blown-in fiberglass does a good job of reducing noise and resisting fire.

 

In general, this is our most common material.

 

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Blown-in Cellulose:

 

Blown-in cellulose absorbs and dampens sound well, is pest resistant, has a class 1 fire rating (best fire rating something can get), is not irritating to the skin, and is made up of 85% recycled content typically.

 

Cellulose has an R-value of ~3.4/inch (higher than fiberglass/most batts, and lower than closed-cell spray foam).

 

In sum, cellulose is a dense material good for sound reduction and fire resistance. 

 

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Closed-Cell Spray Foam:

 

We consider this to be the most efficient form of insulation offered.  Closed-cell spray foam adds to your structural integrity by molding and curing to your building structure, forming a tight, consistent seal throughout the area of install.  Additionally, it’s naturally a vapor retarder and impermeable to water, it’s energy efficient, and has a long life span.

 

Closed-cell spray foam has an R-value per inch of ~7/inch.  It’s a good fire resistor and does ok (not great) reducing noises.

 

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Batt Insulation:

 

There are many types of batt insulation – fiberglass (by far the most common), rockwoll, mineral wool, denim wool, and even HempWool).

 

With that in mind, it’s important to be mindful of what type you’re exploring having added to your home or development.  For instance, batt alone is not a vapor retarder, however if you have kraft or foil-faced batts – that is a vapor retarder.

 

Nearly all batts are themselves moisture resistant, fire resistant, and their size stays the same when left undisturbed throughout time.  Additionally, most all of these are made with recycled content.

 

The typical R-value per inch is anywhere from ~3-4/inch.  Certain types of batt insulation are better at sound attenuation than others (mineral wool, notably, is among the best and typically used in or near bathroom areas).

 

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Now, all of these types of insulation have different use-cases.  Unsure of what’s best for your home or development?  Give us a call and we can help you decide.

 

-Obie