When building a home, insulation is one of the major aspects that can cut future heating and cooling costs. Fiberglass insulation has been the primary choice, but not anymore.

Alternatives to Fiberglass Insulation

People have become much more sensitive to environmental and energy savings issues when building homes. Whereas such subjects were rarely discussed 20 years ago, they are now on the front burner for many of us. This transition has been so extensive that homebuilders now incorporate both issues in their projects and use their solutions as selling points. If these subjects have become part of the marketing, you know the transition to more environmental and energy consciousness has come full circle.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the newspapers you haul out to curb with the other recycling every week? Since I am mentioning it in this article, it is probably obvious the newspapers are being turned into insulation products. This relatively new insulation product is quickly overtaking fiberglass insulation in new home building projects, remodels and additions. Known as fiber insulation, it is more environmentally friendly than fiberglass, less expensive and just as good at sealing homes.

Fiber insulation is typically made up of recycled newspapers. Yes, those newspapers you haul out to the curb each week with the trash. Small amounts of ground up cardboard can also be included in some products. The material is shredded and then treated with acrylic binders to make the material hold together. To prevent fires, it is treated with various forms of fire retardant materials.

Fiber insulation almost always comes in a loose fill form. The loose fill is typically blown into cavities requiring insulation instead of being stapled up as seen with traditional fiberglass rolls. The material usually goes in dry, but there are wet versions that are sprayed on much like more traditional spray on insulation products.

As you may know, recycling newspaper is something everyone does these days. Just take a look down the street on garbage day. Recycle boxes of newspapers are on every driveway. This massive recycling produces tons of shredded newspaper material. Frankly, it can’t be turned into usable materials fast enough. This inventory problem means the material is extremely cheap. As a result, fiber insulation can cost up to 25 percent cheaper than fiberglass insulation.

Whether you are building new, doing an improvement or just adding on, fiber insulation represents a good deal on all fronts. Just tell them you want the stuff made out of recycled newspapers.

Author: Richard Chapo

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and renewable energy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo

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Insulation is a material that is used to slow down or reduce the flow of energy. The substances used to produce insulating materials are poor conductors of heat and electricity.

Insulators can be of several types. Thermal insulators slow down the transfer of heat energy, acoustic insulators reduce the flow of sound and electrical insulators prevent the flow of electrical energy.

Materials like fiberglass, rock wool and slag wool are widely used by the insulation industry. A large variety of materials may be used to make the insulators. These include organic, inorganic, rigid, soft, fibrous or granular materials. Generally, organic insulators are produced from petrochemicals and recycled plastic, while inorganic insulators are made from recycled glass and furnace slag.

An interesting research revealed that the insulation industry is among the leading industries in the U.S. It not only strengthens the U.S. economy and increases monetary savings for consumers, but also helps improve the state of the global environment.

The energy savings resulting from good insulation add up to big dollar savings. Interestingly, current insulation levels save U.S. homeowners approximately $74 billion dollars in energy costs each year, or an average of $780 per household. Without insulation, homeowners in the U.S. typically spend about $2,000 on energy each year; whereas, with the use of insulators, they spend an average of only $1,200. Current insulation levels have helped cut residential energy bills by forty per cent. Commercial building owners are also saving money on their heating and cooling bills by over $9.6 billion dollars a year nationwide, or an average of $2,100 a year per building.

Though existing insulation is saving enormous amounts of energy and pollution, there remains a substantial potential for cost-effective investments in building and industrial insulation. Residential buildings, commercial buildings and industrial plants, which are insulated with proper protocols, not only save energy but also help avoid a substantial amount of air pollution as well.

Author: Ross Bainbridge

Insulation provides detailed information on Insulation, Foam Insulations, Home Insulations, Commercial Insulation Plate and more. Insulation is affiliated with HVAC Jobs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ross_Bainbridge

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There is a new trend in construction – building with environmental concerns in mind. In this article, we cover going green with insulation in a structure.

Insulation is one of the more urgent green issues in construction. Proper insulation can have such an important role in the reduction of energy waste in a home. The well insulated home holds in the heat and keeps out the cold. Today, with the wide spread use of air conditioning, the opposite is just as true and just as critical. Asbestos and vermiculite, compound containing asbestos, have been widely used as insulating materials. It was efficient and easy to install. It was flame retardant. There were many reasons that made it the popular choice. It was, however, highly toxic.

The story of asbestos insulation is a good example of the totality of the green construction movement. The concept is not about trade offs. We do not pollute our water in order to have more material goods from our factories. We do not foul our air to have less expensive automobiles. We also do not risk our health to have an inexpensive insulation, regardless of how efficient it might be or how well it prevents fires.

There are alternatives, and when we approach these alternatives from the perspective of totality, we often find they are better and less expensive anyway. In the case of insulation, one good example is insulation made from recycled cotton. The cotton insulation is 100 percent recyclable and it is non-toxic. The manufacturing process uses less energy than the manufacturing of asbestos products or even fiber glass insulation.

Another alternative insulation is vegetable oil based polyurethane. It is sprayed into the areas needing insulation and when it contacts air it expands filling in the space completely. This allows an extra tight fit that results in even better insulation than the more toxic insulations that it is designed to replace. These alternative insulations are free of VOC and CFC. These are volatile organic compounds (VOC) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) which are common toxic substances in older types of insulation.

Insulation is a major component of going green in construction. The conservation of heat and the reduction of wasted energy are important standards. Yet, green construction is not about trading off one hazard for another, nor reaching one goal by failing to consider its impact on other environmental areas. So, even though insulation is an important part of building green, selecting environmentally safe insulation is just as important. The good news is that, as is often the case, the right choice is not only the safer choice, but many times the least expensive option as well.

Author: Zack Verde

Zack Verde is with GreenBuildingCompanies.com – providing green building information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zack_Verde

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