With the growing energy costs, folks are trying to find ways to insulate their homes. Here’s your guide to eco-friendly home insulation!
Home insulation is an essential part of a cozy home. Not only does the insulation helps you control the climate inside the house better, but it can help you become more eco-friendly and boost the energy efficiency of your home. This can significantly cut your energy costs and it is great for the environment.
However, as insulation has existed for a long time, the materials that used to be used and that are still used today are not as eco-friendly. That is why many people today are researching ways of making their home insulation more sustainable. If you are in the same situation, then you should certainly know about all the sustainable and green insulation materials.
Why Insulate Your Home?
First of all, adding insulation can and will improve the energy efficiency of your home. When you pick proper interior wall insulation, as well as roof and attic insulation, you provide that extra layer of keeping the heat inside or outside your home. During the hot summer days, all the heat will be kept outside and you will be able to better cool down your home. The same goes for heat that you want to keep inside the house during winter. With proper insulation, you can simply spend less energy on heating or cooling, which results in lower utility bills and higher efficiency inside the house. Additionally, your home will simply be more comfortable throughout the year, and you will eliminate any condensation on the walls and ceiling.
Which Eco-Friendly Insulation Materials Are Available Today?
Now that you know how insulation can boost the eco-friendliness of your home overall, it’s time to go over some of the materials. Those traditional insulation materials, such as fiberglass, require plenty of chemicals either in installation or manufacturing. Such processes require plenty of manufacturing power which leaves a significant carbon footprint. Instead, you can rely on more green insulation options that can cut down on the carbon footprint, both in production and in your home.
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Sheep’s Wool Insulation
It is known that sheep can enjoy cold winters and even hot summers due to their natural insulation – wool. The fluffy fleece keeps them warm no matter how cold it is outside, and it even keeps them cool. Many communities have relied on wool to keep warm and naturally people have started using this material to insulate their homes, too. Standard sheep’s wool insulation is made of 5% to 20% polyester which gives it extra strength. Plus, polyester enables easier modeling of the material into different shapes and sizes for the home. What’s more, wool is probably the most eco-friendly insulating material as far as the environment goes. It is renewable, it always grows back on sheep, and this material is completely recyclable.
Aerogel Insulation
Even though aerogel doesn’t naturally occur, it is still not bad for the environment. This material was developed in the 1930s and it primarily consists of air. Back in the day, insulating your home with aerogel seemed like a wild choice, but today, people are using this material more for that purpose. Usually, aerogel’s structural framework is made of silica, but you can use other materials to create it. Those include gold, carbon, iron oxide, copper, and organic polymers. But don’t worry, these solid materials make up less than 5% of aerogel, and the rest is air. And since it is a low-density solid, it makes great thermal insulation as air cannot move much in the microscopic pores, and there is no conduction and convection occurring.
Denim Insulation
Denim is a great insulation for the house as it primarily consists of cotton. Cotton is renewable and natural and to be made into insulation it has to be folded into batts. All this can be done from old denim which greatly reduces the waste in landfills. Plus, you can recycle the insulation itself in the end, and this is the biggest advantage denim has over fiberglass.
What’s more, denim contains no dangerous gas such as formaldehyde. This means that it won’t be a hazard for the respiratory system and it will repel insects in your house. However, even though denim is a great green insulation option, it does cost up to 10% more than other options.
We all want what’s best for our homes, and insulation is the best choice. Plus, when you pick eco-friendly and sustainable insulation materials, you are doing your home and the environment a huge favor.
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