Insulation, the material between the walls of our houses, is not a popular topic of conversation at parties these days, but it definitely undergoing metamorphosis within the building industry-- replacing the time-worn fiberglass materials commonly used while quietly earning "green points" towards environmental protection.
As people look for alternatives to fiberglass insulation (long-term health is compromised when the tiny glass fibers can imbed themselves in your skin or lungs as well as allow mold to grow) new insulation solutions are appearing.
Silica foam was developed by NASA, specifically suited to transparent surfaces. Now adapted for use in skylights and solariums to prevent heat loss through glass, it has proven to be an amazing insulator, consisting of 99 percent air.
Although spray-in foams can coat any surface and fill in tiny gaps for virtually any type of wall, they can spew forth a lot of chemicals, resulting in a negative impact on indoor air quality. Water-driven varieties, however don't contain or release, airborne chemicals and once cured, prove to be less toxic during installation.
Some of the insulations gaining popularity are far from new technologies. The popularity of cellulose insulation is on the rise with many new homebuilders because of the wealth of benefits it offers both builder and buyer. According to research, the first person to use insulation was an architect named Thomas Jefferson. And the first insulation he used was cellulose -- on a rather large home in Monticello. The term "cellulose" refers to the base fiber for all plant life; wood, paper, and other plant-based products are all made of cellulose. Today’s green advocates tout cellulose insulation for its use of recycled paper products treated with boron-based chemicals to make it fire retardant. At the turn of the century, however, what was important to builders was the availability of raw materials and their by-products. The product of choice at that time was wood, so insulation was balsa wool or "balsa batt" (sawdust wrapped in paper) and one can still find balsa wool insulation in some of the old historic homes in the Northeast.
Cotton and wool batting are being used more and more and while wool is less readily available in the U.S., what could be more American than insulation from recycled denim? Believe it or not, there is a product like this on the market, made from waste-scraps left over from blue jeans manufacturers. It is formaldehyde-free, completely recyclable and treated with a natural fire-retardant.
All natural flax fiber insulation is excellent at moderating environmental moisture, so it can evaporate and not get trapped in the walls. It is a natural fire-retardant and is pest-resistant as well.
Energy efficiency in insulation is measured by "R-values", a term developed by the Federal Trade Commission referring to the rating of "thermal resistance". This was based on an engineering laboratory measurement, the R factor, which is the ability of a material to stop or slow conductive heat transfer through the material itself. Higher R values do not necessarily equate to higher performance, however, because conductive heat transfer is only one of the ways a house can lose energy.
It is possible to achieve greater comfort, lower energy bills and tighter construction with denser insulation of the types cited here. For more information on insulation choices, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s web site at http://eere.energy.gov.
Dena Kouremetis is a veteran freelance real estate consumer journalist and California real estate broker. She may be reached by email at REritr@aol.com.
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