Insulation

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The downside of fiberglass comes with the insulation of small hard to reach areas of the building. Because fiberglass normally comes in large pre-cut sizes, it is not as flexible as cellulose or spray foam. Also it is resiliency to water or moisture is relatively weak. During installation it’s important that the environment is controlled so that little or no moisture leaks into the wall. When the fiberglass gets wet, it crunches up together and starts sagging. This leaves gaps in the walls with for air and heat to penetrate. There are also acute and long term health effects associated insulation. However, majority of health effects are due to the exposure of fiberglass which affect mainly the installer or contractor rather than the inhabitants of the home. Later sections of the paper will explore the health effects in greater detail. In summary, Fiberglass has an R-value of 2.9-3.8 m2-K/W per inch which is pretty average in comparison with the other two types of insulations that were compared. The STC for fiberglass is also pretty average, better than spray foam but clearly not as good as cellulose. The advantages of fiberglass include ease of installation and cost, and these are the primary reasons why fiberglass is still so popular in the market today. Though fiberglass is falls short when it comes to insulating hard to reach places, often times homeowners or contractors also use spray foam alongside fiberglass. Fiberglass insulation is the homeowner’s choice when it comes to self performance, it’s relatively inexpensive, effective and easy to install. Cellulose Installation As one of the primary form of home insulation, cellulose can either be purchased as a spray-on insulator or in sheets. It is made from recycled newsprint and other paper sources and accounts for 15% of the total insulation market. It is comprised of old newspapers, telephone directories, borates, and ammonium sulfate, having a recycled content up to 85%. Its strength is derived from its fibrous composition, which results from the hydrogen bonding within the chain and maintains a linear conformation. It’s typical R value per inch ranges from 3.6-4 m 2 -K/W. However, because of the fiber and chemical constituents, it can become a source of irritants. The main attractiveness of using cellulose is its high recycled content and very low embodied energy. Embodied energy represents the non-renewable energy consumed in the acquisition of raw materials and their processing and manufacturing. It comprises of direct energy (like direct transportation of the insulation to the site) and indirect energy, which is the energy associated with manufacturing of the product. It is a measure of non-renewable energy per unit of building material. Usually, it is implicative of the environmental resource depletion, greenhouse gases, environmental degradation, and reduction of biodiversity, and research has been done to suggest that it can even be a reasonable indicator of the overall environmental impact of building materials. However, because of building performance, the embodied energy must be weighted against performance and durability. From research done by several international sources, against fiberglass and foam, cellulose has an embodied energy of only 3.3 MJ/kg, while the fiberglass has 30.3 and polystyrene has 117 respectively, making cellulose a prime choice due to its recyclability.
In terms of sound, it has been argued that cellulose insulation has better STC (sound transmission coefficient) than either fiberglass or foam as well. For cellulose, it is 44. Fiberglass is 40, foam is 37, and nothing is 36. For every rise of 1 point in rating, it is equates to twice the effectiveness. Therefore, cellulose is about 16 times better in stopping sound transmission over fiberglass. For fire safety, cellulose, even though is comprised of wood products, has been tested in the laboratory to be more fire spread resistant than fiberglass. This is because cellulose is treated with fire retardants, which is about 10-20% by weight in the form of boric acid. In fact, according to National Fire Protection Association, flammability is rated as a 0, while in HMIS, it is rated as a 1. Tests have shown, however, that when the cellulose insulation is heated to about 300 degrees F, it loses its fire retardant properties. However, in open flame, it may emit carbon monoxide, boric acid, and other hazard particulates. In terms of insulation, there are two main methods: dry (blow-in) or moisture-added. For dry installation, a blower can be rented where one feeds the dry fiber into the blowing machine while the other person operates a hose that is extended to the location where the insulation will be deposited. For sprayed cellulose, a small amount of water is added to moisten the cellulose, which activates the starches so it adheres to the surface within the wall and ceiling cavities. The cavity is actually overfilled, then the excess is scrapped off using a rotating brush. After it dries in about 1 to 2 days, drywall can be added. In terms of durability, however, there have been numerous cases where cellulose deterioration becomes a concern under the combined effects of thermal, oxidative, and hydrolytic degradation. Widely used in power plants and high-voltage power cables, cellulose’s deterioration because critical in determining the overall end-of-life. For cost, one can purchase it at 40 sq ft package for $9.87. Environmental Health Effects of <strong>Insulation</strong>: In general, insulation is good for our health. It warms our living spaces and saves money that could otherwise be spent on healthcare or other essential needs such as food. Inadequate home insulation and warmth can impair the health of household inhabitants by increasing mold and humidity-related allergen sensitizers as well as impair immune response and the ability to fight illness during cold winter months (Jacobs et al., 2009). Poor health can then affect important social outcomes such as educational success, job retention, and family cohesiveness. Particularly for low income populations living in areas of the US with harsh winter climates, proper insulation is vital. Lack of access to healthcare and insurance, poor housing quality, poor indoor air quality, housing instability, and household energy and food insecurity are all associated with low socio-economic status (SES) and can be adversely aggravated by high home energy costs due to poor insulation. Low SES households are forced to make trade-off decisions between paying for household energy and for health-related needs. For example, housing energy insecurity, defined as the
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Insulation

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