Blown In Insulation 101
Blown in insulation effectively reduces heat loss and heating costs in homes. In this video, a contractor covers the basics of installing blown in insulation. Typically, newly constructed houses have batt insulation installed per the area’s building codes. While this is fine for new houses, installing batt insulation in an existing home would require tearing down drywall – a process that would be time-consuming and expensive. Homeowners would be better off by using a blown in insulation service.
Blown in insulation is usually either made of cellulose, fiberglass, or mineral wool.
These materials are made into small particles to be blown into walls and above ceilings using a hose. The nature of blown in insulation means that the loose material is able to get into hard-to-reach gaps and small spaces more easily. To insulate a home properly, the contractor should use the minimum recommended amount of insulation. The department of energy has a handy guide on what insulation amounts to use in a particular region. The ability of a material to resist heat transfer is measured in R values. The higher the R-value is, the greater the insulation amount required. Fiberglass is usually the cheapest of the three blown-in insulation materials, and mineral wool is the most expensive.
