What is the difference between fiber glass and cellulose insulation?
Fiber glass is made mostly of inorganic materials and, therefore, is naturally non-combustible; it is installed dry and does not absorb or retain moisture; and it has nearly no settling (less than 1%) which means the R-value is stable over time. In fact, i t takes three times more cellulose material by weight than fiber glass to insulate a typical home. Cellulose, on the other hand, is made up of newspaper which is organic and naturally flammable (approximately 20% of the finished cellulose product is comprised of fire retardant chemicals); it is often installed damp and needs to fully dry after installation; and it can settle as much as 20% or shrink causing the R-value to deteriorate over time. Additionally, there has been very limited testing on the health and safety impacts of the chemical treatments and potential emissions from cellulose.
