What types of green building insulation are available?
You can choose between several types of recycled content insulation with no added formaldehyde. Cotton batt insulation uses recycled trimmings from jeans factories, while blown-in fiberglass (often up to 30% recycled content) or cellulose (75-95% recycled) typically gives you a tighter better insulated home, because there is less opportunity for air leakage, while cotton batt insulation. Spray-on, expanding foams make for very tight insulations, and there is even one manufacturer that uses soybeans as the base material. Typical insulation levels are R-15 in the walls, R-30 in the attic, and R-11 on basement walls. New energy codes anticipated over the next year will increase these requirements. Appropriate insulation levels in walls, attics and on basement walls make the home more resistant to energy loss, lowering energy bills, improving comfort, reducing pollution related to energy production and saving precious resources.
