Fiberglass Insulation Pros and Cons

One of the most popular types of insulation today is Fiberglass insulation.

Fiberglass insulation comes in two forms. Long rolls or batts come with a paper backing and are installed in walls between the studs and the joists on floors. Without any paper backing, fiberglass insulation is primarily installed in ceilings. It can also be blown into wall cavities.

A long-standing option for resisting heat transfer in homes across the country, fiberglass insulation was developed in 1938 by a researcher named Dale Kleist. It became the go-to insulation choice and gave homeowners a low-cost way to insulate their homes — the material was widely available and easy to install.

But advancements in insulation technology have led to the dethroning of fiberglass products. While it still holds some advantages, it poses a few distinct challenges. Listed below are fiberglass insulation pros and cons.

What Is Fiberglass Insulation?

The insulation is manufactured using tiny fibers of glass spun at an extremely hot temperature. It looks much like cotton candy, but the fibers are packed together to create rolls, or batts, of insulation.

Pros

A few of the advantages the insulation offers include the following:

• Easy installation: The rolls or batts are manufactured to comply with the standard joist width builders use for walls and floors. As a result, they are very easy to unroll inside the joists.

• Moisture resistance: One crucial way insulation must perform is by resisting moisture that may penetrate through the roof or humidity in the air. Fiberglass products greatly resist moisture, so builders often use them in higher-humidity regions. Because it can withstand moisture, it is less prone to mold growth, which some other insulations are known for.

• No combustibility: The material is noncombustible or fire resistant, which is important for a material installed next to the home’s wood structure and for general household safety.

• Renewability: Almost half of the material is recycled, and the other portion of the insulation is manufactured from sand, which is renewable.

Cons

Despite its advantages, homeowners should also consider its downfalls:

• Improper insulation reduces efficiency: Even though it’s easy to install, its performance can decrease dramatically if not installed correctly. Gaps in the insulation layers can drive down performance, as the gaps allow heat movement between the insulation.

• A lower efficiency overall: Generally, fiberglass products don’t rate as high as other insulations regarding resistance (or R-value) per inch. In addition, when temperatures fall, the product loses performance value.

• Energy hogging: To produce the insulation, manufacturers have to use a lot of energy, which releases a lot of air pollution compared to other manufacturing processes for insulation types.

Other Options

If you’re not convinced that fiberglass is the way to go, talk to us at Installed Services, Inc., about other options. Cellulose is manufactured from recycled newspaper, and the blown-in form fills spaces nicely, creating a tight seal. However, the material also takes on moisture more easily than fiberglass.

The best way to choose insulation involves discussing the options with an expert, carefully evaluating the cost-benefit ratio and risks, and choosing a product that fits your budget. For expert advice when selecting insulation, contact Installed Services today! We offer blown-in fiberglass and cellulose insulation and can help you determine the best product for your home.

Advantages

Fiberglass insulation is effective and not expensive.
Fiberglass stays put and never shrinks.
Sealed batts are covered with a plastic film to reduce the risk of breathing in the fibers.
Fiberglass insulation provides an effective vapor barrier.
Fiberglass insulation is not combustible.
Fiberglass insulation uses recycled glass, which reduces its carbon footprint.
Fiberglass insulation is available in medium- to high-density types (roughly R-11 and R-15 for a standard two-by-four wall).
Insects do not eat fiberglass insulation.
Blown fiberglass entirely fills the inside of wall cavities, providing a more optimal insulation layer.

Disadvantages

Personal Protective Equipment (protective gear) must be worn by the installers when working with fiberglass insulation. Fiberglass slivers can lodge in the skin and are even small enough to be inhaled.
Blankets of fiberglass do not seal ceiling and wall spaces tightly.
Lung disease has been known to happen when workers inhale the fiberglass.
Some data suggest fiberglass in the lungs may cause cancer by causing mutations in the DNA.
Formaldehyde is still used in certain types of fiberglass insulation. The formaldehyde can leak out into the air and could cause cancer.
Fiberglass settles and sags, so its R-value decreases over time.
Standard fiberglass can be crammed into smaller spaces to improve its R-value, but it needs venting if this is done (to avoid moisture buildup, which will destroy its efficiency).

Choosing The Right Insulation Material For Your Home

When it comes to choosing the proper type of insulation for your home, there are various factors to take into consideration, including:

R-Value: The ability of the material to resist heat flow. This is the insulation’s thermal resistance. The higher the R-Value, the more insulation it will provide. For attics, you want to stay between R30 and R50; for walls, R13 to R21; most floors only need R13 to R30, and crawl spaces need R13 to R30.
Thermal properties: The ability of the insulation material to provide thermal resistance for comfort and energy savings efficiency.
Sound-Control: If the insulating material has sound absorption characteristics that can help reduce noise transmission.

When you call us at Installed Services, our professional Energy Consultant will inspect your home from the attic to the basement. Our trained professional installers are courteous and will always clean up after the job is done.

Bottom line, discussing your insulation needs with a professional gives you the best idea of which insulation material works best for your home.