We’ve talked about the importance of insulating your home to save energy and money.

While you’re at it, why not go a step further-for the good of the environment and your health-with environmentally friendly insulation? There are a lot of options available right now. Here are a few. Recycled Keep waste out of the landfill and stay warm by opting for recycled insulation. Recycled insulation may be made from a number of materials, including melted minerals and sand or recycled glass (fiberglass), recycled newspaper (cellulose, paper), recycled steel slag (rockwool), and mill waste and low-grade and recycled cotton (cotton). One recycled-content insulation that has received quite a lot of press lately is UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation, produced by Bonded Logic. This insulation is made from 85 percent post-industrial cotton (think denim manufacturing scraps). It’s treated with a natural fire retardant, is 100 percent recyclable, and is VOC-free.

Hemp HempFlax insulation mats are made from natural hemp fibers with some polyester fiber for reinforcing. They are available in several thicknesses for insulating roofs, walls, and floors. Hemp processing is clean and low on dust. Sheep’s Wool Thermafleece sheep’s wool insulation is produced by Second Nature.

Sheep’s wool is safe and easy to handle and, unlike traditional insulation, won’t cause itching and skin irritation. Plus, wool captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which, according to the company website, gives Thermafleece a negative global warming potential.

Spray-In Foam Spray-in foam starts out as a liquid and, once it is sprayed, expands and solidifies, working as an air barrier to stop more than 90 percent of air infiltration and minimizing allergens and pollution in your house. Some spray-in foam is loaded with chemicals, but others, like Icynene, are water-blown and don’t offgas nasty chemicals. (Icynene is free of formaldehyde too.) Soy Another spray-in option: soy-based polyurethane, produced by BioBased Insulation. It’s made with soybean oil, so there aren’t any petrochemicals, and you won’t have to worry about mold growth (or pests eating it). Soy-based polyurethane is also free of CFCs and VOCs. BioBased Insulation was the first polyurethane spray foam insulation to earn GREENGUARD certification. Mushrooms OK. This insulation isn’t made solely from mushrooms.

But Greensulate is made from agricultural waste products-think rice and buckwheat hulls-combined with mycelium, which is a fibrous network created by mushrooms. The petroleum-free insulation is priced similar to standard rigid board insulation (like Styrofoam) and has a comparable R-value. And, perhaps best of all, when you’re done with it, Greensulate will rapidly break down, enriching the soil and even helping nearby waste breakdown too. The only catch? You’ll have to wait a while to try it out-it probably won’t be available as insulation until the end of 2010 (although you can buy other Greensulate products, such as coolers, now). Author: Julie Collins Lexicon Consulting, Inc The Home Know-It-All – Your One-Stop Shop for Home Design, Improvement, and Repair Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Collins Green insulation gardenopolis Is it a DIY or do you need to call in the professionals? it could be the most greeninsulation does, there is no way I. Sheep s wool insulation is green – TECH.BLORGE.com Sheep’s wool insulation is green No not the color green but the renewable resource green. Like cellulose and cotton insulation, sheep s wool is a renewable. Residential Green Roof Garden Design: Maximize Real Estate Growing Reduction of solar heat gain, acting as a sort of green, sustainable insulation; To aid in controlling storm water; To extend the lifetime of the roof surface. Greensulate, green insulation made of mushroom mycellium perfect … This green insulation could replace traditional synthetic insulators such as foam and fiberglass, especially as it has a very competitive R-factor.

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Improving Floor Sound Insulation Performance

In this article, we will concentrate on guidance to improve the sound insulation performance of existing floors, as most of the principles described here are applicable to new builds.

As mentioned in the title, two key areas need to be looked at when improving a floor construction: the airborne aspect (tv noise, music, speech etc.) is typically dealt with by applying ceiling treatments and mass to the system and the impact (footfall etc.) performance is increased by the used of resilience and isolation of layers. Let’s look at how to deal with airborne sound insulation in the first instance and then detail the steps to improve the absorption of impact noise (although, as you will see, there is an overlap between the two topics). Airborne noise soundproofing In existing dwellings (taking the typicall example of a house converted into two flats, ground and first floor), the separating floor construction typically consists of the following layers, from top to bottom: Existing floorboards Timber joists

Plasterboard ceiling directly fixed to the joists As you can probably imagine, this minimal construction is not adequate to separate two dwellings, being an internal partition originally. This system would typically achieve a sound insulation performance of 35dB Dntw + Ctr, way below the 43dB minimum requirement (see sound testing explained for more details).

So, what treatments are necessary to achieve adequate airborne performance? Several simple and not extremely onerous additions should be made to drastically improve the soundproofing of this typical floor. First and foremost, any debris accumulated between the joists should be removed. For 150mm (6 inch) or thicker joists, we would recommend the insertion of medium to high density (around 40kg/m3) mineral wool between the joists. This will help in absorbing medium to high frequencies, converting the sound energy into heat. Sound testing Sound testing is carried out to identify the performance of sound insulation. ‘Rock wool’ a good way to soundproof laundry closet A To soundproof the closet that will house your new washer and dryer, use a Roxul Safe ‘n’ Sound rock wool insulation that is denser than thermal wall insulation, which makes it a very.

Releases view – Rockwool International A/S This site uses javascript, some functionality and content is not working if javascript is disabled. 17 December 2008. Insiders trading in Rockwool shares. English Danish. Releases archive . Insulation sales go through the roof Under the Energy Efficient Homes package passed through the Senate last week, the Federal Government will provide $2.7 billion over two and a half years for the purchase and installation of ceiling. Thinking of insulating your ceiling? Here’s some tips Thinking of insulating your ceiling? Here’s some tips. 03/02/2009. Part of the Federal Government’s economic stimulus package is a rebate scheme for ceiling insulation.

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Insulation Removal – Why Remove and Replace Old Insulation?

With the costs of heating & cooling these days why would you want insulation removed from your home?

  There are 3 reasons for insulation removal and replacement including the its ability to make you and your family sick.

By Matthew Grady With the costs associated with heating oil these days it might come as a surprise that anyone would want insulation REMOVED from his/her home. In fact, there are 3 excellent, but rarely considered, reasons for insulation removal and replacement. 1. Over-Insulation Having too much insulation in an attic is sometimes worse than not having enough. Adding heavy layers of insulation in an attic can drastically restrict the airflow and ventilation of your home.

This can result in moisture issues on the top floor of your house and, in severe cases, even lead to mold problems. Left unchecked, either or both of these can cause health problems for your family especially if a family member suffers from allergies. 2. Damaged/Contaminated Insulation Critters that find their way in your attic, a leaky roof and other dangers can severely damage and even contaminate your insulation. An attic full of squirrel/bat droppings and urine-soaked insulation are yet other potential causes of serious health hazards for you and your family.

In fact, the Owens Corning blog reports, "…when the water [or other liquid] evaporates, deposits of foreign materials that remain may decrease the R-value, and may also give mold and or mildew nourishment and a place to propagate. This growth, and/or odor (Yuck!), may then also be transferred to other building materials." In addition, insulation that has been torn to shreds by animals over the years loses its functionality. Since tattered insulation cannot retain heat properly, it is unable to provide the benefits it once did and requires replacement. 3. Upgrade Your Insulation The insulation of today is far superior to the insulation that was sold 15 to 20 years ago. New materials with improved thermal properties are now available to homeowners. In many cases you will realize a dramatic reduction in heating costs simply from upgrading the type of insulation in your attic. This especially holds true for older homes. Insulation Removal Process Removing old insulation from an attic can be a time-consuming and challenging project. If there are animal droppings mixed with the insulation you can expose yourself to several different diseases by disturbing the insulation and then inhaling the particles that become airborne. Proper safety equipment is a must for anyone working with old, contaminated insulation. Dragging dirty insulation from your attic through the living space of your home is NOT a safe method of insulation removal.

Using this method will result in a house full of airborne fiberglass particles and all the other contaminants that were in your attic. There are now professional companies that specialize in removing insulation in a safe and effective manner. Conclusion Do-it-yourselfers can save money by installing new insulation themselves after they’ve hired pros to safely remove the old insulation (so as not to contaminate themselves and the entire house). Once the insulation removal and replacement processes are complete, you can look forward to lower heating/cooling costs, greater air quality, reduction in carbon dioxide emissions (thanks to the use of less energy) and more. The immediate benefits for your family and the long-term benefits for our environment make insulation removal and replacement a smart move for everybody. Matthew Grady is a licensed general contractor & owner of Bat Guys Wildlife Service. Bat Guys is fully licensed to perform insulation removal services and also rid your home of mice, bats, raccoons & more. For more about insulation removal Knowing What Insulation to Put Where in Your Home But I can let go . to focus on more practical issues, such as sorting out what types of insulation work best in the different parts of your house. Soy Based Foam Insulation: What It Is, and Why You Should Use It … Soy based insulation is just as good at insulating your home as traditional insulation. With soy based insulation you don t have to worry about sacrificing quality. What s in Your Attic? Learn How to Save Energy and Money If you re still wondering why your house is so cold this winter, it may be a good idea to see what kind of insulation you have in your attic. You Will Save Energy with Insulation : Planet Green So, bottom line is insulation:. Will reduce your carbon footprint, save you money on your energy bill and reduce your reliance on fossil fuels.

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