These days, everyone's building green. There are lots of ways to build that are both friendly to the environment, and more energy efficient than traditional building techniques. These not only do right by planet earth; they also save you money.
Insulation is a major concern in house building. Using green materials to isolate your house is more efficient and healthier than potentially potentially toxic substances. Green is the way to go!
Done With That Newspaper?
If you want to insulate your house with green materials, there are several green products available. One of the most common is fiber insulation, which is recycled paper that is used as to insulate your home. This is not fiberglass, which some studies have shown to be bad for your lungs.
Most of the paper for fiber insulation comes from newspapers, but cardboard and other paper materials are used as well. This material is just as effective, if not better, than traditional materials.
Fiber insulation is often referred to as "loose fill." Bags of loose fill, or recycled paper, are blown into the spaces between walls and complected until it is solid. This technique is always being improved, and in the future it may be an even more efficient means of keeping your house insulated. It's also a good way to re-use those Sunday papers.
Good Old Fashioned Cotton
What happens to all those clothes that you can not hand-me-down anymore? Some of it is used to insulate houses. Recycled cotton, a material that has been used for centuries to keep warm, is a great way of insulating your house.
Recycled cotton is very energy efficient. The process of getting the cotton ready for insulation takes less energy than most other recycling processes. It is blown into the area between the walls and packed there. This is a particularly good choice for those who live in colder climates.
Expanding Spray Foam
By far, the best and most efficient green product is polyurethane spray foam insulation. This is a vegetable oil based substance that is sprayed in, and then expanses and hardens. It is the most efficient way of insulating a house because, as it expands, it fills all the cracks and holes completely.
In addition to providing excellent insulation, it is the only way to keep water and moisture completely out of your home. It is effective at keeping out pests as well, and is naturally fire resistant unlike other kinds of insulation.
Spray foam is environmentally friendly and saves homeowners anywhere from 20% to 40% of their utility bill every month, depending on where they live. This saves you money, and it also helps save the planet.
You may also be surprised to know that using green products are almost always cheaper than installing insulation the old fashioned way. And of course, it saves you money in the long run by providing superior energy efficiency.
Look into green insulation products today, whether you are building a home or thinking about remodeling and going green.