Fiberglass Insulation

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• A. What is Fiberglass Insulation?
• B. Other Facts about fiberglass insulation

• a. What is Fiberglass Insulation?
  • What is Fiberglass Insulation?
    Fiberglass insulation is a common insulation material being used in heat-insulated homes. They are mainly composed of thin glass fibers that are either applied in blanket or loose fill forms. Efficient home insulation can help reduce energy costs used to heat up homes. Proper home insulation can help cut monthly heating costs by nearly half, which can lead to significant savings in the long run.
    
    Why do I need fiberglass insulation?
    Fiberglass insulation may be out of sight, being built within walls, the basement or attic. But clearly, they can provide a very vital function in making the home heated more efficiently. Fiberglass insulation is known as a thermally-efficient material that helps keep the heat inside the home. They help prevent heat inside the home from escaping outside, resulting in wasted energy.
    
    Not only that, the use of fiberglass insulation is also cost-effective. A majority of the materials used in producing them come from recycled and renewable resources, which may have a significant impact in protecting the environment.
    
    What are the different types of fiberglass insulation?
    There are basically two types of fiberglass insulation used in residential homes:
    
    Fiberglass Blanket Insulation - comes in the form of batts and rolls of varied thickness, length and width. They are commonly installed within sidewalls, attics, beneath floors, crawl spaces and in home basements. They also come as either "faced" or "unfaced". The facing material is intended to help resist the movement of moisture vapor onto cold surfaces where it may condense.
    
    Fiberglass Loose Fill Insulation - is used as a filler material applied by blowing into attic spaces and other areas in the home where fiberglass blankets, batts and rolls can't be effectively installed. Loose fill fiberglass insulation can only be installed by a professional installer.
• b. Other Facts about fiberglass insulation
  
  • What is the R-Value?
    The R-Value is used to rate the insulating properties of different fiberglass insulation materials. The "R" refers to resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-Value of the fiberglass insulation, the greater its insulating properties would be.
  • How can I determine the recommended R-Value of fiberglass insulation for my home?
    Generally, fiberglass insulation material for residential homes in the form of fiber glass batts and rolls come with R-Values ranging from R-8 to R-38. Homeowners can find further information of the recommended R-Value for newly constructed houses from the US Department of Energy website. Homeowners can also get recommendations from their local building department or the local utility service.