If you’re looking for a way to cut down on energy bills, insulating your home is a great start. There is no reason why you should be wasting energy (or overpaying for it) when you can make changes. Green builders and contractors are doing their part to seek out insulation that is made from recycled and renewable materials:
RECYCLED GLASS
One example is with fiberglass insulation. I was surprised to learn that about 40% of fiberglass insulation made today is made from recycled glass bottles and other post consumer glass. Ask your builder/contractor to use formaldehyde-free fiberglass that’s made of recycled materials if you choose to go with fiberglass insulation.
SCRAP/RECYCLED DENIM
The insulation market is expanding into the eco-friendly world by experimenting with other source materials. My favorite is denim. Imagine your old Levi’s squished into the walls keeping the chilly weather from coming in. Cotton insulation made from pre-consumer recycled denim and other cotton-textile scrap is becoming more available, such as UltraTouch. It’s formaldehyde-free and treated with borate-based flame retardants which are safe to animals and humans.
POST-CONSUMER PAPER
Another insulation option is cellulose insulation made of post-consumer paper that’s shredded and treated with fire retardants. Cellulose insulation is usually sprayed between studs if mixed with water, or it’s blown into attics or wall cavities.
SOY
Foam is another option that can be injected between interior and exterior walls to seal up cracks and other hard-to-reach locations. In the past these foams raised significant health concerns for you and the planet. However, soy-based foams are now available and have been for several years. They have very low VOCs, are extremely fire-retardant, and if properly installed through new blowing technologies will not cause health risks to homeowners and installers. They do not release loose fibers or dust and will not grow mold.
The insulation types above cover major areas of your home, but keep in mind the sneaky parts. Do a spot check in areas where air could be escaping or coming in. A simple test is to hold a lit stick of incense up to doors, windows, electrical outlets, or light fixtures to see if you can find any drafts. Seal them up with low-VOC caulking compound.
(Sources: GreenGuide / Images: BondedLogic, getwithgreen, joshspear)
N.Parkington
Natalie lives in San Diego, California and enjoys a healthy organic vegetarian lifestyle (with chocolate as the exception...). She does what she can for the environment and is constantly making adjustments to become greener in all...
Unfortunately, formaldehyde in conventionally built residential homes has become a serious health issue over the past decade. The introduction of fiberglass wall insulation, double pane windows, and/or vapor barriers such as Tyvek for energy conservation combined with laminate floors, MDF doors & trim, plywood and particle board for improved resource utilization in either original construction or added during subsequent ’upgrades’ contributes significantly to the problem. Combine these practices and you have the perfect storm. This is what we have been doing over the past decade.
The California Air Resources Board’s report published December 15, 2009 states:
”Nearly all homes (98%) had formaldehyde concentrations that exceeded guidelines for cancer and chronic irritation, while 59 percent exceeded guidelines for acute irritation.”
The executive summary: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/apr/past/04-310exec_sum.pdf
The full report: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/apr/past/04-310.pdf
The principal researcher’s power point presentation:
http://iee-sf.com/resources/pdf/ResidentialVentilation.pdf
The only media coverage was published the day before Christmas and it would seem nobody read it:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2009/12/two-of-three-california-homes-had-excessive-formaldehyde-levels/1
The Synergist is a peer reviewed journal with a cover article in their February 2010 issue. This includes a schedule of the annual conference in May 2010 in Colorado were the poor quality of residential indoor air of Silicon Valley homes will be discussed. This will included data showing that Green Point Rated homes have even higher formaldehyde concentrations and exceed the formaldehyde concentration found in the typical but infamous FEMA trailers. The FEMA trailers have clearly demonstrated the negative health impacts of formaldehyde.
Currently, ’green’ is good for the environment but not necessarily for the occupants. Many municipalities have adapted ”green” building ordinances that essentially require a builder to build homes that are guaranteed to negatively impact the health of the occupants. Yet people still wonder why the occurrence of health complications linked to formaldehyde have been increasing rapidly. Nearly everyone agrees the cause has to be environmental, yet they refuse to look at residential homes as that environment exposure.
This isn’t exclusively a California issue. Instead it is nationwide and worldwide issue. High levels of formaldehyde were found in the drywall study including the control houses built using USA drywall. Other countries are also having issues like Canada and Australia.
Following the Sierra Club’s procedure used to discover the FEMA trailers costs only $39 including the lab analysis. The Sierra Club used a passive ACS badge for formaldehyde. The test procedure is simple enough that anyone can perform the testing. Testing is the only way to know that your home is healthy.