When the warm sunny days are a distant memory, replaced by cold snow and wind, many homeowners will be wishing they had better insulation throughout their homes, not only for comfort, but also to help with the heating bills that are sure to follow the cold weather.
Maybe this is finally the year for you to have the insulation in your home upgraded. Reducing your energy costs not only helps your pocketbook, it also helps reduce the amount of fossil fuel combustion needed to heat and cool your home, which in turn decreases the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. It's a win-win for you and for the environment!
There are many things you can do to increase your home's energy efficiency, but one of the most inexpensive ways is to install additional insulation in the attic or subfloor. The two most common types of insulation are fiber glass and cellulose. How do you know which one to choose?
Cellulose is made of ground-up or shredded newspaper, which is naturally combustible. In fact, cellulose insulation is regulated as a recognized fire hazard by the Consumer Product Safety Council (CPSC). To protect against fire hazards, cellulose insulation is heavily treated with fire retardant chemicals prior to installation. Even so, tests by the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation have shown that some cellulose samples failed the standard fire safety tests only six months after installation.
Fiber Glass, on the other hand, is made from sand and other inorganic materials, which are melted and then spun into fiber glass. It's naturally noncombustible and remains so for the life of the product. It requires no additional fire-retardant chemical treatments. Unfaced fiber glass insulation is also recognized by building code groups as an acceptable fire stop in residential wood frame walls.
As far as the ability to keep your house warm or cool, fiber glass insulation maintains its thermal performance, at the recommended installation thickness, for the life of the building. Cellulose requires an additional 25% of thickness be added above the labeled settled thickness to maintain its performance.
In our quest to be a green builder, Johns Manville (JM) insulation is recommended by our suppliers. JM has removed formaldehyde from all their insulation. As a result, they are the only fiber glass manufacturing plant that is exempt from U.S. EPA Hazardous Air Pollutant regulations.
JM manufacturing plants produce over 200,000 fewer pounds of hazardous air pollutants each year. They also use more certified post-consumer recycled content than any other fiber glass manufacturer. This means that each year, 90,000 tons of recycled materials go into JM insulation instead of alternative places like local landfills.
Formaldehyde free insulation can improve indoor air quality and create a healthier home. Your home should be a place where you can relax, unwind, and be comfortable. If you're ready to create that space, and save money too, call us for a free consultation to upgrade your insulation today.
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For a free remodeling consultation, call Uniquity Builders at 800-498-1833, check out our website at www.uniquitybuilders.com, or simply scan the QR code below using your smartphone QR code reader.

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