Deciding to insulate your home in Pep is a win-win; you’ll be more comfortable, plus at the same time, you’ll save energy. Now learn about 5 good insulation materials so you can select the best one for your house.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass has been used as home insulation for many years. Made from ultrathin glass fibers, it is available in several forms: rolls,batts, boards, duct insulation, and loose fill (“blown-in”).

R-value per inch: R-2.9 to R-3.8.

Mineral Wool

Also made of superfine fibers, mineral wool consists of either slag wool (manufactured from blast furnace waste) or rock wool (from metals such as basalt). Both types are fire-resistant and composed mainly of recycled content. Sold as batts, rolls, or loose fill.

R-value per inch: R-2.8 to R-3.5.

Cellulose

Cellulose insulation contains a high percentage of recycled paper, shredded into fiber. It is installed in the form ofblown-in loose fill. Due to its high paper content, cellulose must be pretreated with a chemical fire retardant.

R-value per inch: R-3.1 to R-3.7.

Polyurethane

Polyurethane insulation has two types: rigidboards and spray foam. It is lightweight, water-permeable, and fire-resistant.

R-value per inch: 6.3 (however, this decreases somewhat with the passage of time).

R-value of low density foam: stable at 3.6.

Polystyrene

Varieties of polystyrene include extruded (the material we know as Styrofoam) and expanded. Typically used in block form, polystyrene insulates against both temperature and noise.

R-value per inch of extruded (XEPS): R-5.5.

Expanded (EPS): R-4.