Is Cellulose Insulation Sustainable Insulation?

July 30, 2020

Cellulose insulation is an affordable and effective type of sustainable insulation. Since it is made using recycled materials, cellulose insulation can play a significant role in your environmentally friendly home upgrades. When you choose sustainable insulation for your home upgrades, you are better equipped to reduce your carbon footprint and see cost savings over the long term. 

To start a conversation with us about using sustainable insulation to upgrade your home, please fill out the form located below with your contact details. Our Customer Experience Team is happy to answer any questions you may have about cellulose insulation, and can arrange for you to have an insulation assessment done free of charge in your home. 

What is Cellulose Insulation?

Cellulose insulation is a type of sustainable insulation that is made using recycled materials. GNI uses Climatizer Plus cellulose insulation, which is manufactured from 85 percent recycled paper from local sources. It is also treated to prevent fire risks, and can be installed as blown in insulation in many areas of a home. In fact, cellulose insulation is extremely effective as attic insulation, wall insulation, and in areas that have already been covered up with drywall (dense-pack cellulose insulation).

Combining Cellulose Insulation with Spray Foam Insulation

When combined with spray foam insulation, the benefits of both spray foam insulation and cellulose insulation can both be targeted. This leaves you with a fantastic mixture of energy performance and affordability. As sustainable insulation, cellulose insulation can help you reduce your carbon footprint and provide you with cost savings over time through improved energy performance and low material costs. From there, spray foam insulation can be used in a strategic manner to enhance the effectiveness of your cellulose insulation. With the phase-out of HFC blowing agents and a move towards HFO blowing agents that carry a lower Global Warming Potential in spray foam, you can easily enhance your sustainable insulation upgrades in a sustainable manner. 

The R-Value of Cellulose Insulation

Due to its strong R-value of 3.59 per inch, a cellulose insulation install from GNI can greatly improve your home comfort levels and energy efficiency. It also possesses extremely effective acoustic dampening properties, making it an excellent option for reducing unwanted noise within your home. With a low embodied carbon, cellulose insulation is a terrific type of sustainable insulation that helps reduce your carbon footprint and improve your home comfort - without the need for you to rely on products with higher levels of embodied carbon. 

How Does Cellulose Insulation Improve a Home?

When professionally installed, cellulose insulation is capable of improving a home in several different ways. These same benefits can be achieved through other types of sustainable insulation as well, such as fibreglass insulation, however it is important that a professional be consulted prior to starting any of your home insulation upgrades. This will help you determine your most cost-effective pathway for upgrades and can alert you to any potential hazards that may be lurking, such as airborne particulates or mould.

The benefits of a blown-in cellulose insulation home upgrade can include:

• Cost savings on install due to lower price
• Continuous cost savings due to improved energy performance
• Improved home comfort levels
• Fewer drafts - especially when combined with targeted air sealing
• More consistent and equal temperature throughout different rooms and floors
• Shrinks carbon footprint and carries low embodied carbon
• Improves resale value of home (energy performance upgrades are valued by homebuyers)

What Makes Cellulose Insulation Sustainable Insulation?

Cellulose insulation is considered to be a type of sustainable insulation for a few reasons. It is made using recycled fibrous materials that contribute to its low-embodied carbon, it provides lasting improvements when properly installed, and it can reduce your need to use other products that are not considered to be sustainable insulation. The Climatizer Plus cellulose insulation that GNI uses during our installs has been treated using a non-toxic method of fire retardation. This helps keep you safe in the event of an emergency, without compromising the product’s low embodied carbon levels. 

Is Sustainable Insulation More Expensive?

Without question, sustainable insulation does not need to be more expensive than traditional insulation. In fact, blown in cellulose insulation is specifically made to be an affordable option for homeowners. While this may seem a bit counter-intuitive at first, it actually becomes rather sensical when you consider what cellulose insulation is made out of - locally sourced recycled materials. These recycled materials not only contribute to making cellulose insulation into a type of sustainable insulation, they also work to provide homeowners with cost savings by keeping material costs down without sacrificing their energy performance benefits. In terms of insulation products that carry low embodied carbon, cellulose insulation is a fantastic choice for both affordability and performance.

If you choose to combine multiple types of insulation (such as spray foam with cellulose insulation) you can target both cost savings and energy performance simultaneously - all while taking advantage of a low embodied carbon sustainable insulation. To learn more about how you can combine different types of insulation, speak to our Customer Experience Team at 1-800-265-1914, or chat with us online at www.gni.ca/contact. 

When Should I Use Cellulose Insulation?

Cellulose insulation can be used anytime you are looking to make home improvements with a type of sustainable insulation. Due to its energy performance capabilities and its versatility in terms where it can be installed, cellulose insulation is a fantastic choice for a wide range of applications. As sustainable insulation, cellulose insulation offers homeowners with an environmentally friendly way of making home upgrades or renovations. This means that you can achieve strong energy performance and shrink the carbon footprint of your house without contributing to ozone layer depletion from HFC blowing agents. 

If you would like to have one of our insulation experts inspect the insulation in your home, GNI offers homeowners free insulation estimates to help you get started. This can help you determine the areas of your home that may need the most attention and provide you with possible next steps for upgrades. If you are interested in cellulose insulation rebates, GNI also recommends that you schedule a home energy audit from a registered energy advisor.

Are There Rebates for Cellulose Insulation?

Currently, there are several rebate programs in Ontario that can be used to provide cost savings on cellulose insulation upgrades. If you are interested in learning more about cellulose insulation rebates, stop by the GNI rebate page for a comprehensive overview of all the rebates you might be eligible for. If you have any questions about the rebate application process, or if you would like applying, please contact our Customer Experience Team at 1-800-265-1914, or by email at www.gni.ca/contact.