5 Eco-Friendly Ways to Insulate Your Home

Whether you live in a colder climate or somewhere arid, insulation is your home’s best friend. The average household spends approximately 44 percent of their energy consumption on their HVAC system.

Properly insulating your home will help you cut cooling and heating costs by limiting energy waste. But, the materials you use are also important.

Using certain common substances like fiberglass in your home’s insulation can be bad for your family’s budget AND the environment.

Here are five guilt-free ways to consciously insulate your home:

1. Cotton

You might be surprised to learn that shredded denim is a commonly-used type of insulation. Unlike fiberglass, cotton is a renewable resource that is grown naturally.

Cotton is also safer to use, since it does not contain harmful chemicals like formaldehyde. Even if you want to install it on your own, you won’t have to worry about any irritating fibers latching onto your skin or lungs.

Cotton insulation is safely treated with boric acid as a pesticide and fire repellant. Also, cotton insulation doesn’t require any harmful bonding agents.

More conventional insulation materials have been known to contain cancer-causing ingredients. Using an all-natural option is safer for your family and the environment.

2. Hemp

Few materials are as durable and versatile as hemp fiber. Hemp-based insulation is perfect for homeowners who are looking for a sustainable solution that can handle diverse weather conditions.

Using hemp to insulate your house will help your home to create less waste, spend fewer resources to heat and cool, and use less energy overall.

Additionally, hemp is a composite material. This means that it’s combined – and strengthened – by being intertwined with another substance.

Hemp structurally contains a variety of other benefits. This naturally occurring material is:

• Biodegradable
• Absorbent
• Resistant to humidity, heat, and mold
• Environmentally friendly

Although it’s nearly twice the cost of fiberglass insulation, hemp fiber makes up for that with its long lifespan.

TIP: Apply for Government backed insulation grant to save energy costs under the government ECO friendly home scheme. Warma UK an energy grants specialist can help you to access the grants.

3. Spray-On Foam

This castor-oil based substance is one of the most effective types of insulation on the market today.

Icyene is a thin, paint-like spray that puffs up to create an airtight seal. Simply adding this element to your home can lower your energy costs by up to 50 percent. Also, its creative design prevents mold from forming.

While this method isn’t as cheap as comparable options, it’s an effective and easy-to-implement way to insulate your home.

4. Wool

Considering that sheep typically live in some of the world’s least forgiving environments, it’s no surprise that this is an ideal insulation material.

Sheep’s wool is relatively affordable, and readily available.

It’s also incredibly breathable, which makes it more resilient to moisture in the air. In fact, wool fibers can absorb up to a third of their weight in water without becoming noticeably wet.

This durable material is ideal for regulating your home’s temperature with minimum upkeep.

5. Aerogel

This man-made material is one of the lightest types of insulation.

It is composed of nearly 90 percent air. This makes the substance highly resistant to the transfer of heat.

In many cases, aerogel is made from recycled plastic bottles. This is another positive aspect of this category of home insulation.

Aerogel is extremely lightweight, easy to install, and conveniently transported in small amounts. But, it’s quite expensive at about $2 per foot.

If you’re uncertain about the performance of your current insulation, conducting a home energy audit can help you assess your home’s energy efficiency.

Every choice you make for your home is an opportunity to decrease your household footprint. Choosing green insulation is a long-lasting decision that will improve your home’s budget, efficiency, and overall value.