“In the 10 minutes we estimate the average person will spend in the Pavilion another 1,126,330 pounds of paper will become waste in the U.S.,“ CIMA President Chris Hoch said. “Recycled as cellulose insulation, that’s enough paper to insulate 220 energy-efficient homes.”

Hoch said continued concern over climate change, rising energy costs and renewed interest in insulation triggered the launch of CIMA’s initiative. “The country is looking for solutions and we believe cellulose insulation is the right product to bring energy savings to consumers and businesses while simultaneously providing tremendous environmental benefits to the planet.”

CIMA is the trade association representing cellulose insulation manufacturing companies across the United States. Cellulose Insulation is produced and used regionally around the country. According to the CIMA Marketing Committee Chairman Curt Dawkins of Polytran, Inc., the association chose the AIA Convention to launch its new initiative to create more awareness for cellulose insulation with architects who are the leading edge for awareness and selection of building products used by builders and consumers.

“We have even just added a new section to the CIMA Website specifically to provide more information for architects,” Dawkins said.

“The Pavilion culminates several years of planning by our members to bring forward a comprehensive presentation on the unique attributes of cellulose insulation,” CIMA Executive Director Dan Lea said. “We have a great story to share and the Pavilion will provide a tactile opportunity for architects to experience the amazing benefits of cellulose insulation.”

According to Lea, the Pavilion has been designed to graphically and tactilely demonstrate the product characteristics and environmental attributes of cellulose insulation. The centerpiece of the 600 square foot Pavilion is a room with walls and ceilings insulated with cellulose insulation exposed to allow viewers to see and experience a product typically hidden behind drywall.

Cellulose insulation products contain as much as 85% recycled material, most of it post-consumer waste newspaper. Cellulose insulation manufacturers process an average of 875,000 tons of recycled waste paper annually. Studies by the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute confirm buildings with wood-intensive construction and cellulose insulation create effective net carbon sequestration that can help contribute to the global effort to reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere.

Lea sites independent studies that show if all the paper currently being put into landfills each year were converted to cellulose insulation, it would save approximately eight million tons of CO2 emissions. “That’s the equivalent of taking every car off the road in New Mexico and Nevada,” Lea said.

“Cellulose insulation is one of the most environmentally beneficial energy-saving building products available today,” Hoch said. “It turns what would otherwise be more waste paper decomposing in landfills into a highly efficient insulation that traps carbon in the attics and walls of homes and buildings for years. We think it’s time to get out this message for a product whose time has come.”

CIMA’s schedule for the Cellulose Pavilion in 2012 also includes the GreenBuild International Conference and Expo November 14-16 in San Francisco.

The best time to consider insulation and sound proofing is when a home is being constructed. For existing homes it can be more challenging. A recent article in the Columbus Dispatch provides an excellent recap from sound proofing experts on how to use cellulose insulation and other products to retrofit an older home.

Read more here and learn how to lower the energy bills, and the noise level, in an older home.

The awards recognize organizations, companies, programs, and individuals that significantly advance the development of green power. The chart at the left recaps the award categories offered under each partnering sponsor organization. The 2011 winners include a broad list of cities, entities and individuals from industrial giant Johnson & Johnson, to ubiquitous Google down to the small private Mercyhurst College. See the entire list of 2011 winners on the DOE’s website.

Nominations for the 2012 awards are being accepted now. Self nominations or nominations by another are allowed but all nominees must meet a strict set of guidelines in order to be nominated and to win. The nomination process and guidelines are available on the EPA’s website.

If you know an individual or entity leading the way toward green power and renewable energy in the U.S. consider nominating. It’s important to help identify and recognize those who are helping to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign energy and every-increasingly expensive petroleum. Using energy-efficient products like cellulose insulation, in concert with green renewable sources of power, is critical to our economy and the environment.

Congratulations to the GreenPower leaders. We support their efforts.

Here are a few highlights and our impressions from attending three days at the IBS.

The Economy & Housing
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was the featured speaker. He outlined all the reasons why housing has been a drag on the economy rather than pulling the county out of recession as in previous economic downturns. Then he ran down the list of actions he sees that could lead to a swifter recovery of the housing market. You can see a replay of his comments at the NAHB Website.

Green Building & Energy Efficiency
McGraw Hill Construction issued its Green Home Builders and Remodelers Study. The report predicts green homes will gain market share over the next few years to between 29-38% of the market by 2016. They estimate that could be a $87 – $114 billion industry. Driving this demand, according to the study, will be homeowners’ desire to reduce their energy bills. (See a preview and download the free two-page fact sheet on the company’s website.)

Insulation
On that note, the tradeshow had a long list of exhibitors in the “Insulation” category. There was a bit of “green washing” with products such as foam making some pretty lofty “eco” and recycled content claims. But it was encouraging to see most of these insulation oriented booths filled with attendees asking questions and taking information. CIMA member Applegate Insulation was on hand to spread the good word about the benefits of using cellulose insulation. Hopefully more builders will begin to offer the greenest of the green cellulose insulation as a standard item. Interest is clearly there at the homebuyer level. Builders could benefit from specifying an energy saving product that is truly green with up to 85% recycled content. It would be a great way to differentiate new homes from the continued high resale inventories also predicted to grow as another wave of foreclosures occurs in 2012.

It provides excellent clarity from two highly respected housing industry experts on what can often be a confusing decision for consumers trying to decide which type of insulation is best.

Read more>>>

The Decathlon is an important vehicle designed to get college and university students thinking about energy saving innovative ideas. We applaud this effort but also like to always keep a foot in the practical side in the race to saving energy. It’s kind of like those cars of the future that always seem to stay in the future. If it’s not practical and affordable to the average consumer the innovation will ultimately remain unattainable on a mass scale.

We reported on the competition here at the Greenest Insulation Blog last year (read the post.) CIMA member National Fiber was a co-sponsor of the small liberal arts school Middlebury College who walked away with an honorable mention. This was no easy feat going up against some of the most prestigious engineering and design schools in the world. We were inspired by their approach to achieve energy savings through solar energy coupled with lower carbon products such as cellulose insulation that are readily available today.

Innovation is always good and in time it leads to great changes that improve mankind. But usually it takes practical thinking and application to make our world go round day-to-day. Somewhere between Middlebury and L.A. there is a place for solar housing in America.

Read global green building guru Jerry Yudelson’s 2012 trend report and Green Building Services Top 10 Trends in 2012 for ideas on where green building is headed this year and beyond.

Leave a reply below and let us know your predictions for 2012.

Old batts had settled and deteriorated.

Going in it was clear the property needed renovation. A look in the attic confirmed a major upgrade item would be insulation. The old fiberglass batts had settled well below the tops of the joists and the overall coverage was providing limited insulation (RValue) at best. This also provided an excellent opportunity for me to personally experience the retrofit insulation process from a consumer perspective. Here’s a recap of that experience:

Selecting Insulation and Installer:
My goal was to increase the insulation to R-30 for long-term energy savings and to obtain a rebate from the local utility company.  The best options were to add another layer of fiberglass batts or to have fiberglass or cellulose blown in. I decided to blow in insulation. It would be more expensive but provide much better coverage and help to control air infiltration. I obtained bids from three reputable insulation contractors and was surprised to learn that their was no difference in price between cellulose and fiberglass. After reviewing references on each I select the mid-priced bidder and chose cellulose for it’s environmental benefits and excellent insulating characteristics.

Preparation:
Once the job was scheduled it was time to take a harder look in the attic. It was important to inspect and make any repairs before almost 10 inches of cellulose insulation was blown over the old batts and everything else. I suited up in protective gear (their was quite a bit of “fiberglass dust” from the existing batts in the attic) and cleared out old items, shored up A/C ducts and made other minor repairs and preparation. Then, prior to installation day I also covered the just-restored original wood floors with 6mil visqueen. The attic access was in the bathroom ceiling accessible via a long hallway from the front door.

After Cellulose Insulation Install

Installation:
My insulation contractor did an excellent job.  Their three-man crew closed off the doorway between the hall and bathroom with more visqueen. Then they carefully ran their blower hose through an opening and up into the attic. The job took about three hours and 40 bags of cellulose insulation for my 1,030 square foot house. There was no spilled cellulose and surprising very little fiber dust. A quick run of the vacuum in the bathroom was all the clean up required.

Cost & Outcome:
My cost after the rebate was $410.00. It will be a few months before I can compare utility bills but I feel this was an excellent investment in my property. We have already noticed the house is much quieter and the inside air temperature is more stable. Overall, after just a few weeks, the living environment has clearly improved.

Maybe it’s time to look in your attic. If you haven’t recently it probably will raise questions. Leave them in the Reply box below and we’ll try to provide answers.  Have your own insulation story? Share it in the Reply Box with our readers.

(Jim Doyle works with CIMA Executive Director Dan Lea to write and edit the Greenest Insulation Blog. His office referenced in this story is in Jacksonville Florida.)

The writer unfortunately left out the concept of choosing a green product to obtain that savings while also helping to save the planet by using a recycled material.

This post from the WellHome.com blog gets it right–home and building owners have many options beyond the products backed by huge companies with national advertising budgets when it comes to insulation.  (We also agree with placing cellulose insulation at the top of this listing for several uniquely green insulation products. Not sure exactly how “green” a foam product can be though?) Read more

We here at the Greenest Insulation Blog often sit and scratch our heads when we read the many stories on insulation that tout the latest trendy insulation products while totally missing the opportunity to include green alternative insulations–many of which like cellulose insulation come from recycling waste materials.

Have a theory on why pink and white seem to draw more attention than green when it comes to articles on insulation? Join the discussion with a reply below.

Read more about Wheeler’s story here.