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Community Environmental Center joins Queens Library for “Greening Libraries” Project
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Weatherization Funding: Surviving by the Skin of Our Teeth, by Alexis Greene
Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Luck of the Irish – A Winner of the CEC Raffle
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Want to create jobs? Consider an Energy Corps, by Richard Cherry
Friday, December 9th, 2011

Community Environmental Center Installs Solar Thermal System at JCC on Staten Island
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Community Environmental Center Is LEED Consultant for LEED Gold Dormitory at Queens College
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

The partnership between Green City Force and Community Environmental Center, by Lisbeth Shepherd
Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Helen M. Marshall, President of the Borough of Queens, Proclaims Tuesday, November 1, Community Environmental Center Weatherization Day
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Community Environmental Center receives Service Merit Award from NYSERDA
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Community Environmental Center to celebrate Weatherization Day November 1
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

The Merits of Cellulose Insulation as a Green Product


To schedule a seminar contact Nitta using the email page, or call at 718 784 1444 x139!


Purpose: To introduce architects to a relatively unknown but superior and very green form of building insulation.

Length: 1 hour

Objectives:

  1. To teach the properties of cellulose insulation
  2. To teach its sppecial benefits, including fire-, pest-  and sound-resistance
  3. To teach installation and application methods
  4. To teach about using cellulose within regulatory framework

1)  Introduction to Cellulose

  1. The new demands of 21st-century building construction and rehabilitation require new approaches to problem-solving.  How do we maintain the level of thermal and fire protection we require of our homes?  How do we best use precious and dwindling energy resources?
  2. Cellulose insulation has been used for more than 50 years in residential housing stock, multifamily projects and light commercial structures.  It is a high-density and dust-free material, does not deteriorate, costs less to fabricate than fiberglass, and is composed of 80% recycled materials that would otherwise end up in the waste stream.  Buildings insulated with cellulose reduce air infiltration by 24.5 % over traditional fiberglass insulation and therefore require 25% less energy to heat and cool.
  3. What was once known as the “wet spray” application process is now more properly called a “damp spray” process and is ideal for new construction and gut rehabilitation.  Equipment improvements have more than halved the original moisture content, dropping it to the current 20-30%

2)  Properties

  1. Exposure and airflow
    1. Heating and cooling accounts for 50% to 70% of the energy consumed in the average American home.  A mere 4% void in wall insulation can result in a 15% loss of that energy.  Such voids are common in fiberglass-insulated buildings. Gaps in protection inevitably occur where they must be cut to fit around electrical boxes and pipes.  Even the space between the layers in fiberglass matting are opportunities for hot or cold air to escape.
    2. Cellulose insulation fiber is 2 to 3 inches thinner than fiberglass of the same R-value and packs up to 2 or 3 times the density, eliminating the empty space between layers.
    3. Using damp-application methods, cellulose flows through metal studs and around pipes and other protuberances, creating an impenetrable seal 38% tighter than fiberglass.  Air circulation is dramatically reduced.  Voids in protection are eliminated.
  2. Fire resistance
    1. Cellulose contains a fire retardant derived from naturally occurring borax, which increases a building’s fire resistance by 22% to 55% in comparison to fiberglass.
    2. When exposed to flame, fiberglass melts, creating cavities that allow fire to spread more quickly through walls.  By contrast, cellulose chars, preventing those cavities and creating a two-hour firewall in which occupants can escape and firefighters can bring the fire under control.
  3. Pest Control
    1. The borax also naturally repels insects and vermin and inhibits fungi infestation.
    2. Cellulose has EPA designation as a “board defense.”
  4. Sound barrier
    1. Cellulose achieves a sound transfer coefficient rating as high as 66.  That rating, combined with the natural soundproofing of the insulation’s high density, makes it a strong sound barrier.
  5. Environmental Benefit
    1. Fiberglass is produced by gas furnaces that operate around the clock, consuming petrochemicals that are in ever-shortening supply.
    2. Cellulose is produced by electrical mills that can readily shut down once product quotas are met and contribute fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
    3. Cellulose is hygroscopic; borate will not leach out in concentrated quantities that could pose hazardous conditions.  (Borate is not a carcinogenic material; in fact, it is found naturally in some salt lakes and alkaline soils.)  Cellulose is environmentally neutral; it emits neither formaldehyde nor any other indoor pollutant.

3)  Application

  1. Dry cellulose is broken apart in a hopper, then sucked into a recycling machine that uses a double-nozzle hose to maintain proper application pressure and moisture levels.  One nozzle sprays the cellulose fibers and the other a fine mist of water, so that the material is mixed as it is applied to the wall cavity.
  2. Over-spray is sucked back up into the recycling machine and reused.
  3. Application is sprayed at a minimum of 52 kg/m3 (3.25 pcf), which limits settling.
  4. After spraying, the cellulose is trimmed with a stud scrubber for a uniform surface flush with stud facings.
  5. Must be allowed to dry for 24 to 48 hours, depending on climate conditions, until it attains a paper mâché quality, ensuring its impermeability.  Most applications dry to a moisture level of 24% within 24 hours, allowing for sheet rock to be installed almost immediately.
  6. For remodeling work, dry cellulose is used.  A fill tube is inserted into a cavity, and blown-in, dense-pack cellulose is compactly spread by pneumatic means.  Upon completion, the holes in the walls are covered.
  7. CEC has never felt the need to use vapor retardants, because the hygroscopic quality allows moisture to diffuse throughout the application.

4)  Regulation

  1. A comprehensive body of federal, government and private procurement specifications and standards cover cellulose insulation and its processes.  It has been exposed to myriad construction, environmental and various other code requirements defining its physical properties.
  2. 16 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1209, a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standard, ensures standards for:
    1. settled density
    2. corrosivesness
    3. critical radiant flux (a measure of surface burning)
    4. smoldering combustion
  3. 16 CFR Part 460 (Federal Trade Commission’s R-value Rule on Labeling and Advertising of home Insulation) is intended to eliminate dishonest or misleading marketing claims about insulation, ensuring the publication of accurate R-value and coverage date.
  4. ASTM International C 739 (Standard Specifications for Wood-based Cellulose Fiber for Loose-fill Cellulose Insulation)
  5. ASTM International C 1149 (Standard Specifications for Self-supported Spray-applied Celluloseic Thermal Insulation)
  6. Federal HH-1-515E (i.e. General Services Administration [GSA] purchasing specification for loose-fill cellulose insulation; it requires ASTM C 739 conformance and stipulates insulation assemblies of no less than 42 PA [0.88 psf])

5)  As Applied to LEED Certification

Using cellulose for insulation contributes to LEED credits in terms of energy and recycled materials.

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