by Jeanne Huber
An insulation upgrade is a great way to reduce your heating and cooling costs.
You’ll need a pro for spray foam insulation, but you can DIY most other home insulation types for extra savings.
Read on to learn about the different insulation types, costs, uses, and whether you should DIY it or hire a pro.
Batts and Blankets
This is the most common type of insulation. It comes in convenient rolls that are easy to transport and carry. It’s especially suitable for do-it-yourself projects, but take care to cut the material to fit around plumbing pipes, wires, and electrical outlets. Clumsily stuffed into awkward spaces, it loses effectiveness — sometimes as much as 50%.
Fiberglass Batts and Blankets
R-value: 3.0-4.0 per inch (R-13 for a 2-by-4-framed wall).
Advantages: Widely available and familiar, standard widths and thicknesses are designed to fit between studs, joists, and rafters. Paper- and foil-faced versions have stapling flanges that make installation easy.
Disadvantages: Can be itchy to install — you’ll need protective clothing. Rolls of fiberglass must be cut by hand to fit spaces. It compresses easily, which causes it to lose insulating properties.
Environmental issues: Phenol formaldehyde, linked to cancer, is being phased out as a binder. Labels warning of possible cancer risk from inhaled fibers are being phased out because regulators have concluded the fibers break down quickly in lungs. Recycled content can be up to 60%.
Best use: Walls, floors, ceilings.
DIY or pro? DIY
Cost: $0.64 – $1.19 per square foot.
Rockwool Batts and Blankets
R-value: 4-5 per inch (R-15 for a 2-by-4-framed wall).
Advantages: More fire-resistant than fiberglass. Doesn’t itch. Springs into shape against studs, so installation is staple-free and quick.
Disadvantages: Not widely available; retains moisture — if allowed to get damp, it can harbor mold growth.
Environmental issues: High recycled content, up to 90% (all pre-consumer). Although the products may contain minute amounts of crystalline silica, a known carcinogen, studies have shown no evidence that inhaled rockwool fibers cause lung disease.
Best use: Walls, floors, ceilings.
DIY or pro? DIY
Cost: 80 cents per sq. ft.
Cotton Batts (aka “Blue Jeans”)
R-value: 3.5-4 per inch (R-13 for a 2-by-4-framed wall).
Advantages: Doesn’t itch. Comes in easy-to-handle rolls. Simple to cut for fitting around pipes.
Disadvantages: Not widely available and pricier than other batts.
Environmental issues: Contains at least 85% recycled fiber and needs little additional energy to make. Contains a borate fire retardant, which also deters some insect pests.
Best use: Walls.
DIY or Pro: DIY
Cost: About 15-20% more expensive than fiberglass