Cellulose Insulation

The choices you make about insulating your home deserve some careful attention. After all, you’ll be living with this decision for as long as you own your home!

Unfortunately, most homeowners assume that all insulations perform the same and are content to let installation price serve as the determining factor in making their decision. However, there are many factors to consider. Among the most important are comfort and performance.

What do I really need to know about insulating my home?

Aren’t all insulations the same?
No. Absolutely not. The R-value listed on insulation products is a standard that comes from laboratory testing. Real world tests demonstrate just how vastly superior Applegate Cellulose Insulation® is in comparison to conventional fiberglass. For example, Researchers at Oak Ridge Laboratory found that, “R-19 (glass fiber) batts have an R-value of 13.7 when installed as commonly found in actual walls.”1 And other tests determined that on the hottest and coldest days, fiberglass’ efffectiveness decreases while Applegate Cellulose Insulation® maintains its full insulation value.

How is that possible? The walls, ceilings, and floors are full of odd shaped cavities and obstacles like plumbing, air ducts, and wiring. According to Guardian Fiberglass, “About half of all wall cavities in residential construction are nonstandard in width and height, or obstructed with wiring pipes and other things. Any void area in conventional batt insulation can reduce the R-value significantly.” For insulation to work effectively it must completely fill around these obstructions without voids or gaps.

The Applegate® Difference Applegate Cellulose Insulation® is sprayed or blown into walls, conforming to your home and surrounding you and your family with a tight thermal barrier. Fiberglass batts, on the other hand, are cut and pieced together, leaving voids that reduce it’s ability to insulate. So even though it may be less expensive to install initially, fiberglass batts do not deliver the same effective insulation properties as Applegate®. Sealing the building envelope with a seamless blanket of natural fibers, Applegate® can also be installed in attics and cathedral ceilings. Our Stabilized Cellulose® Insulation locks in place and virtually eliminates dust and settling.
Another study compared fiberglass and cellulose insulation in attics.3 Both started at R-19, but fiberglass started to lose its effective Rvalue as temperatures dropped to just 32o! It went on to lose up to 50% of its effective R-value as temperatures continued to drop. Applegate Cellulose Insulation®, however, not only maintained its R-value; its insulation effectiveness actually increased to more than an R-20 as temperatures were lowered below -18o F!
When you choose Applegate® Cellulose Insulation, you will receive what you paid for!

Applegate® Protection

Fire Applegate Insulation® actually helps make homes safer by providing up to 50% better fire resistance than fiberglass.6 This means that occupants have more time to reach safety. Applegate Stabilized’s® unique twostage process injects both dry and liquid fire retardants that penetrate deep into cellulose fibers for added saftey.

Health Applegate Stabilized Insulation® eliminates irritating, abrasive, airborne glass fiber particles, providing you with peace of mind regarding your indoor air quality. Applegate Insulation® was recently chosen by the American Lung Association of Virginia to insulate their Breathe Easy® Office complex.

Mold Applegate® restricts air movement that can bring moist air into wall cavities where it could condense and activate mold spores. One of the additives used in Applegate Insulation® as a fire retardant is boric acid, a natural mold inhibitor.

Sound It’s amazing how quiet homes are when interior walls are filled with Applegate®. Applegate Insulation® provides much better sound control when compared to most other insulations.

Environment According to Environmental Building News, “Cellulose insulation should be a preferred insulation material for the environmentally concerned.”

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