The following comment is in response to Mr. Lea's comment above. It's written by our local supplier of insulation, who has many years of experience in the industry. I'm in full support of his comments, and also agree that builder's have many choices in their daily operations that make them a "green builder", not just which type of insulation they, or their customers, choose to use. ______________________________________ Sandy, Here are a few things for you to consider when responding to your customer. It’s interesting that in his response Mr. Lea fails to identify himself as the Executive Director of the Cellulose Insulation Manufacturer’s Association. Perhaps he was worried it would affect his online credibility when posting in a public forum. Mr. Lea is correct that all loose fill insulation coverage charts are required to list installed thickness and settled thickness. What Mr. Lea fails to point out is the increased settling rate of cellulose compared to fiberglass. Nowhere in his response does he address cellulose settling in wall cavities which can be as much as 20% in some cases. Unlike cellulose, any very small amount of loose fill fiber glass settling in an attic does not affect its R-value. In a wall cavity, fiber glass batts do not settle whereas JM has data at our Technical Center that wet spray cellulose can droop as it dries, which can create a convection short essentially robbing the insulation of most of its insulating power. Wet spray cellulose also can take a long time to dry, which can increase time needed before other trades. While Mr. Lea points out that fiberglass is melted using natural gas he fails to mention that in its first year of use fiberglass insulation saves approximately 12 times the energy required to make it. Fiberglass Insulation made up almost entirely of recycled glass (usually bottles) and sand. It is safe to say that most fiberglass insulation manufacturers would prefer to use more recycled glass in their products, if they had a consistently good source for it. Sand on the other hand is a rapidly replenished resource and each year the earth’s processes literally generate billions of tons of new sand making it a virtually inexhaustible resource. Unlike paper products; fiberglass is non-combustible and does not require the addition of special fire retardants. Fiberglass does not readily take up or retain moisture, and fiberglass is not an organic food source for mold. Fiberglass also compresses for transportation, which means that you can fit more of it on a truck and thus reduce the fuel demand required to transport the product. There is no such thing as a perfect product and all insulation materials can be considered “green” because they all save energy. Being a “green builder” is not simply about using one particular product such as insulation. A “green builder” carefully selects a system of products that work together to create a more energy efficient, more comfortable, safer, and longer lasting home. Both fiberglass and cellulose insulation products are used quite successfully by many green builders all over the world. The product someone chooses to use is a matter of personal preference, but it should be noted that fiberglass insulation is used to insulate over 80% of the homes in America Robert DeMarco / tqi-bob@tqi.comcastbiz.net TOP QUALITY INSULATION & FIREPLACES, INC.