products & services

Insulation

Why Insulate Your House?

Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70% of the energy used in the average American home. Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes.  In fact, simply adding insulation is often the easiest and most effective way to reduce your home energy bills.  Insulation:

• Saves money and our nation's limited energy resources
• Makes your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the house
• Makes walls, ceilings, and floors cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter

What Is an R-Value?

Insulation is rated in terms of thermal resistance, called R-value, which indicates the resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness. The R-value of thermal insulation depends on the type of material, its thickness, and its density. In calculating the R-value of a multi-layered installation, the R-values of the individual layers are added.

The effectiveness of an insulated ceiling, wall or floor depends on how and where the insulation is installed.

Insulation which is compressed will not give you its full rated R-value. This can happen if you add denser insulation on top of lighter insulation in an attic. Insulation placed between joists, rafters, and studs does not retard heat flow through those joists or studs. This heat flow is called thermal bridging. So, the overall R-value of a wall or ceiling will be somewhat different from the R-value of the insulation itself. That is why it is important that attic insulation cover the tops of the joists and that is also why we often recommend the use of insulative sheathing on walls. The short-circuiting through metal framing is much greater than that through wood-framed walls; sometimes the insulated metal wall's overall R-value can be as low as half the insulation's R-value.

How Much Insulation Do You Need? 

Note: The map and tables shown are the Department of Energy's (DOE) R-value recommendations for existing homes and are based on comparing future energy savings to the current cost of installing insulations. Savings vary, find out why in the seller's fact sheet on R-values. Higher the R-Values mean the greater insulating power.

Does Insulation Qualify for a Federal Tax Credit?

Certified insulation and air sealing products placed in service through the end of 2011 qualify for 10% tax credit of cost up to $500 under the EnergyStar Federal Tax Credit. Garland Insulation installs only EPA certified insulation and air sealing products, and therefore, all our our products qualify for the 10% tax credit. See our Manufacturers Certification Statements below which you must file with your credit. Note that the tax credit does NOT include installation costs and Garland Insulation will provide you with a breakout of labor and materials to file for your credit. See the EnergyStar Website to learn the simple filing process.

Fiberglass - CertainTeed InsulSafe Loose-fill Insulation

Cellulose - GreenFiber Cocoon2 Loose-fill Insulation

What Type of Insulation is Right for You?

Fiberglass

Fiberglass is the most widely used insulation product. Fiberglass comes in blanket (aka batt) and loose fill form and is typically friction fit in wall cavities and blown loose into attics, respectively. When we re-insulate your home, fiberglass is blown loose into the nonconforming spaces and hard-to-reach areas in attics and existing walls, like corners, edges, and around framing, ducting, plumbing, and wires. Fiberglass may be pink or white, is fluffy and fibrous in texture, and itchy to touch. Garland Insulating's fiberglass is made with 25% recycled material and is naturally non-combustible. Of the three insulation products Garland Insulating offers, fiberglass has the lowest R-value at R-2.5 per inch.

Our product, InsulSafe SP, is manufactured by CertainTeed in the USA.

InsulSafe SP  Product Brochure

InsulSafe SP Material Data Safety Sheet 

InsulSafe SP Limited Lifetime Warranty

Cellulose

A low net energy product, cellulose is very "green" as it is made from 85% recycled material including newspaper, magazines, and cardboard. The remaining 15% consists of additives including borates (an organic, non-toxic substance) which make the product fire and insect resistant. Like fiberglass, cellulose can be blown into the nonconforming spaces and hard-to-reach areas in attics and existing walls. If drywall is not yet installed, it can also be sprayed into wall cavities wet and it dries hard resulting in a cavity three times denser than fiberglass which greatly reduces air infiltration and sound transmission. Cellulose is light brown in color, has a shredded paper texture, and is non-itchy. Cellulose has the second highest R-value per inch of the insulation products Garland Insulating offers at R-3.7 per inch.

Garland Insulating uses environmentally friendly GreenFiber cellulose. Our product, Cocoon2, performs well over wide range of extreme temperatures making it ideal for attic ceilings and is a class-1 (the highest) fire rated insulation.

Cocoon Product Information

Cocoon Material Data Safety Sheet 

Cocoon Limited Lifetime Warranty

Spray Foam

Spray foam insulation is the most advanced type of insulation and it offers many benefits over other types of insulation. Foam is more effective than conventional insulation because it is an air and thermal barrier in one creating a “tighter” home. Foam also brings the air ducts within conditioned space eliminating leakage issues and evening out temperatures at registers. You can also completely deck your attic for storage in air conditioned space and the product does not deteriorate over time. Finally, if you live in a hurricane zone, spray foam can help prevent water damage because the attic is unvented. Foam is spray applied as a liquid and expands to conform to the wall cavity. Foam has the greatest R-value per inch of the insulations Garland Insulating offers. Foam insulation comes in two types: open cell and closed cell.

Garland Insulating uses Demilec spray foam products. Demilec's open cell Sealection500 is made in Arlington, TX.

Sealection500 Product Brochure

Sealection500 Sound Barrier Brochure

Sealection500 Material Data Safety Sheet 

Closed Attic System Discussion

Open Cell Foam

Open Cell spray foam is also referred to as half pound or low density. This foam is sprayed in as a liquid, expands to over 120 times its liquid size, and requires trimming and disposal of the waste. Open Cell foam cures soft and the irregular bubbles which form during the expansion reaction are broken or open. Open cell foam is not a vapor barrier and has an approximate R-3.8 per inch.

Closed Cell Foam

Closed Cell spray foam is also referred to as two pound or medium density. This foam expands 20 to 30 times its liquid size, and seldom requires trimming with little to no waste. Closed Cell foam cures rigid and the millions of microscopic bubbles which form during the expansion reaction remain closed and intact. The Closed Cell structure is very strong and it greatly improves building tensile strength. Closed Cell foam is a vapor barrier and has an R-5.5 per inch.

Garland Insulating is the only company for your spray foam retrofit because our crews are regularly trained by the foam manufacturer on proper installation techniques. We have been installing spray foam for years and all our applicators are certified by the manufacturer.

Here's a video of one of our clients' getting his spray insulation put in.