There are many options in the insulation market: fiberglass, spray foam (open and closed cell) cotton battens, rigid foam and cellulose (dense packed and loosed filled). While I have used all of the above, cellulose is the best choice for old and new construction applications.
If you want the most for your money, cellulose is your choice. It out performs fiberglass and is less expensive than spray-foam. Cellulose is also a natural organic, recycled material which has no harmful effects on people or the environment. The building industry has been using fiberglass as the old stand 
by and recently builders and home owners in the Hudson Valley have been looking for a better solution. Spray foam contractors have been taking some of this business and a good amount of money from people and businesses that have not done enough research.
I did a couple ground-up and retrofit projects with spray-foam exclusively and I liked the idea that the buildings entire envelope was sealed with insulation, yet didn’t like the toxic petroleum material on my project as well as not liking the large amount of waste and the inflated cost of the install from the foam contractor. I did some research and found that cellulose satisfied my logical and emotional sensibilities.
Logically, cellulose is cheaper than spray foam and is way more effective than fiberglass. Dense packed cellulose out performs open cell spray foam which is the most popular spray foam application in the 
Hudson valley. Dense packed cellulose has an R-Value of 4.0 per inch which is better than the Open cell foam R-Value of 3.67 per inch. Fiberglass is in last place with an R-Value of 3.2 per inch.
Cellulose also wicks moisture better than any other insulation. Fiberglass does not insulate when it is wet and I can’t tell you how many gut renovations have exposed water damaged fiberglass battens… Air infiltration is also reduced greatly with the use of dense packed cellulose. Sound control is another huge reason to choose cellulose over fiberglass or spray foam. Many music studios have dense packed cellulose integrated in the sound control designs.
Emotionally speaking, cellulose has put my fear to rest in regards to toxicity issues on my projects as well as the good feeling that comes along with recycling (it’s recycled newspaper). Cellulose is less expensive, more efficient, totally versatile and safer for our environment. It is my choice and should be your choice too.
William Wallace http://www.williamwallaceconstruction.com
Article Source: Cellulose Insulation Is the Energy Efficient Choice
