Blown-In Insulation Cost

How Much Does Blown-In Insulation Cost?

Blown-In Insulation Blown-In Insulation Cost – Blown-in insulation is a very common method of insulating the attic, the walls in a house or a crawl space. This method is helpful in increasing and enhancing comfort in houses by neutralizing humidity level and drafts. It also can be a huge return on investment. 

The average cost of blown in insulation is around $1,348 and most homeowners spend an amount between the ranges of $893 to $1,890 on this insulation method. The costs will depend on whether the job is performed by professionals or by the homeowners themselves and of course the size of the attic.

Types of Blown-In Insulation

Blown-in insulation consists of three types which are explained below:

Cellulose

Cellulose comprises of plant fibers and is a less hazardous and harmful for homeowners to install owing to some of its natural qualities. Its R-value per square inch is higher than fiberglass but one setback is that it does not have an innate vapor retarder. If cellulose is left in a wet state for a long time, it can be prone to damage.

Cellulose also comes in selections of natural fiber, enabling it to be equipped with soundproofing qualities. Cellulose requires a vapor retardant material as well as adequate insulation to be done between joist spans.

Benefits of Cellulose

  • Airflow resistance
  • The most energy efficient method of blown-in insulation
  • It is non-corrosive to aluminum, copper and steel
  • Because of extreme cold, a lot of R-value is not lost
  • Cellulose is made from recycled and natural materials

Rock Wool Fiber

This fiber uses post consumer metals and materials that are recycled and is an eco-friendly product. It has a strong capacity of being fire retardant and soundproof, making it the mostly highly priced method of blown-in insulation.

It also naturally repels rodents and insects but a setback to rock wool fiber is that it takes a significantly long amount of time to install.

Benefits of Rock Wool Fiber

  • Natural pest and moisture repellent
  • Recyclable and environmental friendly
  • Heat insulative and non-combustible

Fiberglass

Fiberglass blown-in insulation offers the largest amount of variety and is the least expensive. It is also most commonly used for residential purposes. This type of blow-in insulation is usually available in the form of blocks which are, via a machine, blown into the interior walls or in an attic’s floor joists.

Because it has the property of being fire-retardant, it is also used to top existing cellulose insulation. Blown-in fiberglass is formed away from electrical equipment and hot lights that are heat producing variants.

Benefits of Fiberglass

  • An option with minimum expenditure
  • Considerable reduction in sound pollution
  • Moisture has no effect on fiberglass
  • Characteristic of being non-combustible
  • Does not settle because it is inert

Insulation Capacity and R-Value

The R-values of the different methods of blown-in insulation depend on each materials insulation and density factors. Higher R-values will provide a higher insulation capacity to a material.

Average Estimates of Costs

The average cost breakdown of different methods is mentioned below:

Fiberglass Blown-In Insulation

The amounts in the following table are based on an average cost of $33 per bag at an average weight of 28.5 lbs per bag. One thing to keep in mind is that labor hours may vary as they are dependent on the type of equipment and machinery used, as well as the desired R-value.

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Cellulose Blown-In Insulation Cost

A 19 lb bag of blown-in cellulose will cost around $28 to $30 at a minimal R-value recommendation, covering an approximate space of 40 square feet.

Costs of Attic Insulation

In order to insulate an attic, an R-value recommendation of 30 is used for minimum efficiency, which can help a house achieve optimization in thermal efficiency along with a reduction in home cooling and heating expenditures.

The figures mentioned in the following table relate to the costs of attic insulation when home owners decide on doing the task themselves.

Attic spaceRental equipment feesCost of materialsTotal cost
1,000 square feet$100$500 to $1,000$600 to $1,200

If the hourly services of professionals are required, then the job can be completed in a shorter period of time and homeowners should expect to pay an amount of $40 to $70 on a per hour basis for labor charges.