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A study was conducted on the CU campus which tested the differences between cellulose and fiberglass insulation. Two test buildings were constructed, which were identical to each other including temperature sensors in several locations throughout the insulation and buildings. One building was insulated with cellulose and one with fiberglass, and readings were taken for 67 days.
One of the main benefits of cellulose insulation is that it is much more resistant to air infiltration. Through this study it was found that the cellulose tightened it's building 38% more than the building with fiberglass. Generally speaking, air infiltration accounts for between 20 to 60% of heat loss in a structure and at very cold temperatures the R-value in fiberglass drops over 50% due to convection. Because the cellulose is so much tigher than the fiberglass, the structure with cellulose used 315.75 Kwh to maintain the set temperature within it. The structure with fiberglass used 387.6 Kwh to maintain the set temperature. The building with fiberglass used 22% more Kwh than the building with cellulose.
The report doesn't address the amount of energy needed to manufacturer fiberglass, which is far greater than cellulose. That is another important factor in choosing cellulose over fiberglass.
For details on this study see the link to the pdf file below and left on this page.
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