BIBs vs batts
joenorm
| Posted in General Questions on
I cannot find a contractor in my rural location that is willing to do blown in cellulose.
There are a few that will do fiberglass, either batts or Bibs and I am trying to decide which to go with.
BiBs is a little more expensive but I am willing to pay for it if it will provide a better overall insulation package. They call it R-23 for 2×6 wall rather than r-21 batts.
I know there are folks on here who do not like blown in fiberglass, but given the option between it and batts, which is better?
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Replies
Joe,
Both rely heavily on the quality of the installation. If you are confident the blown in fiberglass will be properly compacted that might be the way to go. However one advantage of batts is you can inspect the work before it is covered, and correct mistakes.
Joe,
I would opt for BIBs all day long over Batts.
Older versions of loose fill fiberglass were made from chopped up Batts. The geometry of these chunks resulted in an unfortunate decrease in r value as temperatures decrease. They also retained the itchiness of conventional Batts. This gave loose fill fiberglass a bad name...
A lot has changed since then, however.
Personally, I think 'dense pack' fiberglass is an all around better product than cellulose (easier to install, less material, less dust, doesn't settle, higher r value). Cellulose is great because of its lower embodied energy.
I have dense pack FG in my walls and cellulose in my attic. I really like the fiberglass. House is super quiet and warm. No regrets.