Insulation Institute Blog

Earth Day has been celebrated in America since 1970 and serves as an opportunity to support environmental protection nationwide. There could be no better time than this 45th Annual Earth Day celebration to highlight how fiberglass and mineral wool insulations protect the American environment. Here are 10 reasons that fiberglass and mineral wool insulations matter as we celebrate Earth Day:

1. Insulation reduces building energy use and, therefore, carbon emissions. Buildings are responsible for 40% of total energy use in the United States, including 75% of all electricity use and 35% of the nation’s carbon emissions. Installing air sealing and insulation is the first and best step toward decarbonizing the U.S. building sector. In the United States, we have an enormous potential to reduce building energy use. The energy savings potential in the residential sector ranges from 10-45 percent. The emissions reduction potential resulting from improvements in insulation would drive annual CO² equivalent emission reductions by nearly 282 million tons, according to an ICF study.

• Fiberglass and mineral wool insulations provide rapid carbon payback. Because all insulation products reduce energy use in buildings, virtually all have rapid carbon payback periods. Carbon payback refers to the number of months it takes for the product to save the equivalent amount of energy used to produce it. ICF’s analysis shows that the average carbon payback period for whole-building insulation in residential and commercial prototypes is generally under a year for all investigated products, including fiberglass and mineral wool.

• Fiberglass and mineral wool insulation products are made with significant recycled content. An average of 40 and up to 60 percent of the ingredients used in manufacturing fiberglass and mineral wool insulation products come from recycled materials.

• Fiberglass and mineral wool insulation products are not made with petrochemicals. Petrochemicals account for about 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Some other insulation products made with petrochemicals have higher embodied carbon profiles than fiberglass and mineral wool insulation because of their composition.

• Eighty-nine percent of homes are under-insulated. Since nearly 9 out of 10 U.S. homes are under-insulated, there is huge potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by retrofitting homes with air sealing and insulation.

• Insulation promotes building resilience, which is especially important considering worsening climate extremes. Advancing building codes that require more thermal envelope insulation is an essential element of increasing resilience and improving building occupant health and safety, concluded a recent report from Just Solutions, an environmental justice organization uplifting equitable solutions to the climate crisis. 

• Insulation upgrades can reduce peak-hour electricity loads for buildings. An ICF study examined potential energy usage demand reduction and cost savings in residential and commercial buildings in various U.S. climate zones. It concluded that insulation upgrades are a cost-effective way to reduce electricity load demand and cut costs for building owners.

• Fiberglass insulation is made from known ingredients that do not deplete natural resources. These ingredients include glass cullet, sand, soda ash, limestone, and a carbohydrate-based binder. Seventy-three percent of consumers say they would prefer insulation that is not made of petrochemicals.  

• Fiberglass and mineral wool insulation products are made domestically and typically manufactured within the region of the country where they are used, which reduces carbon emissions from shipping and transportation.

Insulation enhances indoor air quality. Numerous insulation products, including many fiberglass and mineral wool insulations, are UL GREENGUARD certified. This certification indicates the products have undergone testing and meet strict standards for low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), contributing to better indoor air quality for people and pets.