As issues related to conservation and environmental protection become more and more prevalent in scientific and political news, there is a greater effort to develop products that meet a need without creating excessive waste. One product that is utilized to some extent in virtually every new construction or development project is insulation. Homes must be insulated in order to protect them from outside elements, preserve energy and allow homeowners to easily control the climate within their home.
Throughout history, homes have been insulated with nearly every material imaginable, from wool batting to newspaper. Today, we have access to increasingly effective insulation materials like fiberglass that can be installed to provide a high degree of insulation in Sacramento, CA. As time goes on, there will likely be advancements in insulation technology that offer effective solutions while also creating less waste than traditional insulation methods.
One environmentally friendly form of insulation that has been gaining popularity in recent years is spray foam insulation. This is considered to be better for the environment because it is not made or installed with the types of synthetic agents or chemicals that are known to contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer.
The development of spray foam insulation is an important step in the right direction when it comes to environmentally friendly insulation, but there are some research teams and independent developers who have gone even further in order to create insulation products that minimize waste. The focus of many of these new products is on reusing materials that would otherwise be wasted. Believe it or not, one such material is chicken feathers!
New developments in sustainable insulation
While chicken feathers probably aren’t the first material that comes to mind when you think of home insulation, there is actually a concerted effort to turn this often-wasted product into effective and environmentally friendly insulation material. On average, 134 million chickens are consumed by people across the world every day, and most of those feathers are discarded and unused. Because of the keratin content of feathers and the fact that they are consistently available in significant quantities, they are a good material choice for insulation. They can be processed and then mixed with other standard insulation materials. These insulation mixes can be made to biodegrade after they live out their usefulness, which means that they do not take up as much space in landfills.
Even though this insulation method hasn’t come into the mainstream of construction and development, there are sure to be more insulation materials developed in order to curb waste while offering improved efficiency.
While you might not be able to insulate your home with chicken feathers just yet, you can still invest in high-quality insulation in Sacramento, CA to help you save energy on a monthly basis with help from 5 Star Performance Insulation, Inc. We have decades of experience providing residential and commercial clients with insulation products services. We are happy to offer quality work and friendly customer service to each of the customers we work with. Call us today and get a free quote from our team!