- Yearly Savings
- $771 - $820
- Installation Cost
- $2000 - $2900
- R-value per inch
- R3.4 - R4
- Lifetime
- 25 years
Fairly standard and similar in terms of performance, batts are decent insulators and easy to install. Their disadvantages are that you don't get a great seal, resulting in more chance of air leakage, and they are not a good option for basements because of likely moisture damage. Also, oftentimes batts aren’t installed properly – they are shoved in instead of filling the air cavity completely and evenly, leaving areas compressed and pockets where cold-air convection loops retain a lower temperature.
Rock Wool Batts
- Yearly Savings
- $820
- Installation Cost
- $2900
- R-value per inch
- R4
- Lifetime
- 25 years
Less irritating to the skin on a DIY installation, rock wool also has a higher R-value than fibreglass. Batts use about 40 per cent recycled materials from the mining by-products of rock or slag, spun into a fibre-like structure. Rock wool is also more fire-resistant, water-repellant and sound-absorbent than fibreglass.
Cotton Batts
- Yearly Savings
- $797
- Installation Cost
- $2000
- R-value per inch
- R3.7
- Lifetime
- 25 years
Made from 100-per-cent recycled denim, so the material won't irritate your skin during installation. The recycled content also gives it a very low environmental impact. Cotton can be a difficult material to acquire locally — REEP House's sample came from a supplier in Toronto, and there is a company in Guelph that does install it.
Fibreglass Batts
- Yearly Savings
- $771
- Installation Cost
- $2050
- R-value per inch
- R3.4 - R4
- Lifetime
- 25 years
Uses between 20 and 30 percent recycled industrial waste and post-consumer materials to create the spun glass fibres that gets under your skin during installation. Fibreglass generally has a lower R-value than other batt insulation options, although you can get better results by choosing a higher density.