Which is the right insulation for your home?

Does Green matter when choosing Insulation?

To apply Green in your home, the main steps to use in your construction are low-toxicity/non-toxic building products and recyclable materials.

Insulation is one of the items where you can apply Green easily.

SIPS
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are prefabricated insulated structural elements for use in building walls, ceilings, floors, and roofs. They provide superior and uniform insulation compared to more traditional construction methods (stud or "stick frame"), offering energy savings of 12%–14%. When installed properly, SIPs also provide a more airtight dwelling, which makes a house more comfortable and quieter.
SIPs can give you high values of almost R-30 and great noise reduction. A SIP typically consists of 4- to 8-inch thick foam board insulation sandwiched between two oriented strand boards (OSB) or other structural facing materials. Normally SIPS are great when building new construction and can reduce time and costs.

Loose Fills
Loose-fill insulation consists of small particles of fiber, foam, or other materials. These small particles form an insulation material that can conform to any space without disturbing any structures or finishes. This ability to conform makes loose-fill insulation well suited for retrofits and for places where it's difficult to install some other types of insulation.
Loose-fill insulation can be made of cellulose, fiberglass, and mineral (rock of slag) wool. All of these materials are made with recycled waste materials. Cellulose is primarily made from recycled newsprint. Most fiberglass contains 20%–30% recycled glass. Mineral wool is usually produced from 75% post-industrial recycled content. Loose fill insulation is great at resisting heat flow and can reduce noise by about 50%.

Batts
Blanket insulation—the most common and widely available type of insulation—comes in the form of batts or rolls. It consists of flexible fibers, most commonly fiberglass. You also can find batts and rolls made from mineral (rock and slag) wool, plastic fibers, and natural fibers, such as cotton and sheep's wool.
The advantage of Batts insulation is that it is simple to install and you can do it yourself. It is also the least expensive of all the insulation options.

Foams
Liquid foam insulation materials can be sprayed, foamed-in-place, injected, or poured. Their ability to fill even the smallest cavities gives them twice the R-value per inch than traditional BATT insulation. However, liquid foam insulation also forms an air barrier. This can help eliminate some of the other costs and tasks associated with weatherizing a home, such as caulking, applying housewrap and vapor barrier, and taping joints. When building a new home, this type of insulation can also help reduce construction time and the number of specialized contractors, which saves money.