From: slone@hiwaay.net (Mark Slone)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Cellulose Insulation
Date: 16 Nov 2003 04:57:26 -0800

I also live in the South. I built my house in 1997 and used wet-blown
cellulose in the walls and loose in the attic, and I'm very happy with
my low power bills. No dust, and no insects either (my cellulose was 
treated with boric acid as a fire retardant, also good for insects). 

My cost was slightly higher than fiberglas, but the wet blown is worth
it; it doesn't settle in the walls, provides slightly better insulation,
and doesn't irritate my skin or lungs. The house seems very quiet,
but it's a brick house and I used 2x6 exterior studs. It is a little
annoying, after going into the attic, lots of little bits of cellulose
trail back into the house (it sticks to clothing) and have to be vacuumed.

I'm not familiar with Green Cocoon, but it's just treated newspaper,
not many ways to go wrong as long as it's treated and properly
installed. You don't use a house wrap if you use the wet blown;
I don't think I'd recommend loose fill in the walls. You have to 
leave the wet blown open several days to dry out before sealing 
it up behind drywall.

More important than what goes in the walls is sealing the house,
especially to the attic and around windows, to keep infiltration down.
I also recommend sealing the crawlspace (if you have one). It's an
uncommon thing in the south, but it offers many advantages over
a vented one, though it's a lot of work and costs more.