Drill and Fill Insulation

Experience year-round comfort and energy savings with professional drill and fill insulation from Great Northern Insulation, Ontario's leading insulation experts.

Want Help Figuring Out If You're Eligible? Call Us at 1.800.265.1914 or Submit an Inquiry Here

If your walls feel cold to the touch, struggle to maintain consistent temperatures, or lead to high energy bills, and your home has no existing exterior wall insulation, you might benefit from a drill and fill insulation upgrade.

This technique is less invasive than a full wall demolition and retrofit, making it desirable to many homeowners in Ontario. Installing blown-in cellulose via drill and fill can be a great retrofit upgrade for homes with no existing exterior wall or ceiling insulation and offers numerous advantages.

Drill and Fill Insulation

Advantages of installing blown-in cellulose via drill and fill:

Improved Comfort: Consistent insulation maintains comfortable temperatures regardless of the season, ensuring a warmer home in winter and a cooler one in summer.
Reduced Energy Bills: Better insulation means less heat loss or gain, translating to energy savings and a smaller carbon footprint.
Versatility: Drill and fill can be applied to interior or exterior walls and ceilings between floors of certain homes, and can work with a siding material like drywall, plaster, brick, wood, or vinyl, although an internal application is the most common.
Sound Attenuation: Dense-packed cellulose has great sound attenuation properties, meaning drill and fill insulation between floors can be utilized to reduce sound transmission.

Drill and Fill Insulation

Considerations and Benefits

A drill and fill retrofit comes with a few considerations to determine if it’s a fit for your home. To start, drill and fill is not suitable for basements or garage ceilings with rooms above. These areas require different insulation approaches, largely due to moisture concerns. Great Northern Insulation only offers drill and fill services for exterior walls and some ceiling installations, but we do offer other solutions for basements and garages.

Additionally, we do not perform drill and fill installations if existing exterior wall insulation is present, and we do not cut openings in exterior walls to determine if existing insulation is present.

Finally, GNI only installs drill and fill insulation using blown-in cellulose insulation, not injected spray foam. If drill and fill insulation is applicable for your project, it can be a great solution for homes built before modern insulation standards, which often lack proper wall insulation entirely.

Dense-packed cellulose insulation conforms to any shape of cavity and is a highly sustainable type of insulation. Great Northern Insulation utilizes cellulose insulation made from a minimum 85% locally-sourced newsprint, making it both a highly sustainable and high-performance insulation option. Cellulose insulation is especially popular with homeowners who are looking to retrofit their home to Net Zero Ready or Passive House standards.

Drill and Fill Insulation

Drill and fill insulation can help address common issues such as:

High heating and cooling costs: Improved insulation leads to substantial energy savings.
Uneven temperatures: Consistent insulation ensures comfortable year-round temperatures throughout your home.
Overworked HVAC system: Proper insulation reduces strain on your heating and cooling equipment, potentially extending its lifespan.

If drill and fill insulation is applicable for your project, it can be a great solution for homes built before modern insulation standards, which often lack proper wall insulation entirely.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can Drill and Fill Work With Spray Foam?

No, Great Northern Insulation does not utilize spray foam insulation when carrying out a drill and fill retrofit. At a regulatory level, "blind" installation of spray foam is prohibited under CAN/ULC S705.2.

Spray foam insulation begins to expand and cure rapidly when applied and would only fill the cavity in the area immediately surrounding the drilled hole. Additionally, the reaction required for spray foam to cure is exothermic, producing heat in a confined wall cavity. Finally, spray foam insulation needs to be installed to consistent depths in order to be effective, which cannot be measured behind existing wall.

Drill and fill insulation is a form of installation that is site-specific. Great Northern Insulation's consultants will be able to provide recommendations for your retrofit and advise on whether drill and fill is a worthwhile option.

Why Choose Great Northern Insulation?

Expertise and Equipment

Our certified technicians have the knowledge, skills, and specialized equipment to ensure a high-performance result.

Safety and Peace of Mind

Improper DIY attempts can lead to ineffective insulation. We handle everything, from assessment and material selection to installation and cleanup, ensuring peace of mind and guaranteed quality.

Industry-Leading Products and Warranties

We use premium-quality loose-fill insulation materials backed by manufacturer warranties.

Ontario-Wide Service

With branches across the province, we bring expertise to your local community.

Client Feedback

GNI took care of everything I needed to have a more comfortable, energy-efficient home

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Clare

Very professional and courteous. Greeted with a hand shake which is something that doesn’t happen all too often.

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Aidan

Wow, just wow. First experience with Great Northern and I was and remain impressed with the experience

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Patricia

GNI took care of arranging the energy audit beforehand so we could get a rebate on the work. The installers were quick, polite, and cleaned up after themselves!

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Art

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Contact Great Northern Insulation Today

Ready to improve your home's comfort, energy efficiency, and think drill and fill insulation may be a good fit for your home? Get a free consultation with our experts and we’ll recommend the best solution for your home with a free, no-obligation quote.

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Proudly Serving all of Southern Ontario

Great Northern Insulation - Better Business Bureau Profile.

Best of 2021

HomeStars has ranked Great Northern Insulation as a company that goes above and beyond in every aspect of business for the year of 2021.

Best of 2022

HomeStars has ranked Great Northern Insulation as a company that goes above and beyond in every aspect of business for the year of 2022.

GNI is the Authorized & Trusted Insulation and Air Sealing Installer for Lowe’s

Over 40 Years in Business

At GNI, we service your project with the most experienced staff in the industry. Ongoing professional development is an obsession at GNI and we will not compromise at any level to bring to our customers the very best Installers, Sales Representatives, Customer Care Personnel, Field Superintendents, Estimating and Technical Support to your project.

100% Canadian

Great Northern Insulation is recognized as Canada's largest full-service insulation contractor. GNI is 100% Canadian owned, proudly serving Ontario customers since 1980.

Do it right the first time
- with foam masters^TM

January, 2021 regulatory phaseout of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) with the introduction of WALLTITE CM01. Using hydrofluorolefins (HFOs) with lower global warming potential (GWP) compared to HFCs, WALLTITE CM01 is the next generation of spray foam insulation.

Huntsman HEATLOK® SOYA HFO™

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3M^TM products.
Quality + Performance = Savings

3M^TM energy-saving products are designed to keep warm air in, and cold air out, while keeping energy bills down. Products optimize energy efficiency in buildings and homes; improve indoor environment for occupants; and effect the reduction of seasonal energy costs. 3M products are authorized for LEED credits (Leadership in Energy/Environmental Design).

Holmes and Holmes

Mike Holmes and his son Mike Jr. (MJ) convert MJ’s bachelor bungalow into a two-storey home for MJ and his girlfriend Lisa. Choosing the newest materials and build techniques, the father and son team follow Mike’s famous motto – “Make it right.” The show can be watched on HGTV and DIY Network.

Enbridge Incentives

The Home Efficiency Rebate Plus program offers up to $10,000 in home reno rebates – and Great Northern Insulation can pave the way.

Great Northern Insulation proudly abides by a renovation-specific Code of Conduct set by RenoMark™.

We are Verified & Bonded by eRenovate. When you choose to proceed with our services through their platform, you receive the gaurantees set forth through their program.

The GNI crew have been featured installing insulation on Love It or List It - have you seen our logo in an episode?

Climatizer

CLIMATIZER PLUS cellulose insulation is manufactured from a minimum of 85% locally-sourced post-consumer recycled newsprint. Non-toxic additives are applied to the uniquely fiberized paper generating a building material with superior thermal and acoustic properties, as well as exceptional resistance to fire, moisture, mould and pests.

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