Category Archives: insulation

Residential Energy Audits – You have to start somewhere

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Anytime is a good time to check out your domicile for energy consumption. Much of this can be simpler than people let on. Yes, there are differences between renters and homeowners. I think that everyone should do it EVEN if you do not pay your own bills. Maybe especially if you do not pay your bills. Somebody does. The point is that ALL energy is valuable if you are concerned about the health of the planet. Americans are energy hogs that need to go on a diet. There are websites that will help you do an audit. Your utility will probably do an audit for a small fee. There is even software out there that will do the audit and keep track of your energy use afterwards so you can see the effects of you energy saving efforts. I will cover all of that.

The first step is getting vary familiar with you energy environment and this is as simple as a piece of paper and a slender candle. Step one is to make a complete list of the energy using devices. This includes your furnace, your air conditioner, your major appliance, and even some minor appliances. On that paper write down the age of each appliance, the condition of each appliance and your guess as to how much of your energy load that device consumes. Please check the furnace and the air conditioning filters, especially if you just moved in. They need to be clean and that could be your first job.

http://www.fypower.org/res/energyaudit/diy.html

Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audit

You can easily conduct a home energy audit yourself. With a simple but diligent walk-through, you can spot many problems in any type of house.

When auditing your home, keep a checklist of areas you have inspected and problems you found. This list will help you prioritize your energy efficiency upgrades.

The following text comes from “A Consumer’s Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,” which is at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website.

Heating & Cooling Equipment

Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer. If you have a forced-air furnace, check your filters and replace them as needed. Generally, you should change them about once every month or two, especially during periods of high usage. Have a professional check and clean your equipment once a year.

Replace Old Equipment

Furnace

If the unit is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing your system with one of the newer, energy-efficient units. A new unit would greatly reduce your energy consumption, especially if the existing equipment is in poor condition. Check your ductwork for dirt streaks, especially near seams. These indicate air leaks, and they should be sealed with a duct mastic. Insulate any ducts or pipes that travel through unheated spaces. An insulation R-value of 6 is the recommended minimum.

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There are many places on the web that can help you with this.

http://www.diynetwork.com/topics/energy-saving/index.html

Here is a tip that they won’t tell you. Call your HVAC and Appliance Dealer and ask them questions. If you don’t have an HVAC person and a local appliance dealer that you can trust, find one. You need to know this stuff in case of an emergency. If you are a renter ask your landlord who they use and let them know you are interested in saving energy. They should appreciate that. Once you determine who they are (ask for friends recommendations, compare prices etc.) then call them and ask them about your equipment and energy savings differences between what you have and what you could have. Also ask them about percentages of usage between your different equipment.

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If you live in Springfield and you want an audit done for you CWLP offers one cheap and if you follow their recommendations they will rebate the cost.

http://www.cwlp.com/energy_services/ESO_services_programs/home_energy_audit.htm

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When A Cold Wind Blows – It’s too late yah shoulda started months ago

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It’s Jam Band Friday – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GasFKkVkgSI

Weatherize and improvise, renters have very little choice:

http://ask.metafilter.com/25694/Help-us-weatherproof-our-house

Help us weatherproof our house.
October 17, 2005 6:25 PM

I need suggestions for inexpensive weatherproofing on our home.

My husband and I rent a townhome (in Denver) and it is horribly drafty. We can feel cold air coming in through most of our windows. We love our little house–it’s a lot of space for the money–but we have a very uhm, “hands-off” landlord and there’s little to no chance to get them to invest any money in weatherproofing. With energy prices the way they are, I’d love some low-cost suggestions for how to weatherproof our windows along with any other tips for keeping warm while keeping our energy costs down. We’re living on a one-income graduate student budget, so I have to stress the low-cost part. Thank you!1. cheap: Plastic for your windows! You can get it at hardware stores pretty cheaply [whole house of wondows for maybe $20-30 if you shop in bulk at Home Depot or someplace. It’s a bit ugly but basically you tape this plastic over your windows, use a blow dryer on it to shrink the plastic, and voila, you can see out but wind can’t get in. Hair dryers cost a few bucks at a thrift store if you don’t have one. If you have friends, borrow a heat gun if possible.

2. nearly free: make little outlet and light switch gaskets. [instructions]

3. make from common household items: draft stoppers for underneath doors. Get an old pair of nylons and stuff them with rags, old socks, other fabric and some sand/rocks/something heavy. Lay on floors by doors to the outside or colder rooms.

4. worth the $: curtains and rugs and a hassock for your feet so you don’t notice the cold as much. Close curtains at night, open in the morning. An electric mattress pad warmer can heat up the bed before you get in it without you having to sleep under a plugged in appliance all night.

5. also: if it’s a big house shut off a room or two that you don’t use much and cut off the heat to those rooms [if you can] and focus on the parts of the house you actually live in. Cook more meals that take longer to heat up the kitchen. Keeping moving helps you stay warmer.
posted by jessamyn at 6:46 PM on October 17, 2005

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD7GjrlFOPs&feature=PlayList&p=C0DC6B13F2AAAA74&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=10

Check your local utility company’s website. They likely have a list of energy saver tips, household energy guzzlers (so you can prioritize), programs that provide weatherization and/or discounts to low-income households. Call them too. Some util companies are willing to schedule a free onsite energy audit to help you find the worst offenders.

The plastic over the windows trick is good. Just make sure you’re using the right tape. Some can leave a gummy residue or else pull off the paint/wallpaper underneath. Painter’s tape is not transparent, but it’s designed to remove cleanly.

If the landlord is willing to greenlight DIY improvements, $20-30 in materials can buy enough weatherstrip, outlet/switch seals, and door gaskets for a 1 bd apt. All you need is a screwdriver, a pair of scissors, and several hours time. Since weatherstrip just fills in the gaps between door/window and frame, you’ll be able to open & close year-round. Plus in the summer it’ll help keep out whatever bugs normally come in through those same gaps.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh-sXCTiuXA&feature=PlayList&p=C0DC6B13F2AAAA74&index=8

Here is what I did a couple of years ago (in my case it was mainly to reduce my cooling bills, but they’re still applicable):

  • Install curtains or other air barriers on all windows and sliding-glass doors.
  • If your existing HVAC thermostat is not a programmable “set back” thermostat, replace it with one that is.
  • Replace or install weatherstripping on windows.
  • Replace or install weatherstripping and door sweeps on exterior doors or a door to a garage. Also consider installing weatherstripping and door sweeps on interior doors to less-often used rooms.
  • If you have a little-used room, such as a laundry room, close the heating vent to the room, install a vent cover, and keep the door closed.
  • Caulk cracks (use a good UV & weather-resistant caulk for the exterior and a cheaper paintable caulk for the interior). In particular, check around the roof-line or anywhere something penetrates a wall (such as ceiling beams, vents or pipes). Make sure to seal around any exterior outlets (and consider installing exterior outlet covers).
  • Seal air leaks and other larger gaps with expanding foam. Good places to check are around switch and outlet boxes, places where ceiling beams penetrate interior walls, etc.
  • If your HVAC ducts are accessible, seal any leaks with metal-backed tape or mastic. Also consider applying insulation, if they are uninsulated.
  • Install outlet cover plates on interior outlets in exterior walls.
  • Install foam gaskets inside all interior electric outlet and switch boxes behind the outlet and switch plate covers.
  • If you have a hot water tank, consider installing an exterior tank wrap (make sure it doesn’t warn against using a tank wrap).

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SPogGqCgeM&feature=PlayList&p=C0DC6B13F2AAAA74&index=9

And you can get it all at ACE The Friendly Hardware Place –  A socialist cooperative:

http://www.acehardware.com/info/index.jsp?categoryId=1282811

Weatherproofing Your Home

The average house-even when well-insulated-contains cracks and gaps between building materials that add up to a hole about 14 inches square (see image below). In the winter, those gaps may make the house drafty and chilly. All year long, a leaky house not only wastes energy but can lead to water damage and provide a path for insects.

Inside this document you will find information about:

  • Weatherproofing Basics
  • Types of Caulking
  • Using Caulking
  • Types of Weatherstripping
  • Installing Weatherstripping

WEATHERPROOFING BASICS

  • In all the discussion of insulation and R-values, don’t forget that poor weatherproofing is often a more important source of discomfort, as well as high heating and cooling bills.
  • Some air leakage can be prevented during construction by using housewrap or getting a tight fit between framing members, for example. Once the house is built, however, the remaining gaps must be sealed. Gaps around doors and window sashes should be weatherstripped, and gaps between permanent building materials sealed with caulking.

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Tight is nice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfArO24gSNw&feature=PlayList&p=C0DC6B13F2AAAA74&index=15

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R 60 In The Attic – When I first started talking about this everyone thought I was crazy

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I will be the first one to admit, our attic is finished. I had no control over that. The build out and remodel all took place 50 years ago. Does it make it better that we have a metal roof? When I first started saying PACK YOUR ATTIC with all the insulation you can get your hands on. Everyone said, “How can you say that. There is no payback. There is no room. What if you change your mind” That was of course in an R10 or an R13 world. Then everything changed. Guess what it will change again.

That is because we have all been raised in a “pay as you go” energy system. Have been for generations. But if you think of a world where you pay your energy costs “UP FRONT”. Then you quit worrying about Paybacks and “is it worth it”? You start thinking in terms of how much do I need.

Again for the entire class: You can never lose money by CONSERVING energy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superinsulation

Superinsulation is an approach to building design, construction, and retrofitting. A superinsulated house is intended to be heated predominantly by intrinsic heat sources (waste heat generated by appliances and the body heat of the occupants) with very small amounts of backup heat. This has been demonstrated to work in very cold climates but requires close attention to construction details in addition to the insulation.

Superinsulation is one of the ancestors of the passive house approach. A related approach to efficient building design is zero energy building.

There is no set definition of superinsulation, but superinsulated buildings typically include:

  • Very thick insulation (typically R40 walls and R60 roof)
  • Detailed insulation where walls meet roofs, foundations, and other walls
  • Airtight construction, especially around doors and windows
  • a heat recovery ventilator to provide fresh air
  • No large windows facing any particular direction
  • No conventional heating system, just a small backup heater

Nisson & Dutt (1985) suggest that a house might be described as “superinsulated” if the cost of space heating is lower than the cost of water heating.

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That last is important because what if you are using free solar. Then your costs are both zero. So one of them has to be a negative number…haha

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/constructionps.htm

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On a more serious note, everyone agrees that the standard currently is good for NEW Construction…I say it is good enough for old as well:

http://www.residentialarchitect.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=275&articleID=886806

massachusetts pilot project explores super insulation for old houses

new construction could also benefit from techniques.
Publication date: February 24, 2009

By Nigel F. Maynard

Alex Cheimets and Cynthia Page live in a duplex that used to consume about 1,400 gallons of heating oil a year. But now their building is one of the most energy-efficient in its Arlington, Mass., neighborhood, thanks to a pilot project that retrofitted the structure with almost $100,000 worth of insulation and other products to increase energy efficiency and lower utility costs.

The so-called Massachusetts Super Insulation Project seeks to determine the benefits and cost-effectiveness of retrofitting old energy-wasting houses with insulation upgrades in key areas. Though the cost for the upgrades in the home were substantial, some of the techniques used—among them proper air-sealing and adequate moisture barriers—are easily applied to new construction at a relatively low cost.

Massachusetts officials are keenly interested in the results of the project, because it dovetails nicely with the state’s efforts to become more energy-efficient. “Our governor, the state House and Senate, and the executive branch are aware that the nation’s energy strategy is not acceptable, and a big part of it is the existing housing stock,” says Philip Giudice, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DER).

“Nationally, buildings account for 40 percent of all energy consumption, and one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions,” says Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles, who chairs Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick’s Zero Net Energy Buildings Task Force. “This superinsulation project in Arlington promises to be a model for the type of innovation in the building industry that the Patrick Administration hopes will soon be widespread across Massachusetts.”

Read more articles related to:

More articles from the headlines section

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Sealing A Continuous Ridge Vent – The method I used was not great

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But it was the best I could come up with off the top of my head. Now that I think about it I probably should have used hardening spray foam from a can. Commonly referred to by the trade name Stuff.

http://building.dow.com/global/greatstuffpro.htm

As you can see from this question:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Roofing-1598/Icynene-Insulation-Sealing-Ridge.htm

Roofing – Icynene Insulation and Sealing Ridge Vents

Expert: Dan Merrill – 7/26/2007Question
I am having a home built and plan to have icynene foam insulation sprayed into the attic (exterior walls and the attic ceiling)as well as exterior walls.   My understanding is that with foam insulation, ridge vents are not needed and in fact defeat the purpose.   The house is now framed and the architectural shingles are being installed this week.   I noticed that the opening for the ridge vent has not been physically closed.    The builder uses a truss design rather than a stick built roof.    The tar paper and shingles are just being laid over the open ridge.Is this a problem?   It seems to me that there should be a more solid barrier at the ridge…like wood, rather than just foam, tar paper, then shingles.Any thoughts?   ThanksAnswer
It should not pose a problem.
The usage of conditioned attic space as you are building is fairly new to the building codes and not in general use.
It is likely that most roofing installers have never seen the specifications before, so they just did as they always do.
The foam will be sprayed under the whole roof deck, so it will act as a vapor barrier. The opening cut for a ridge vent should have no affect.

Dan

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However what I did  was cut a rectangular piece of black 4 mill. plastic:

http://hardware.hardwarestore.com/27-112-polyethylene-film/4-mil-plastic-black-poly-film-637465.aspx

Big enough to cover the exposed vent space between the rafters and allow some “drape” over all of the exposed surfaces, approximately 2 ft. by anywhere from 20 inches to 30 inches. I made a continuous bead of 30 year silicon caulk in a square configuration much smaller than the piece of plastic:

http://www.easy2diy.com/cm/easy/diy_ht_3d_index.asp?page_id=35783013

http://www.onlinetips.org/caulk-types

I pushed this up to the peak of the roof, making sure to make complete contact between all of the wood surfaces and the caulk. I then smoothed the plastic out and popped in  5 or 6 staples with my PowerShot staple gun.

http://www.shopping.com/xPO-Black-Decker-Black-Decker-5700-Powershot-Forward-Action-Stapler

Then I put the insulation back up. I bought a cool new product for cheap; plastic wrapped r-17 insulation for 16 bucks. Kinda like insulation in a tube.

http://www.askthebuilder.com/B54_Fiberglass_-_Newest_Improvements.shtml

And I dragged it across the artificial ceiling studs.

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A reader could rightfully ask, why didn’t you make the roofing company come and fix it?

The answer is 2 fold. One, I ordered the roof and I should have been aware that it came with a continuous ridge vent. It is not up to the roofer to go into the attic to determine if you ordered the right roof before he or she installs it.

Second I always fight the battles I want to fight. I have expertise in this area and though I wish I would have thought of the foam solution earlier, it did not take much longer to fix the problem the way I fixed it. Another homeowner might have thought that this was a fight to take to the roofing company.

It turned out when we finally got around to stripping out the paneling to remodel the attic that they had done the same thing to the dormer…man was it hot up there!

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There Is Something In The Attic And It’s Alive II – Roof Leaks are so much fun

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I ended up where I started off. I started with a badly leaking roof in the big shed. I moved on to a leaky basement. Finally I paid 11,000 $$$ for a leaky roof.

It’s Jam Band Friday – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_0UXRY_rY

Now a traditional home owner would have been calling their lawyer and loading their shotguns, Cathy is an electrician and I am a carpenter so on the second leak we called Dean our roof guy and expressed our displeasure. In the mean time I had been trying to figure out what was going on. I had to take out a bunch of wet insulation. The more I tracked the water up the roof, the more it veered toward the gable vent that I had assumed was sealed and insulated.

http://www.customcopperdesigns.com/Product_Catgs/Gables/index.html

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yGCHPmfqT0&feature=related

Our 2 eve vents were the  triangular ones listed at the bottom of the page. I got this horrible feeling in my gut. Slowly the horror grew. I had an energy monster living in my attic! Me an energy expert had the equivalent of a 4 x 4 ft. hole in my wall in my attic. I knew I had to kill it but the previous owners of the house (who should be shot) had presented me with serious problems. I tried to take the ceiling panel down to get a quick look and discovered that the panels were all beveled. That is the ceiling panel was trapped by the sloping panel which was trapped by the knee wall panel which was trapped by the carpet tack strips from the old carpet…%$&#@*! Is what I said over and over again..

http://mtlcontracting.com/finished_attics.htm

www.hunnewellhomes.com/remodeling.asp

http://s93883215.onlinehome.us/adamjaneiro/2007_09_01_archive.html

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORAvMk-iXec

YOU know exactly what I mean. Everyone has a friend that grew up in the attic. So by the time I basically got 2 whole 4 ft wall and side panels off I was a mixture of pissed, curious and freaked. But it got worse. I made the mistake of pulling the roof panel down with the slope pointing towards me and when I got about half the panel down I was hit in the face with dirt and dust like I had never seen. I let go of the panel and dashed downstairs to wash my face. Then I went out on the front porch, shook my clothes off and brushed my hair out. Now I was nearly out of my mind. I dashed back upstairs to see what in the world had just happened to me. There on the floor were thousands of hornets nests! I looked up at the open unscreened gable vent in disbelief. I mean open to the outside world and only stoppered by an 1/8th inch piece of cheap 1950’s wood paneling. 1953 to be exact. What idiots.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBOGqaiVLUs&feature=related

I got up in the ceiling and looked back the other way. What I saw was a long tunnel formed by the ceiling panels and the roof and ANOTHER unscreened totally open vent at the other end. Then I looked up at a light in the sky – open, though screened continuous ridge vent. I started throwing things around the room, stomped downstairs and called Cathy at work. I screamed for awhile until she got me calmed down. She said, can you fix it? I said yah but I shouldn’t have to. She said, yah right and hung up the phone. The woman has no sense of humor. So then I pulled down the other panel. I scooped up three trash cans full of bees nests.

http://www.virginmedia.com/digital/science/pictures/insect-photography.php?ssid=8

www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/nf/ClipArt/Ima..

http://gardenplotter.com/rospo/blog/2007/03/old-attics.html

At the west end of the house I even found 2 dinner plate sized wasp nests even though my biologist father claims that wasps and hornets will not cohabitate.

http://pestcontrolcanada.com/INSECTS/wasp_and_hornet_control.htm

http://www.aardvark-ie.com/wasps.htm

Then I sealed the vents with black plastic, caulk and staples. I stuffed the space with R-17 insulation and put the wood panels back in place. I have no idea how to seal up a ridge vent that should not be.

Here is how the pro’s do it:

http://www.onthehouse.com/wp/20030929

Since gable vents usually are architectural elements, it generally is best to seal them from the interior with a piece of plywood, thus preserving the architectural integrity of the home and eliminating the need to make a siding patch.

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More on getting rid of the ridge vent Monday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muyqMrsuLXw&feature=related

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There Is Something In The Attic And It’s Alive – Our metal roof and huge discoveries

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We finally decided to get a metal roof and that was a learning experience in and of itself but it led to many horrifying discoveries. But first the metal roof.

http://www.newenglandmetalroof.com/

http://www.metalroofingwholesalers.com/

We shopped around and it was amazing the difference in contractors. I asked 4 contractors to give us bids on both a metal roof and a standard roof. I also asked if they had installed a metal roof and could I see it. On one end, a contractor who had done work for a couple of my friends that they were happy with showed up at the house. He took no measurements. He did not get on the roof. He said a metal roof would be 15,000 $$$ and 25 year roof in shingles will be 7,000 $$$. Let me know what you decide and left.! I called my friends and said WTF. They said, oh John is such a clown but he does good work…

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61nP-dDSKTL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Another contractor was good with the numbers but vague about experience and two other contractors seemed to have the numbers and the experience. One, Promax from Decatur gave me great references, One metal and one traditional. We decided to do the metal roof with them. I am an ex-roofer. I wish I could say that things went smoothly. They didn’t. I am currently satisfied, but there were problems some of which they couldn’t control.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61nP-dDSKTL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

They ordered the roof. It arrived late and not all the parts came. They had to reorder the parts. It rained every four days so that a job that was supposed be done in 2 weeks in June took 2 months, June and August. Did I mention that it was blazing hot when it wasn’t raining?

chicagoist.com/2008/07/09/watch_pro_volleybal…

Nonetheless two things were apparent when they were done. The valley’s around the dormers had been done “creatively” and we would just have to see how the winter went. Cathy was concerned about falling ice from the garage hitting the house and I was concerned about ice damming. The creativity about the valleys is hard to explain.. They do three feet of flashing in the valley and then cover it with metal roofing. The center of the valley is essentially decorative because the seam is protected by the sealing and the flashing. Well that and the continuously vented ridgecap (much more on that later) and the valley pieces were part of the reordered parts and when they showed up they had to get creative because the roof was pretty much done. They turned the valley pieces upside down and affixed them giving our roof a “distinctive” look.

roofblog.jpg

roofblog1.jpg

As I said, unconventional. I understand. They would have had to unseal almost the whole roof  to insert the metal under the other pieces of roofing for what was a decorative effect. But it scared the living bejesus out of the contractors we asked for bids on the solar space for the back of the house. Anyway to make a longer story much shorter the roof leaked in February and they came back and tinkered. The roof leaked in March and they came back and found the problem. Not however before I discover some real serious problems that horrified me.

More on Friday.

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Confessions Of An Energy And Environmental Activist – Why a mechanic’s car never works,

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a carpenter’s doors are never square and the wiring in an electricians house is always scary. Because you never do at home what you do at work. I never had this problem in New Orleans or when I moved back from Springfield. We owned our house in New Orleans and I put a lot of easy low cost energy improvements there. In Springfield, I had rentersitis and was working for Planned Parenthood, Lowe’s and the Sara Center and was not focused on energy issues.

When I moved in with Cathy in 2004 you would think I would have thought about maybe doing an energy audit but I was still working for the Sara Center and I was really absorbed by that project. I also assumed that if there were major problems Cathy would have found them by that time. She moved in in 1999 and had actually replaced the furnace with a really efficient one for the time. I guess by the time I got around to helping to start Community Energy Systems in 2007 my mind had been cleared by our fight to save our rather full and large (25 x 12 ft.) shed. That event marked the beginning of not only cursing the previous owner but realizing that there could be real problems with the house. I had never met a roof that I couldn’t get to stop leaking before I met this shed…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/quillus/118385662/in/set-539999/

I tried caulk. I tried Plastic Tarps. The Leak just got worse to the point where something really had to be done. It was rotting away. In the interim Cathy and I had been discussing getting a metal roof for the house. I had reservations mainly because Cathy wanted the metal roof because she want a “clean water” cistern system to use in the garden. A conventional roof was about 6,000 $$$ and a metal roof was like 15, 000 $$$. Finally I said to her, look we got to do something about the shed or tear it down which means we are going to have to spend money to hold the line until we get our new roof.

So we tore off the roof and immediately found the problem. There were 3 sets of shingles on the roof. To get ready for the sale to Cathy the previous owners had put a brand new set of shingles over 2 old sets. It was the oldest set that was causing the problem. They were so old that they had become water ABSORBENT! So we had to tear off a perfectly good set of shingles to get at and out of the real problem which had OBVIOUSLY been going on before the sale of the house and the previous owners knew about it. Very nice folks.

www.twincitiesdailyphoto.com/labels/cottage%2…

Scroll down to the post 5/30/2009 and you can see a picture of what the roof looked like under the new shingles. It was nasty. The water damage to the roof and the eves was extensive. Eventually however we got all that repaired and we put on a self adhesive roll roofing which cost about 300 $$$ and the cost of a laborer to help me was about 1,200 $$$. We had a lot of scrap lumber from our new and improved bathroom project. So we got off pretty cheaply.

http://www.cofair.com/peel_seal.aspx
But that got me to thinking. What else could be hiding in the house that had similarly been covered up? The answer to that when I found it was huge. After Cathy’s son moved out of the attic I had torn out the early 1960, very nasty carpet and cut it into strips so Cathy could use it as weed suppressing pathways in her garden.

100_1816.jpg

The other area of the house that we were having trouble with was in the basement. We had a room mate living there for years who had a dog. She bought a house and moved out so I tore the basement apart and cleaned it up. We had water problems, drainage problems and the whole thing was painted putrid green.

So I shut off the HVAC vents, shut the door to the attic and sealed it. What a mistake that was. More tomorrow.

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Insulation – Why buy something and throw part of it away

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Would you buy a Soda Pop and poor part of it down the drain? Well why would anybody buy energy and cast it into the open air? It is dumb but hundreds of millions of Americans do it every year. There are some experts who argue that we can’t make our appliances or buildings with too much insulation or too “tight” because we have got to breathe. I am not one of those. I believe that air quality can be handled through a heat exchanger:

http://www.lennox.com/badair/beat//ventilation.asp

Many people want to start the discussion there however and I have learned to stop that, by simply saying, “how much insulation do you have in your house”, because no one has enough. At any rate here is what you can get from the Feds;

(while I am thinking about it you can get rebates at the State and local level. I may discuss some of that but geeze there are 50 states and probably 7,000 counties in the US. Most of that info you WILL have to check on your own)

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits#c2

Insulation Insulation Meets 2009 IECC & Amendments 30% of cost, up to $1,5002 For insulation to qualify, its primary purpose must be to insulate (example: insulated siding does not qualify).Must be expected to last 5 years OR have a 2 year warrantyCheck to see if you have Home Performance with ENERGY STAR in your areas. Adding insulation to your home is covered.

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It is pretty straight forward:

Introduction

Why Insulate Your House?Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70% of the energy used in the average American home. Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes. Insulation:
  • saves money and our nation’s limited energy resources
  • makes your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the house, and
  • makes walls, ceilings, and floors warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

The amount of energy you conserve will depend on several factors: your local climate; the size, shape, and construction of your house; the living habits of your family; the type and efficiency of the heating and cooling systems; and the fuel you use. Once the energy savings have paid for the installation cost, energy conserved is money saved – and saving energy will be even more important as utility rates go up.

This fact sheet will help you to understand how insulation works, what different types of insulation are available, and how much insulation makes sense for your climate. There are many other things you can do to conserve energy in your home as well. The Department of Energy offers many web sites to help you save energy by sealing air leaks, selecting more energy-efficient appliances, etc.

How Insulation Works Heat flows naturally from a warmer to a cooler space. In winter, the heat moves directly from all heated living spaces to the outdoors and to adjacent unheated attics, garages, and basements – wherever there is a difference in temperature. During the summer, heat moves from outdoors to the house interior. To maintain comfort, the heat lost in winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in summer must be removed by your air conditioner. Insulating ceilings, walls, and floors decreases the heating or cooling needed by providing an effective resistance to the flow of heat.
Batts, blankets, loose fill, and low-density foams all work by limiting air movement. (These products may be more familiarly called fiberglass, cellulose, polyicynene, and expanded polystyrene.) The still air is an effective insulator because it eliminates convection and has low conduction. Some foams, such as polyisocyanurate, polyurethane, and extruded polystyrene, are filled with special gases that provide additional resistance to heat flow.Reflective insulation works by reducing the amount of energy that travels in the form of radiation. Some forms of reflective insulation also divide a space up into small regions to reduce air movement, or convection, but not to the same extent as batts, blankets, loose-fill, and foam.

Next Section – Which Kind of Insulation is Best?

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But there is a dizzying array of products:

The different forms of insulation can be used together. For example, you can add batt or roll insulation over loose-fill insulation, or vice-versa. Usually, material of higher density (weight per unit volume) should not be placed on top of lower density insulation that is easily compressed. Doing so will reduce the thickness of the material underneath and thereby lower its R-value. There is one exception to this general rule: When attic temperatures drop below 0?F, some low-density, fiberglass, loose-fill insulation installations may allow air to circulate between the top of your ceiling and the attic, decreasing the effectiveness of the insulation. You can eliminate this air circulation by covering the low-density, loose-fill insulation with a blanket insulation product or with a higher density loose-fill insulation.

Blankets, in the form of batts or rolls, are flexible products made from mineral fibers, including fiberglass or rock wool. They are available in widths suited to standard spacings of wall studs and attic or floor joists. They must be hand-cut and trimmed to fit wherever the joist spacing is non-standard (such as near windows, doors, or corners), or where there are obstructions in the walls (such as wires, electrical outlet boxes, or pipes). Batts can be installed by homeowners or professionals. They are available with or without vapor-retarder facings. Batts with a special flame-resistant facing are available in various widths for basement walls where the insulation will be left exposed.
Blown-in loose-fill insulation includes cellulose, fiberglass, or rock wool in the form of loose fibers or fiber pellets that are blown using pneumatic equipment, usually by professional installers. This form of insulation can be used in wall cavities. It is also appropriate for unfinished attic floors, for irregularly shaped areas, and for filling in around obstructions.
In the open wall cavities of a new house, cellulose and fiberglass fibers can also be sprayed after mixing the fibers with an adhesive or foam to make them resistant to settling.
Foam insulation can be applied by a professional using special equipment to meter, mix, and spray the foam into place. Polyisocyanurate and polyurethane foam insulation can be produced in two forms: open-cell and closed-cell. In general, open-celled foam allows water vapor to move through the material more easily than closed-cell foam. However, open-celled foams usually have a lower R-value for a given thickness compared to closed-cell foams. So, some of the closed-cell foams are able to provide a greater R-value where space is limited.
Rigid insulation is made from fibrous materials or plastic foams and is produced in board-like forms and molded pipe coverings. These provide full coverage with few heat loss paths and are often able to provide a greater R-value where space is limited. Such boards may be faced with a reflective foil that reduces heat flow when next to an air space. Rigid insulation is often used for foundations and as an insulative wall sheathing.
Reflective insulation systems are fabricated from aluminum foils with a variety of backings such as kraft paper, plastic film, polyethylene bubbles, or cardboard. The resistance to heat flow depends on the heat flow direction, and this type of insulation is most effective in reducing downward heat flow. Reflective systems are typically located between roof rafters, floor joists, or wall studs. If a single reflective surface is used alone and faces an open space, such as an attic, it is called a radiant barrier.Radiant barriers are installed in buildings to reduce summer heat gain and winter heat loss. In new buildings, you can select foil-faced wood products for your roof sheathing (installed with the foil facing down into the attic) or other locations to provide the radiant barrier as an integral part of the structure. For existing buildings, the radiant barrier is typically fastened across the bottom of joists, as shown in this drawing. All radiant barriers must have a low emittance (0.1 or less) and high reflectance (0.9 or more).

Previous Section – Introduction
Next Section – Insulating a New House

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People used to ask me if I had a preference and for the longest time I did. Now I just say get the most R’s for the lowest price. There is a nice guy from Pawnee, Kent Olson, that sells a hi tech version:

http://www.pawnee-lumber.com/

ESP Low-E

http://www.low-e.com/

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