Services – insulation, air sealing, ventilation, blower door testing, infrared, energy audits
Air Sealing-remember, home energy costs are not lowered by insulation itself. air sealing is is just as important. to keep heating costs down in the winter and cooling costs down in the summer it is beneficial to seal cracks and air leaks in your house to prevent air infiltration. air infiltration whether it be hot or cold displaces air in the living space that has been adjusted to a homeowners desired comfort. the more air infiltration; the more energy is spent counteracting this infiltration.
there are several different products used for air sealing the most common are caulk, foam, duct sealing, and weatherstripping.
Insulation (attics)- insulation reduces the flow of heat, keeping it in your home longer, this in turn cuts down on the amount of time your furnace spends in use. in the summer insulation reduces the warm air in the attic from radiating down into the living space.
r-value is a measure of insulations’ resistance to heat flow. in the northeast for gas and oil heated homes, an r value of 38 is recommended, and for homes with electric heat an r-value of 49 is suggested. we primarily use two types of insulation at energy protectors. fiberglass batts provide an r-value of 3.1/inch compared to Cel-Pak cellulose which provides 3.8/inch.
prior to insulating proper ventilation should be installed in the attic facilitating air from the soffit to the ridge unobstructed by the new insulation. this can be achieved by installing propa vents in each rafter bay. propa vents channel air while still preventing insulation from covering the soffit.
insulation (exterior walls)- exterior walls are another common area for heat escape in the winter and heat absorption in the summer. to properly insulate and dense pack exterior walls, siding will need to be removed and a hole drilled into the side of the house to access stud cavities. a fill tube is then inserted into the cavity and then packed at a desired density of 3.5lbs/cubic ft. when insulation is installed at this density it provides a unique air sealing quality. the hole is then plugged and foamed, a vapor barrier installed over the plug , and the siding re-installed.
Blower door testing- prior to any air sealing and insulation work begins at your home, a blower door test will be conducted. a blower door is a large fan that pulls air in from the outside and out through the fan exposing areas in your home that have the most air infiltration. if you could imagine a 20mph wind blowing on your house in all directions, this is what a blower door accomplishes. at completion of this test the blower door digital manometer will provide us with a measurement in cfm at 50 pascals. this same test is conducted upon completion of our work which gives us a sense of how air sealing work has progressed.
Infrared- infrared imaging is an invaluable tool when performing energy assessments. infrared cameras detect temperature variations in the shell of your which help determine if air is leaking and heat is being lost. energy protectors will take a detailed look at the walls ceilings and floors of your home using an infrared camera which can detect areas that may be missing or lacking insulation. a scan with our infrared camera can also pinpoint areas that are sources of air leakage. using an infrared camera in combination with the blower door is particularly helpful because the blower door will intensify existing air leakage.