Insulation Institute Blog

Posts Categorized: Air Leakage

Great Insulation and Air Sealing at Lower Costs

In home construction, getting great air sealing and insulation are the Holy Grail in delivering a high-performance home with an effective thermal envelope. The prevailing belief among many in the building industry is that only spray foam insulation can deliver the thermal performance and airtightness that is required but that simply isn’t true. Moreover, installed costs are a top consideration for most builders, thus finding products that can help builders meet thermal performance and airtightness targets for less is important. Insulation Institute looks this week at new case studies for residential construction that show even the most aggressive airtightness targets can be met cost-effectively without using spray foam.

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Great Insulation and Air Sealing at Lower Costs

10 Hidden Air Leaks in New Construction

Sealing common air leakage pathways is key to achieving a tight thermal envelope. Often, hidden holes in new construction homes can make achieving an airtight envelope very difficult. Knowing where these hidden holes tend to occur can help builders avoid a massive air leakage issue. Our 10 Hidden Air Leaks in New Construction Homes guide covers the most common areas where these holes occur and offers solutions to fix the holes during the construction process.

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10 Hidden Air Leaks in New Construction

Two Air Leakage Items Blindsiding Builders

Home Energy Rating Systems (HERS) Raters can play a central role in helping builders transition to new more stringent residential building energy code requirements, like the 2012 or 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). As more states adopt newer versions of the code, HERS Raters are providing key guidance to builders that are tasked to deliver increasingly tight homes. That guidance includes essential training in how to reduce building air leakage. James Rodriguez of Fox Energy Specialists talks about the two things that may blindside builders when they must meet new code requirements and what builders must do to prepare for compliance.

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Two Air Leakage Items Blindsiding Builders

12 Areas of Focus for High Performance Walls

Getting high performance walls relies on proper air sealing before installing insulation, regardless of the insulation used. Air sealing is the most critical component of meeting the blower door testing requirement of the Residential International Energy Efficiency Code (IECC) 2012/15. To meet the 3 ACH50 target builders, contractors, and designers must develop an air sealing strategy. This can’t be done without understanding where homes typically leak air to prevent and/or address the top air sealing trouble spots.

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12 Areas of Focus for High Performance Walls