Insulation Institute Blog

Posts Categorized: NAIMA Blog

“The Plate Escape”: where you’re leaking the most air

In the 1963 film “The Great Escape”, we were rooting for McQueen, Bronson, Attenborough and crew to safely escape the Nazi prison camp. When it comes to air fleeing our homes, our hope is exactly the opposite. Codes and customers are pushing for more energy efficient homes, and that means tighter envelopes. Tighter homes have significant impacts on both moisture management and air quality, but at a more basic level, they are just plain hard to build. A tight home is a result of successfully combining People, Practices and Products (our 3 Ps of air sealing) to deliver the desired result. Executing requires diligence from multiple subs, at many stages of a build, typically employing multiple products, both air barrier materials and sealing accessories. This complexity begs the question: how do I prioritize my focus (and my money) to attack the biggest problems first?

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“The Plate Escape”: where you’re leaking the most air

Why Insulation is Crucial for Moisture Management

Moisture is one of the most damaging elements a building can encounter and is the leading cause of construction litigation. In a recent post for Professional Builder Magazine, Johns Mansville Principal Building Scientist J.R. Babineau talks about the role insulation plays in managing moisture in a wall system and why the issue is becoming increasingly important as energy codes become more stringent.

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Why Insulation is Crucial for Moisture Management

Zero Energy Ready Homes…Using Fiberglass Batts

Back in March, we wrote about the wide array of insulation and air sealing approaches used by homes that meet DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) specification. Among the approaches that can work is the use of fiberglass batts. Mutual Housing California demonstrated how to use batts to achieve ZERH certification in their Mutual Housing at Spring Lake development in Woodland, California. This 62 unit project was the first multifamily, affordable rental development to receive ZERH recognition. However, getting that performance level with batts requires acknowledging a basic fact: the product can get you the performance, but only if the installation is up to snuff.

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Zero Energy Ready Homes…Using Fiberglass Batts

Insulation Installation: You Don’t Get What You Expect, You Get What You Inspect

One of the things that impressed me most as a first-time attendee of the RESNET conference in March of this year was the caliber of the speakers – they all seemed knowledgeable, credible and more often than not, entertaining.  I’m a big fan of soundbites, and I usually leave a meeting with a few good ones that I think capture the essence of those subjects most applicable to me. A good one from this year’s conference:  “You don’t get what you expect, you get what you inspect.” This is a good message generally, but this really resonated with me when it comes to installation of insulation.

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Insulation Installation: You Don’t Get What You Expect, You Get What You Inspect

What the “Google Era” Means for Energy Efficient Homes

Over the first half of 2016, The Insulation Institute conducted qualitative research[1] with builders exploring a few areas, including the changing dynamic between home builders and home buyers. The “Google Era” has changed the way homebuyers enter into the buying process and is reshaping their interactions with builders. They are researching more; more about homes, more about building products, just more in general. This leads to new opinions and new questions for builders, including about energy efficient homes. These opinions and questions can be a problem, if not responded to effectively. Our research found that builders can employ three effective techniques when faced with a buyer (or prospective buyer) who has ideas about energy efficient homes that may be a challenge if not properly addressed.

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What the “Google Era” Means for Energy Efficient Homes

There’s Insulating a Building. And Then There’s REALLY Insulating a Building.

For an insulation inspection during a building inspection, our handy guide – “25 Checkpoints for Inspecting Insulation Jobs” – covers all the bases, and then some. Intended to provide useful guidance on how to improve the quality of the installation of insulation products, the List has been created by our experts here at the Insulation Institute. It tells you what to look for when inspecting insulation in wall areas, as well as ceilings, floors and other areas.

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There’s Insulating a Building. And Then There’s REALLY Insulating a Building.

A breeze. A draft. A blast. A wind. A whiff. Who knew air could take so many forms in a building?

No matter what you call it, air flow and its management are vital to the performance, energy efficiency and comfort of a new or renovated home. Not only that: improper air flow can have severe effects on the health and safety of the people in the building by promoting mold growth, spreading pollutants, and possibly creating backdrafting of combustion appliances, increasing the possibility of carbon dioxide poisoning.

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A breeze. A draft. A blast. A wind. A whiff. Who knew air could take so many forms in a building?

Fast, Good and Cheap: Enemies of Quality Installation

In the past three years working within the insulation industry I’ve had a many conversations with builders, contractors and our manufacturer members about getting Grade 1 installation using fiber glass batt insulation. Three conversations in particular stick out in my mind as both insightful and accurate: two separate conversations with The Green Building Curmudgeon, Carl Seville, and one with Toler Insulating owner Wayne Toler. Each conversation left me with this: when it comes to quality installation of fiber glass batts, you can’t get fast, good and cheap. So, you have to pick two. Or do you?

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Fast, Good and Cheap: Enemies of Quality Installation

Want To Insulate Yourself From Customer Complaints About High Energy Costs? Establish a Good Thermal Boundary.

When it comes to energy costs, we all know the big numbers lie in heating and cooling the house. A large portion of this excessive energy use is due to air leakage as well as too little – or improperly installed – insulation. A good thermal boundary, which includes insulation, windows and doors, not only reduces energy waste, but also greatly increases an occupant’s comfort. Which brings us to heat flow. How heat flows, where it goes and how to control it is key to a whole-house systems approach that can create better homes for today’s homeowners.

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Want To Insulate Yourself From Customer Complaints About High Energy Costs? Establish a Good Thermal Boundary.