Insulation Institute Blog

Posts Categorized: Performance

New Guides Offer Expert Instruction for Attic and Roof Options

NAIMA has released two new instructional guides for insulation contractors and other building industry professionals. The guides cover best practices for two common construction options: vented roofs for cathedralized attics and vented attics for new homes.

Vented Attics for New Homes: Solutions That Work

This manual provides information and details on installing a vented attic in a new-construction home. It is organized around building science principles that maximize assembly performance, including proper air sealing, ventilation, and insulation installation to limit energy loss or heat gain.

A properly installed vented attic improves energy efficiency, prevents moisture damage, and extends roof life. This guide helps contractors learn the critical steps to deliver optimal performance.

Details »

New Fact Sheets Address Carbon Claims, Air Sealing Misconceptions

In the quest to decarbonize the built environment, architects, builders, and specifiers seek products that can help lower their environmental footprint. But in the rush to decarbonize, there is a risk of buying into overstated marketing claims that products are “carbon-negative.”

Our newly released fact sheet, Facts You Should Know About Cellulose and Wood Fiber Insulation Carbon Statements, examines some of the most common – and misleading – carbon claims about these products.

Details »

Habitat’s Blueprint for Smarter Housing

A habit Net Zero Home built in Louisiana.

While home affordability has risen to the top of the national challenges list in recent years, Habitat for Humanity has been tackling the issue for nearly 50 years to benefit low-income families. Insulation Institute recently talked with Adrienne Goolsby, Habitat for Humanity’s senior vice president, U.S. and Canada, about the company’s builds and how it keeps the cost of ownership, not just home building, at the center of its operations.

Details »

Four Ways Insulation Creates Homes that Last, Save, and Sustain

Insulation does more than keep homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It is the foundation of resilient, affordable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable living. As the national dialogue around housing affordability grows, it’s worth noting these four ways that insulation creates homes that last, save, and sustain.

Details »

Can AI Make Energy Retrofit Decisions?

Michigan State University (MSU) researchers have published analysis that concludes that large AI models can produce effective retrofit decisions but are less likely to identify which can deliver the best result most quickly and at the lowest cost. The study is one of the first to look at how large language models (LLMs) perform in determining how to assess efficient and effective building energy retrofits.

Details »

2021 IECC Beats NGBS on Energy Performance

Analysis conducted by ICF consulting compared the home energy performance of the 2020 National Green Building Standard (NGBS), the first residential green building standard to undergo the full consensus process from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the 2021 Residential International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The analysis showed that the NGBS is not equivalent to the 2021 IECC except possibly at the Emerald level, and all homes at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels result in worse energy performance and higher energy costs than the 2021 IECC.

Details »

How the IRA Can Make Resilience Affordable

With the cost of homeownership skyrocketing and extreme weather on the rise, it’s increasingly important to know if your home is financially and physically resilient.

Housing affordability is a nationwide concern for homeowners. Rising costs across insurance, taxes, and utilities are creating serious financial strain. These rising costs are alarming enough, but when combined with the increasing threat of severe weather events, like the recent snowstorm in Portland, Oregon, that left 132,000 people without power for over a week, risks are leading homeowners to question if they’re properly prepared.

Details »
How the IRA Can Make Resilience Affordable

Better Built Homes at Any Budget

Shawn Nienhouse is a Certified Green Home Professional (CGHP) and Construction Project Manager for Habitat for Humanity of Kent County in Grand Rapids, MI. He oversees the construction of LEED-certified housing for families in need. His background also includes a stint as an estimator for a production builder that built close to code minimum homes. He’s spent significant time recently learning building science principles and high-performance, green construction details, and he shared his thoughts with us recently on why home builders must evolve from code-built to high-performance.

Details »
Better Built Homes at Any Budget

Can the Gamification of EE Deliver Success?

Researchers at Purdue University this week announced the creation of a patent-pending Internet of Things (IoT) software program called MySmartE that incentives people to use energy efficiency programs offered by the government and industry. Why does that matter? The lack of residential engagement with energy efficiency programs to measurably reduce energy use is stymying efforts to decarbonize the built environment, a priority for virtually every government and industry. Early results show that gamification might just do the trick.

Details »
Can the Gamification of EE Deliver Success?