tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.comments2021-07-13T06:47:10.521-04:00Massachusetts Super Insulation ProjectSuper Insulatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06274605316339158781noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-38480702407423893052012-12-06T12:50:21.634-05:002012-12-06T12:50:21.634-05:00This looks like a really great event! I want to do...This looks like a really great event! I want to do something like this with <a href="http://www.bpspecialist.com" rel="nofollow">insulation in buckeye az</a>. How much did they spend? How many people helped out? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01609081121084759161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-52067170097045122472012-08-29T12:50:27.351-04:002012-08-29T12:50:27.351-04:00Nice work! What insulation did you use? The darker...Nice work! What <a href="http://www.georgianinsulation.ca" rel="nofollow">insulation</a> did you use? The darker green color is much better..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-13393339797877296472012-07-31T15:09:02.657-04:002012-07-31T15:09:02.657-04:00I'm planning a similar project on my own home ...I'm planning a similar project on my own home and am having a hard time figuring out how to detail the windows. Can you explain how these deep window jambs and trim were attached and sealed over the foam?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05737773485179554990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-28362139017137644702011-09-27T13:04:25.668-04:002011-09-27T13:04:25.668-04:00Does your wireless electric meter usage transmitte...Does your wireless electric meter usage transmitter have a problem going through the foil faced insulation? I've experienced issues with a wireless phone and wifi having problems with foil faced insulation, metal doors, duct-work etc.John Rousseaunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-42318069479251464272010-10-07T16:02:22.332-04:002010-10-07T16:02:22.332-04:00Minimal icicles is good, but the superinsulated ho...Minimal icicles is good, but the superinsulated homes with full soffit-to-ridge ventilation that I've built in the last 30 years have had no icicles ever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-41146686670714601162010-01-13T05:17:10.687-05:002010-01-13T05:17:10.687-05:00To Jeremy Marin:
CFM means cubic feet per minute....To Jeremy Marin:<br /><br />CFM means cubic feet per minute. This unit of measurement is used to gauge the air leakage of a house. On this project the original (pre-project) blower door number was 7800 CFM. This is the airflow needed to create a change in building pressure at 50 Pascals - the industry standard. This project final blower door test was around 2300 CFM; this is a dramatic drop. No wonder the project coordinators are pleased. The house is now very tight. <br />Another factor to take into account is the Building Tightness Limit. It is typically around 1300 CFM depending on the size and exposure of the building. You don't want your weatherization work to bring the building's air tightness to this level or below. <br /><br />I have useful guides and articles if you are interested at my website:<br /><br />http://www.americanbuildingtechnologies.com/<br /><br />Feel free to email me with any questions; Romain@americanbuildingtechnologies.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17236166297388458759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-3227846345049894362010-01-06T18:52:30.119-05:002010-01-06T18:52:30.119-05:00why no more posts? this is interesting stuff. did...why no more posts? this is interesting stuff. didn't you speak with someone in the government recently about raising insulation standards?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-66875645028915185332009-12-21T12:01:19.762-05:002009-12-21T12:01:19.762-05:00Nice project; the reality is that is cost-prohibit...Nice project; the reality is that is cost-prohibitive for most people. <br /><br />Thanks for an informative piece. <br /><br />Cliff Ageloff<br />Certified Energy Manager<br />MA. Construction SuperCliff Ageloffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13525310861622313755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-41669855794576831932009-12-19T06:44:12.873-05:002009-12-19T06:44:12.873-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-4655326797915352692009-11-13T07:35:47.410-05:002009-11-13T07:35:47.410-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Windows, Siding, Roofing and more...https://www.blogger.com/profile/13099859901081100142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-59085577570867535262009-11-03T16:31:26.603-05:002009-11-03T16:31:26.603-05:00Though the question of the environmental cost of a...Though the question of the environmental cost of a particular blowing agent is VERY important, it was not all that important to us for this project. <br />We decided, many times, that the benefit of the project completed as soon as possible outweighed the benefit of the perfect project with the most benign materials that would have taken longer to complete, if completed at all.<br />Yes these questions need to be answered. Future projects should consider materials, and the impact of materials choices.Alexhttp://www.superinsulating.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-76746629747820239302009-07-23T10:03:21.942-04:002009-07-23T10:03:21.942-04:00Stuart Besnoff
189 North Street
Windsor, MA 01...Stuart Besnoff<br /> 189 North Street<br /> Windsor, MA 01270<br /> 413-684-3950 <br /> sbes@alum.rpi.edu <br /><br /> <br />Alex,<br /> I read about your project in the RPI alumni magazine. Please let me know if you would like to compare notes with the new construction solar house which became my home during October 2008. Some details and photos are available at www.AlpineSolarHeat.com. <br /><br /> stu<br /> ‘75Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-46146324575139628832009-07-23T06:47:39.813-04:002009-07-23T06:47:39.813-04:00You are right that if want to give a new look to o...You are right that if want to give a new look to our house than remodeling is the best way but remodeling really cost lot of money that’s why I didn’t go for remodeling.Janee Martinhttp://generalcontractors411.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-4949190430215937742009-06-08T08:18:38.141-04:002009-06-08T08:18:38.141-04:00Is the attic foam closed cell or open cell? And ho...Is the attic foam closed cell or open cell? And how were you able to leave the foam exposed which is a violation of the mass uilding code?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-59526252793061784082009-05-21T09:48:07.658-04:002009-05-21T09:48:07.658-04:00Seeing this project makes me enormously happy that...Seeing this project makes me enormously happy that existing buildings can be retrofitted in an intelligent way & for less than the cost of starting with an empty lot. <br /><br />One other question I have on the energy analysis done on the project is: did designers take into account the impact of CO2e of blowing agents used in the various foams? <br /><br />There is an excellent paper on this topic that evaluates the financial and environmental impact of the global warming potentials of blowing agents, which foam manufacturers tend to ignore by instead focusing discussion on the earlier success in move away from ozone-depleting substances. <br /><br />Building and Environment 42 (2007) 2860–2879, abstract. <br /> <br />Net climatic impact of solid foam insulation produced with halocarbon and non-halocarbon blowing agents<br /><br />L.D. Danny Harvey<br /><br />Department of Geography, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, Canada M5S 3G3<br /><br />Received 6 July 2006; received in revised form 28 August 2006; accepted 20 October 2006<br /><br />Abstract<br /><br />The net climatic effect of increasing the amount of insulation in buildings through the use of halocarbon-blown foam insulation involves three factors: the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the energy used to make the insulation; the climatic impact of leakage of the halocarbon blowing agent from the insulation during its manufacture, use, and at the time of disposal; and the reduction in heating and/or cooling energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Recent studies and assessments leave the impression that the use of halocarbon-blown foam insulation has a strong net positive impact on climate, with the reduction in heating-related emissions being 20–100 times greater than the CO2-equivalent halocarbon emissions. This result applies only to the overall impact of rather modest levels of insulation applied to a pre-existing roof or wall with negligible thermal resistance. It is appropriate to consider the time required for heating-related emission savings to offset halocarbon and manufacturing emissions for the addition of successive increments of insulation—the marginal payback time. For typical blowing agent leakage rates and for insulation levels found in high-performance<br />houses, marginal payback times can be in excess of 100 years using halocarbon blowing agents, but are only 10–50 years using nonhalocarbon blowing agents. With a fixed thickness of insulation, the difference in heating energy savings using insulation with different blowing agents is generally only a few per cent, in spite of differences in thermal conductivity of up to 66%. The net savings in CO2-equivalent emissions is larger using non-halocarbon blowing agents, with the relative benefit of using non-halocarbon blowing agents<br />greater the greater the thermal resistance of the envelope element prior to adding foam insulation.<br /><br />r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.<br /><br />Keywords: Foam insulation; Polyurethane; Extruded polystyrene; Halocarbons; Embodied energy; Greenhouse gases<br /><br />Peter Shepherd<br />TorontoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-35787464146273636672009-05-18T12:00:00.000-04:002009-05-18T12:00:00.000-04:00Could you say how much more the project would roug...Could you say how much more the project would roughly cost had it been done outside of a pilot project framework?<br /><br />Also, when you calculated the payback as 20 years, was that at current or projected fuel prices. If at projected prices, who's did you use?<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Peter Shepherd<br />TorontoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-13412927461284848162009-04-29T07:25:00.000-04:002009-04-29T07:25:00.000-04:00So what was the cfm? Enquiring minds want to know....So what was the cfm? Enquiring minds want to know.Jeremy Marinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18307993092253527957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-38611099300729233662009-04-29T07:24:00.000-04:002009-04-29T07:24:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Jeremy Marinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18307993092253527957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-21098697175840986512009-04-10T21:30:00.000-04:002009-04-10T21:30:00.000-04:00Wow! The house really looks great. I've been thi...Wow! The house really looks great. I've been thinking about blow-in insulation for my 1880 Roslindale home, but the total wrap is really compelling. I wonder if more contractors will pick up this concept and run with it? Thanks for being a test pilot!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-84393186441751041682009-01-26T23:32:00.000-05:002009-01-26T23:32:00.000-05:00I do believe that he's done it! A hip roof. You ...I do believe that he's done it! A hip roof. You are brilliant.Super Insulatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06274605316339158781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-41161878732281960842009-01-26T21:27:00.000-05:002009-01-26T21:27:00.000-05:00Nice. One of my favorite winter hobbies.My guess ...Nice. One of my favorite winter hobbies.<BR/><BR/>My guess r. the diag. telltail: the roof before they put on the extension did not have a gable end, but a hip end (is that the right term?).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-72435433261341615032009-01-23T17:10:00.000-05:002009-01-23T17:10:00.000-05:00Kudos on your project, and setting an example of w...Kudos on your project, and setting an example of what needs to be done to as many buildings as possible -- there's no reason that we couldn't all do what you're doing -- provided that there is least a little help for those willing to bite the bullet and go for it, at least for the "early adopters" -- since the more this kind of thing gets done, the easier and less costly it will become. Maybe we'll even see it become common for new construction, when it's much easier to do.<BR/><BR/>I actually have been saving up for a few years to do exactly what you're doing: "super-insulating" the exterior of our home. I'm sure it won't be cheap, but ultimately it will be worth it, both in comfort (no more cold drafts!) and in heating costs. After the insulation project I'd like to add a passive solar-preheating system for our forced-hot-water, and probably be able to not run the furnace at all except in the dead of winter.<BR/><BR/>I'm interested in hearing about how you went about getting funding and sponsors for your project, as I have the finances for about half of the project I want to do, and if I could find a matching grant or something like that -- I could start it this year, instead of having to wait another 3-5 years to save enough pennies in my piggy-bank (so-to-speak)<BR/><BR/>And then there's the catch-22 of potentially increasing heating costs, making it more difficult for projects like this to get off the ground, if people aren't able to afford them.<BR/><BR/>Congratulations on being a Super-Insulation pioneer!Pirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10998897725639799210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-59124002633585891762009-01-19T09:35:00.000-05:002009-01-19T09:35:00.000-05:00Obviously "Iceland" is an example of truth in adve...Obviously "Iceland" is an example of truth in advertising. It's a shame that Valdemar signed in anonymously.<BR/>Valdemar is referring to homes "forced" to be built new to meet the particular demands of the local climate. Our building codes still do not require us to do that here. What are we waiting for???<BR/><BR/>This website follows the retrofit of a house built on the cheap, when every heating problem could be solved by another ton of coal and an open window.Super Insulatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06274605316339158781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5245200048546053990.post-4232965097020335692009-01-19T05:57:00.000-05:002009-01-19T05:57:00.000-05:00Hi there, I just had to comment on your project. I...Hi there, I just had to comment on your project. I live in Iceland and as you might expect, it gets mighty cold up here :) So we are forced to build *real* houses, meaning foot thick concrete and another 4 inches of insulation (usually rockwool). Our houses are cheap to heat and even if it's 10 below you may not even have to turn the heat on at all, your body heat is enough to heat a small room. We use double or triple glass in the windows also.<BR/><BR/>A typical house foundation in Iceland (residential house):<BR/>http://www.steinull.is/images/Mynd_0114602.jpg<BR/>you can see the concrete with the steel binding sticking up, and the rockwool insulation on the outside... and some snow :) The insulation is then covered up, usually with steel or aluminum sheets, or another layer of concrete.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com