Media Attention and V.I.P. Visits

Certainly the best known project of its kind in North America, with national media in both consumer and professional outlets, broadcast, print, and online.
This project has gotten plenty of attention.....but is it ever enough? Nahhh.

March 13, 2014
Boston Museum of Science
Here Comes the Sun:  Engineering Insulated Homes by Engineering is Everywhere
The Museum of Science produces an educational video targeted at America's middle school age crowd.  The video would be the first step in a unit, that would include projects to create and test insulated models.  Great production values.

July 2010
ASRAE Report
Residential Exterior Wall Superinsulation Retrofit Details and Analysis by Kohta Ueno
Kohta, a consultant of Building Science Corp, analyzes 3 projects including ours.

April 29, 2010
Green Building Advisor
Energy -Efficiency Retrofits: Insulation or Solar Power? by Martin Holladay
The story asks the right question, "Are there other ways to get to the same place?", or in this case could you spend the same money on solar power and be ahead of spending the money on insulation? The author though ignored information which we had provided which did not support his contention, and padding costs unrelated to insulation to make it look more expensive and less attractive. Read the story, and then read our response below it.

April 21, 2010Massachusetts Dept of Energy Resources
Zero Net Energy Buildings: Residential Case Study
Deep Energy Retrofit, Arlington, Mass.
The state summarizes our Arlington project, which has become the template for all programs of their type in the state.

April 12, 2010
Builder Online
Massachusetts Super-Insulation Project Reveals Impressive Results by Nigel Maynard
The results of all our hard work for all to see.

March 12, 2010
CNET
'Deep energy retrofits' take root in homes by Martin Lamonica
Photo of our house makes the story which touches on many other projects.

March 10, 2010
Building 10
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Convention (NESEA)
Deep Energy Retrofits: Case Studies
Presentation: "Teaching an Old House New Tricks"
Home owner presents the result of 68% heating oil reduction.
The Full Presentation at NESEA
This project is either the "It" project...or I'm hyper-sensitized to references to it. There is near total awareness of our project by contractors and architects at NESEA. That's their interest, so it shouldn't be a complete shock.
But, it is truly unbelievable how many people outside the trade are familiar with the project. You have no idea what a relief it is to have attained a 68% efficiency, and not look like a complete dope.

January 7, 2010
Renovation Nation with Steve Thomas
Green Planet Channel
Nearly 14 months since it was filmed, with more post-production work than Avatar, and now finally broadcast. It was entertaining, it was funny, you got a taste of what was happening in the project but it was a sort of an alternate reality reality television. We all played our characters well, and no one was particularly damaged in the telling.
And the best stuff......some of the best stuff anyway didn't make the cut.









November 19, 2009
Project toured by Building Science Corp. President Betsy Pettit with Ken Neuhauser, National Grid's Residential Building Science Specialist David Legg, and hailing from Colorado at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was Senior Engineer Marcus Bianci. They all seemed to like the project though our decision to insulate the basement ceiling and not the roof was discussed as being non-optimal.





November 13, 2009CyberGreenRealty's Blog
So you think you can insulate, by Tim Cahill
More discussion about our project
November 2009
Journal of Light Construction
Retrofitting Exterior Insulation by David Joyce
The project contractor principal David Joyce speaks up about the details of the project in this 8 page extravaganza.

November 5, 2009
Philip Guidice, Commission at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), reporting to the Secretary, made his first tour of the project, along with DOER project champion, Larry Masland. Mr. Guidice had approved the project and included it in his testimony to Congress (see February 24, 2009). (Larry left, Alex center, Phil right)



October 29, 2009
The Fraunhofer Institute USA comes for for a full tour of the project. The Germany R&D institute is studying how to reduce the cost of a thermal retrofit.

April 24, 2009
The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009Testimony by Mass. Sec of Energy Ian Bowles to
US House Subcommittee on Energy & Environment and
Committee on Energy and Commerce
with Chairman Ed Markey Washington DC.
Text of Ian Bowles Testimony (referred to in page 3)

April 13, 2009
ABC Boston Affiliate WCVB-TV Channel 5 News
Stock footage from March 31, 2009 and December 22, 2008 used to illustrate green jobs and job training issues.

April 6, 2009
Remodeling Magazine (print & web)
Laying It on Thick by Nina Patel


April 6, 2009
GreenBuildingAdvisor.com
(a Joint Venture of Taunton Press, publishers of Fine Home Building Magazine)
Superinsulation Pilot Program Paves the Way to an Energy-Efficient Future
by Rob Wotzak

March 31, 2009ABC Boston Affiliate WCVB-TV Channel 5 News
Going Green Boston segment with David Brown
Take Advantage Of Tax Credits To Go Green: Homeowners can recoup expenses







March 11, 2009
GETTING TO ZERO
Final Report of the Massachusetts Zero Net Energy Buildings Task Force
The Task Force was charged by Governor Deval Patrick with developing recommendations to bring the state's homes and businesses to zero energy.
Our project makes the final report as a Case study on page 25, as well as making the cover.

February 27, 2009
Boston's Greenest Houses
"Radio Boston" on WBUR
"Alex from Arlington" caller #1 at Min 14+. You will have to follow the link above to hear the audio.
Pretty good though we were slammed on the total cost.

The key point on cost, which was written on my notes but I forgot to bring up was brought up by caller #2, Project friend, and fellow super-insulator "Eric from Newton". Eric stressed that this is work you would do when ALREADY doing a major renovation. Doing a roof super-insulating upgrade when already doing a new roof, for example when most of the cost of an extreme energy retrofit is covered by work you had to do anyway.

The show spent time discussing both Extreme retrofits and the caulking solution. Caulking is fine, and certainly economical, but it is not enough to reach carbon reduction goals and energy independence.

February 24, 2009
Testimony to US House Subcommittee on Energy & Environment with Chairman Ed Markey
Washington DC
Hearing: “Energy Efficiency: Complementary Polices for Climate Legislation”

Excerpted Testimony of Philip Guidice
Commissioner of Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
"Let me give you some examples of what is happening in Massachusetts as a result of this activity. A homeowner named Alex Cheimets is in the final stages of a major renovation. This started – as these things often do – with a small water leak, and ended with a bold project that is expected to reduce his energy use by half or more, through thorough air sealing of the building envelope and adding four to six inches of foam insulation to the sides and roof of his house, as well as installing an air to air heat exchanger and monitoring equipment. His is a typical Massachusetts home – an eighty-year-old two-family house which leaked badly but now will be a model of what is possible."
For Philip Guidice's full testimony.

Everybody's Testimony

February 24, 2009 - March 10, 2009
A Flurry of Hanley-Wood trade publications run the story

Residential Architect Online: February 24, 2009
Massachusetts Pilot Project Explores Super Insulation for Old Houses by Nigel Maynard

Custom Home Online: February 24, 2009
Massachusetts Pilot Project Explores Super Insulation for Old Houses by Nigel Maynard

Builder Online: March 9, 2009
Pilot Project Explores Super Insulation for Older Homes by Nigel Maynard

EcoHome Online: March 9, 2009
Pilot Project Explores Super Insulation for Older Homes by Nigel Maynard

ProSales Online: March 10, 2009
Pilot Project Explores Super Insulation for Older Homes by Nigel Maynard

February 11, 2009
Natural Life Magazine March / April 2009
Super-Insulated Retrofit Keeps The Heat In by Rolf Priesnitz




January 29, 2009
The Boston Globe: Northwest Region
Green makeover, home edition by Sarah Metcalf
Above the fold, big color photos, and I get photo credit.








January 26, 2009
Remodeling Magazine Blog by Ted Cushman

January 19, 2009
Mass Climate Action Network
Arlington Home Gets "Super-Insulated"

January 16 - 29, 2009
Story Explodes Across the United States
Reporter Jay Lindsay with the Associated Press releases his story for regional and/or national distribution.
Title: Mass. hopes to learn from 'super insulated' house
ABC.com
MSNBC.com



Homeowner Alex Cheimets shows the two-inch-thick insulation on his house in Arlington, Mass. Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Cheimets' house is part of a super insulation pilot project designed to conserve energy and control heating and cooling costs for the homeowner. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
The story is picked up by the websites of:
ABC News
MSNBC
Boston Globe
Boston Herald
Worcester Telegram
Examiner.com
The South Coast Today
The Stamford Advocate
The Danbury CT News Times
Fosters Daily Democrat of NH
The Day from New London, CT
WHDH channel 7 Boston
CW channel 56 Boston
WBZ Radio & TV Boston
Denver Post
The New Herald of Burke County NC
WLBZ TV Bangor
Ashbury Park Press from the Jersey Shore
BC Hydro via Canadian Press
Helenair.com (Montana Regional Newspaper chain)
Washington Energy Services
Lexington Herald of Kentucky
Providence Journal
South Town Star (member of Chicago Sun Times)
Leader Telegram of Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the Chippewa Valley
The Tennessean
Sun Journal of Central Maine
Stoneham Independent (Massachusetts)
Chicago Tribune
Nashua Telegraph
Berkshire Eagle
WCSH 6 Portland, ME
Citizen Newspaper NH
Orange County Register (S. California)
NH.com (New Hampshire's online hub)
Mail Tribune of Oregon
Cincinnati Enquirer

We have confirmed that the story was in the print editions of:
Boston Globe
Cape Cod Times
Worcester Telegram
Nashua Telegraph
Hampshire Gazette (Northhampton, MA)
Orange County Register (S. California)
Unknown paper near Gainsville, FL
Fall River Herald (Fall River, MA)
Mail Tribune of Oregon
The Sentinel of Lewiston, PA
We assume that several other newspapers printed the story.

The story was broadcast by:
WBZ-Radio 1030
Fox 25 TV Boston

also by peak oilists, and survivalists of Oildrum.com

December 28, 2008
A google search find that the CNET story from December 22, is reprinted in too many blogs to list here.

December 24, 2008
Greentech Media Blog

December 24, 2008
Zero Energy Intelligence Blog
Promising Start For Zero Energy Insulation Project In Existing Home

December 24, 2008
Enerblog: Dispatches from inside the Energy Revolution
Quick news: Extreme insulation by Jim Hutton Johnson

December 22, 2008
ABC's Boston Affiliate WCVB-TV Channel 5
"Going Green Boston" segment by David Brown
"Super-Insulated Home Could Be Model In Energy Efficiency"
Story broadcast Monday 12/22 @ 11PM, and Tuesday 12/23 @ 5AM & 6AM & 5PM.
Text Link
Video Link






December 22, 2008
CNET's Greentech News
Can you 'superinsulate' that home, please? by Martin Lamonica.
Reprinted on CBS.com
Can you "Superinsulate" it?
Great story.

December 22, 2008
The Governor's Zero Net Energy Buildings Task Force publishes a poster describing their activities and goals. Our modest project is shown in one of the four example photos: contractor Synergy Companies' mad-man Mike on the roof figuring how to get 10" screws through 6" of insulation.
December 14, 2008
Energy Smackdown Pilgrimage
Members of the Energy Smackdown's Leadership Council come to Massachusetts' newest tourist destination. The Smackdown is a friendly competition for carbon reduction between 30 families in 3 towns. The competition will roll out state-wide in 2009.

They are joined by:
Freelance reporter Michael Prager (behind the sign).
CNET Greentech reporter Martin Lamonica (far left).




December 5, 2008
Vinyl Institute Publishes Story with focus on NuCedar's Siding
Home Renovation With Vinyl Siding Becomes State Energy Project

December 4, 2008
Boston Channel 5 WCVB TV: Reporter David Brown
Mass. Dept. of Energy Resources Commissioner: Frank Gorke
NStar spokespeople: Bill Stack and Michael Durand

David Brown reports on all things green in his weekly "Going Green Boston" segments bringing the skills of a reporter and the technical background of a meteorologist.
Funny story really, how we bumped into David Brown on the escalator at the GreenBuild Expo in Boston, gave him our 30 second escalator pitch and we were off to the races.
The segment airs Tuesday December 23.

Bill Stack with David Brown Frank Gorke with David Brown

November 20, 2008
Arlington Advocate Newspaper
Story: Saving on Energy: House gets a parka in time for winter.



November 18, 2008
Mass. Sec. of Energy & Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles
Secretary Ian Bowles, who leads the Department of Energy Resources visited to speak to Renovation Nation and to see the Pilot Project himself.

November 18, 2008
Planet Green Channel's "Renovation Nation" with Steve Thomas
A full production crew and Steve Thomas, the last contractor-host of PBS's This Old House, spent 2 days helping our contractors, discussing our configuration of super-insulation, and throwing yours-truly under the bus for dramatic effect. This episode will air this spring on the Planet Green Channel which is owned by the Discovery Network. Fun was had by all....even in the end by me.
Overlooking the tire tracks on my back, Steve Thomas impressed me as one hell of a host and first rate contractor. He ducked and weaved with all of the video-rookies, redirecting the conversation based on the facts on the ground, while simultaneously keeping track of the post-production issues of continuity, pacing, unplanned product branding, and lighting in this semi-scripted format. As a host his questions turned far from the generic procedurial that I had expected, and instead to the very heart of what "Green" is and the big and small compromises we all make in the modern world. He belittled, and amused, and backed you right up to the edge of the ledge because he knew his stuff, "Green" and otherwise. He then used that knowledge to throw you the undeserved line which the format prefers. Only time will tell if I still get thrown a line in the final cut.







November 17, 2008
Governor's Zero Net Energy Building Task Force
Residential Working Group
A pilgrimage and a meeting. The working group is charged "with developing recommendations to achieve "broad marketability" of Zero Net Energy throughout residential markets by 2020 and "universal adoption" of ZNE practices for new construction by 2030.
November 13, 2008NuCedar President Tom Loper
Siding supplier CEO Mr. Loper tours the project and trains the contractors on the lickity-split installation of the NuCedar system.

Project Work Today

Click HERE to see where the project is today.

....Kicking and Screaming into the 21st and 1/2 Century

How difficult could it be to retrofit an 80 year old two-family for state-of-the-art energy efficiency? Really. Stuff a little insulation here, a little caulk there, replace a few light bulbs and yell at the kids to take shorter showers......and you are done.
These are all great ideas, and by all means caulk away, but they won't get an 80 year old house (or any house already built) ready for 2050 when our carbon budget will be 80% less than it is today. You need to do more, more than can be accomplished with caulk, more than can accomplished by insulating the 3-1/2" deep cavities of your 80 year old walls, more than can be accomplished by screaming at your kids through the bathroom door. Trust us.

There are several competing ideas out there as to what "MORE" means, and this Pilot Project explores one of them in detail. We will be applying insulation to the OUTSIDE of a home, correcting for decades of incompetent cellulose installations and the cavities, gaps, and leaks those contractors never found as well as solving the problem of the 25% of any house made up of studs, joists, rafters, knee walls and beams which are never insulated.

Beyond learning the methods, materials, costs and performance of this retrofit, the more important results of this project will be an understanding of how super-insulation can be accomplished in stages. Super-insulating the roof when re-roofing, super-insulating the walls when residing; defining a path where most of the cost to upgrade insulation is already covered by a home's large though infrequent maintenance.

This Project would not have been possible without the support of:
Mass. Dept. of Energy Resources (DOER)
An agency filled with capable, empowered and entrepreneurial people who saw this project both as a tool for quickly building a real world knowledge base in super-insulation retrofits as well as an important part of Governor Deval Patrick's conservation initiative. Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles said of the project, "This super-insulation project in Arlington promises to be a model for the type of innovation in the building industry that the Patrick Administration hopes will soon be widespread across Massachusetts."

NStar Gas and Electric
NStar is a regional utility which generates and distributes electricity and natural gas and is committed to the goals of efficiency and conservation. NStar's VP of Customer Care, Penni McLean-Conner said of the project, "This pilot project is a perfect example of how Massachusetts is quickly becoming a leader in energy efficiency." NStar is a principal partner with the state's other utilities in rolling out the Governor's far sighted Green Communities Act which eliminates many of the obstacles to both large and small scale alternative energy production and distribution. NStar get's it.

Pella Corporation of Pella, Iowa
Pella is a manufacturer of some of the most stylish windows anywhere. They knew what we needed before we knew what we needed. They were way ahead of us with their recommendation of their Impervia line of fiberglass-framed double-pane Low-E windows, which last forever, are Energy Star rated, which eliminate the nasty thermal expansion problems of vinyl windows, and yet are stronger than steel (by weight). As an added benefit, the windows are priced competitively to vinyl which fits the overall project goals of finding economic paths to super-insulation.

NuCedar Mills of Chicopee, Massachusetts
Manufacturer of a classy, highly engineered, highly advanced family of pre-painted clapboard and trim which simply revolutionizes the way houses will be sided in the future. A baked-on paint which resists scratches and lasts decades but which can be repainted, a fastening system that eliminates face nailing, a trim system which eliminates caulking, a cellular PVC clapboard "virtually indistinguishable from painted cedar", all locally made here in Massachusetts.

Dow Building Solutions of Midland, Michigan
The world leader in foam insulation products was an early partner on the project and is our exclusive supplier of rigid foam. Dow's Tuff-R and Thermax lines of foil faced polyiso rigid foam were chosen both for their exceptional insulation properties of R-6.5/inch, as well as their superior compressive strength of 25 lbs/in2.

Atlas Roofing of Franklin, Ohio
Atlas Roofing has grown from a single factory in 1981 to 15 production locations throughout the United States. Their products include all grades of residential and commercial roofing products as well as many forms of rigid insulation. Atlas recommended their high performance, StormMaster Slate line to meet our requirement for a Lifetime product. We specified their lightest color option, Chalkstone Slate, to reflect more light and heat into space, to reduce roofing temperature and extend shingle life, and in a teeny tiny way reduce global warming. You're welcome.

Anderson Insulation of Abington, Massachusetts
Anderson Insulation is one of the region's long time suppliers of insulation and insulation services. Nobody else has this much experience. They answer their phones, they do a good job, they stand by their work. They also are an endless fount of technical and building code information to make sure that both you and your building inspector stay on speaking terms. On this project Anderson will be blowing in the Urethane and Icynene Foams in the nooks of the attic to seal off the knee walls and other leaky gaps, as well as the basement ceiling and basement rim joists.

Fantech of Sarasota, Florida
Fantech manufacturers a myriad of ventilation products including blowers, ducts, and other air management paraphernalia. Fantech will be supplying 2 small boxes which will go a very long way to making sure that this much tighter house will still be a pleasant environment in which to breath. Fantech is providing 2 Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs) which will continuously exchange stuffy inside air for fresh outside air while simultaneously warming the incoming air from heat salvaged from the outgoing air. HRV's go hand in hand with tighter construction.

Lemieux Doors of Windsor, Quebec
Bridgewater Mill Works (BWI) of Leominster, Massachusetts
Arlington Coal and Lumber of Arlington Massachusetts
The heavily cracked and damaged entryway doors necessitated full replacement. While Pella had some great insulated doors, the project's odd size and short landing before the stairs required a custom door size. Rescuing us from our door plight was 102 year old Canadian manufacturer Lemieux Doors which uses state of the art techniques to design and manufacture classic solid wood door styles. In partnership, BWI, will frame and pre-hang the door for a pre-tested fit and performance and simplified installation. Arlington Coal will make it all happen.

Onset Computer of Pocasset, Massachusetts
Where the rubber meets the road 1. Onset Computer manufactures equipment to monitor environmental conditions, water levels, weather, and electric energy use. Onset is providing the project with programmable USB connected HOBO data loggers which will record temperature and humidity every 15 minutes outside the building, AND on all 4 floors inside the building. Two additional loggers will be deployed in two adjacent similarly constructed homes for use as a control.

VisiTank of Ansonia, Connecticut
Fawcett Oil of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Where the rubber meets the road 2. The VisiTank technology allows home heating oil delivery companies to monitor their customer's daily usage of heating oil. With this technology your neighborhood heating oil company would see how full your tank is without the back of envelope guessing that goes on now.
Result: Fewer deliveries. Bigger deliveries. Fewer miles on the trucks and the drivers. Doesn't take a genius to see the benefits.
For our project, VisiTank is unique in its ability to economically provide day by day oil use data.

Combining the VisiTank oil use data with the Onset Computer temperature data, we will learn how efficiently this super insulated structure retains heat, how efficiently it is brought up to new temperature set points, and how well the heat is distributed throughout all 4 floors. This data will also be used to compare the oil use (corrected for external temperature conditions) against the consultant's projected oil usage and actual historic oil usage.

Synergy Companies of Leominster, Massachusetts
Who but the folks at Synergy to pull all of these moving parts together under the watchful eye of the media, political leaders, and a program manager & home owner who's had one coffee too many? Gary and David are the cool craftsman of insulation; fashioning, cutting and sealing the hundreds of rigid panels to fit together just so. Synergy specializes in zero and low energy construction and remodeling and may be the most experienced specialists in New England.

Marin Strategies of Arlington, Massachusetts
For weeks we marched around blind, making things up as we went, executing our own PR plan. We had some success, but we made it 3X harder than we had to.
When Marin Strategies joined the team they brought a knowledge and a professionalism that blew us away, and a rolodex that includes everybody who is anybody. So that's what it looks like when you know what you're doing?