Maureen Blaney Flietner © 2008
BobVila.com
When your thoughts turn to energy efficiency and comfort, you may start thinking about new windows, a furnace or an air conditioner. Experts suggest you take a step back. According to Energy Star, a national program from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, your most cost-effective move would be to first seal and insulate your home properly.
Assess the Problem
Start with a home energy audit, which can run from $200 to $400. While some homeowners may prefer to seek out leaks themselves, having a skilled set of eyes that knows where to look is almost more valuable than the specialized tests a professional auditor can perform. (For more information, read
"Plugging Up Leaks with a Home Energy Audit".)
Doug Maas, owner of A Closer Look Homes Inspections Inc. in Hortonville, Wis., has audited hundreds of homes as a certified consultant under Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program. He says each home has its unique problems. However, typically an audit might reveal homes that are leaky because energy conservation was not part of the construction process when fuel was cheaper. An audit might uncover a leaky home because improvement projects were incorrectly handled. Also, many homes were just not built to be as efficient as possible.
For Maas, a typical audit includes a blower door test, use of an infrared camera, a check for proper venting of combustion units such as a furnace or water heater, and inspection of insulation. His investigation also covers those areas that experience has taught him are likely to be typical air leak sites such as electrical outlets and where utility lines penetrate the house.
An infrared camera reveals dark areas that identify where cold is penetrating the home envelope-typically basement walls and attic hatches, among other areas.
After homes have been sealed and insulated, an audit can also check to make sure mechanical equipment is venting properly. First the home is depressurized to a particular level by turning on all exhaust fans and shutting all doors and windows. Then a monitor is used to detect whether deadly carbon monoxide gas is being pulled into the home through any chimney backdrafts.
Follow Audit Advice
An auditor will list areas for potential improvements. Many homeowners can tackle the caulking, foaming and weatherstripping. However, depending on improvements needed, they may want to hire professionals for the insulation.
Sites to air seal are typically on the inside and will stop not only air infiltration but indoor humidity from getting into walls. Exterior sealing is more for keeping rain out of the walls than air leakage. Audit suggestions will be specific to your home. For example, one recent audit of an old home suggested that the owner seal: joints between outlet boxes and drywall; exterior wall penetrations such as the gas line, electrical entrance and dryer vents; and penetrations into the attic such as electrical boxes, wire and plumbing chases. Weatherstripping is suggested for attic hatches and doors.
An auditor will point out areas where insulation has been inappropriately installed or is insufficient. Getting the proper amounts in the right places will block heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer and keep a home envelope healthier. That same audit suggested that owners insulate an attic to an R-value of 40 to 44 with blown-in cellulose or fiberglass, secure rigid foam to the attic side of all attic hatches and insulate side wall cavities where infrared images revealed blown-in product had settled. Check out this How To
video for easy tips on insulating your home. For more ways to seal your home, see
"Four Fixes to Stop Home Energy Leaks".
Finding Green Products
Sealing and insulating will go a long way toward making a home healthy and comfortable. But consider going a step further by using green products.
One place to find what is available is the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI). This independent nonprofit organization oversees GREENGUARD®, a third-party product certification program based on proven emission standards. Certified products are listed in its product guide on its web site at
http://www.greenguard.org.
GEI Communications Manager Laura Anne Spriggs says that with GREENGUARD, "products are tested to evaluate the emissions levels of individual VOCs [volatile organic compounds], TVOCs [total volatile organic compounds], specific chemicals and particulates. More than 2,000 chemicals can be identified using this test method. The acceptable emissions levels are listed on the web site as well as on the individual certificates." GREENGUARD-certified products must be retested annually to retain certification and quarterly sample testing.
"I think people are surprised to see that many of the products that they use or have been using are GREENGUARD certified," says Briggs. "The insulation industry was one of the first to really embrace GREENGUARD emissions testing because of the reputation that insulation products contributed to indoor air pollution. In many cases, the products that we test meet the emissions criteria without having to alter product formulations. In some cases, a manufacturer will have to re-engineer or re-formulate their product to meet the criteria. As more manufacturers have become aware of emissions, they are performing in-house quality control and independent testing to verify that their products do not contribute to indoor air pollution."
Air Leaks: What's Your Number?
Get an idea of where you stand before, or after, you take on your home's air leaks. Here's a rough rating of air "leakiness" for homes and typical amounts seen in the experiences of certified consultant Doug Maas of A Closer Look Home Inspections, Inc., Hortonville, Wis. CFM numbers will vary greatly depending on the square footage of the home, says Maas.
CFM Ratings
* 500 CFM or less – Excellent
* 500-1000 CFM - Good
* 1000-1500 CFM - Fair
* 1500 or more CFM - Poor
Typical CFM data
* An old farmhouse: 4500 to 6500 CFM
* A three-bedroom ranch built in the 1980s: 1800-3500 CFM
* Average home today by builder not aiming for energy efficiency: 1500 CFM or more
* Homes built today for energy efficiency: less than 500 CFM
Curious about your home and want to do a simple check? The U.S. Department of Energy offers this suggestion.
* Pick a cool, very windy day.
* Turn off your furnace.
* Shut all windows and doors.
* Turn on all exhaust fans that blow air outside, such as bathroom fans, to depressurize your home.
* Light an incense stick.
* Pass it around the edges of common leaks such as recessed lights, attic hatches, mail chutes, door frames, electrical outlets and switches.
* Watch the smoke trail. If it is sucked out of or blown into the room, there's an air leak that may need caulking, sealing or weatherstripping.
Innovative Options
One example of a GREENGUARD-certified product is BioBased Insulation's BioBased 1701, the first water-blown, closed-cell spray foam insulation to be introduced since spray polyurethane technology first emerged in the mid-1970s.
Jennifer Wilson, brand manager for BioBased Insulation, says the product is just one from a company solely focused on developing greener alternatives. She says the soy-based polyol, which becomes a thermoset plastic, has no food value, allows no mold growth, gives a good air seal and lasts for the life of the structure. Since it is water blown, it gets away from the ozone-depleting chemically blown options. It also reduces the dependence on foreign oil and supports farmers with its soybean base.
Another GREENGUARD-certified product is the OSI® GreenSeries™ Acrylic Urethane Indoor/Outdoor Sealant developed by Henkel Corp. of Avon, Ohio. Henkel's Scott Jackson, senior product manager, construction adhesives, and Michael Terhardt, director of construction adhesives, say the sealant is part of a seven-item assortment of adhesives and sealants that deliver high-performance solutions for green building.
"Primarily targeted to professional builders and remodelers, all OSI GreenSeries products have significantly lower VOCs and are a more environmentally friendly solution compared to traditional products used today," says Jackson. "In order to ensure our products meet the most stringent 'green' guidelines," says Terhardt, "we have also partnered with GREENGUARD as our third party institute to certify our products as green."
According to GEI's Spriggs, "As the concept of 'green' has become more popular, we have certainly seen more greenwashing in the marketplace. To help consumers navigate the various green claims that manufacturers and companies are making, it is important to look at programs such as GREENGUARD that offer third-party certification-the scientific process by which a product is reviewed by a reputable, unbiased third party to verify that criteria, claims or standards are being met. It is also important for consumers to understand what it means to be sustainable and to select the attribute(s) they believe are important when considering/evaluating the 'green' characteristics of a product. Recyclability, recycled content, energy efficiency, water conservation, chemical content, chemical emissions, [the] draw from natural resources, conservation of raw materials, durability, life cycle analysis, carbon footprint...these are among the categories that can be used to determine sustainability."
By using third-party-certified green products in insulating and sealing, consumers have a good start in creating a home environment that is not only safe, healthy and comfortable but helps the larger environment as well.
