Several weeks ago, several associates and I took a class on Building Analyst professional training from Building Performance Engineering. This week-long class teaches the principals of good retro-fit energy savings techniques on present residences and the proper way to design and detail new home construction. There are many ways to raise the energy efficiency of new or older homes.
Gas water heater with insulation blanket
Some projects are as simple as replacing light bulbs to the new CFL (compact fluorescent bulbs) and insulating water heaters. Some other projects involve air sealing techniques that are largely neglected in most new and older homes.
Air sealing and insulation work together to create a good building envelope design that will work efficiently with the insulation levels that you have in your home. You have to have an air barrier (sometimes called a pressure barrier) adjacent to your thermal barrier (insulation). You can think of an air barrier in personal terms. The air barrier serves as the light nylon wind breaker you put on during cold windy weather over your heavy sweater (insulation). The wind breaker has no insulation value but it stops air penetration through your sweater and thus creates a much more efficient way to keep you warm. The air barrier and your insulation work the same way. The insulation has to have an effective air barrier to allow the insulation to trap air. Trapped air in the fiberglass strands is what does the insulating, not the fiberglass. The effect that robs insulation of the trapped air that actually does the insulating is called “wind washing”. It is absolutely imperative that the thermal and air barriers touch one another to be effective.
A list of 10 projects will follow this blog entry and they will get increasingly harder to do and take more time and resources. All projects are things the typical “handy” homeowner can do if they are willing to devote the time and effort. Some are simple and some are really dirty and strenuous work.
Project #10- Insulating your hot water heater, insulating the hot and cold water lines in and out of heater, replacing incandescent bulbs with CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs, seal any air leaks around wall penetrations and check weather strips around perimeters of all exterior doors.
When insulating the hot water heaters you need to determine if you have a gas unit or an electric unit. If it is gas you will need to insulate with a R3 through an R7 vinyl covered insulation blanket available from most home improvement stores. It easily tapes together and installs in just 10 minutes. If you have a gas unit you will need to hold the bottom of the blanket off the floor about 8” to 10” to clear the pilot light, thermostat, and other controls. The bottom of the unit needs air flow so please leave the gap at the bottom. DO NOT insulate the top of the gas tank either. This is where the flue draft needs air flow and where extremely hot temperatures occur. The electric unit can be top insulated.
Check all doors and window for good weather strips and seal any obvious wall penetrations at gas lines, refrigerant lines, water lines, satellite TV cables, or other exterior skin penetrations. Install new door sweeps at the bottom of all doors or make sure the ones you have are in good condition. You probably will be surprised what you find that is wrong and needs improvement.
Install door sweeps where needed
Seal penetrations
Missing weather strip on door
Filed under: energy saving ideas, Green Building, Uncategorized Tagged: | air barriers, air sealing, building envelope design, CFL light bulbs, Energy Efficient homes, energy saving ideas, homes projects to save energy, insulated water heaters, thermal barriers, thermal envelope, weatherization tips
