Frequently Asked Questions
What is Super Insulation?
The accepted definition of Super Insulation, is an insulation level of R60 in the roof, R40 in the walls, and may include R20 in the basement walls and R10 under the basement floor depending on the project. Air sealing is a critical component of any super insulation project.
What is a Deep Energy Retrofit (DER)?
A Deep Energy Retrofit project upgrades an existing building with super insulation and other efficiency improvements. Unlike a weatherization project which seeks marginal improvements in efficiency, a DER is expected to result in dramatic improvements in efficiency, of 50% - 70%.
What is a Zero Energy Home?
A Zero Energy Home is a home which produces as much energy in one year as it uses in one year. This is a home which has maximized energy efficiency though Super Insulation, and the installation of high efficiency lighting, HVAC and appliances, and with the integration of on site alternative energy, such as Solar PV.
When Should a Home Owner Consider Super Insulation?
New Construction
Every home to be built should be built with super insulation. In New Construction and Additions, the case and economics of high levels of insulation is clear and compelling.
It is simply silly to build a new home in the old way.
Old Construction
A Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) is a great upgrade to any large home maintenance projects already in the works. Consider:
Super Insulating the Roof when Re-Roofing
Super Insulating the Walls when Re-Siding
Leverage the work you are already doing to reduce the time and cost of a DER.
Are there other times a home owner should consider a DER? When sections of the home are uncomfortably cold or hot or drafty, when ice dams are your constant winter companion, and when seeking to build out and condition a basement space.
Clients have also mentioned in-door air quality, climate change, asthma, energy independence, peak oil, and noise reduction as reasons to upgrade their homes.
How does Synergy perform a Deep Energy Retrofit?
Synergy primarily uses a system developed and tested by Building Science Corp. which comes with decades of real world use in real world homes.
Roof Retrofit
-insulation installed the attic between the rafters if accessible
-4" - 6" of rigid poliso on the exterior sheathing
-new sheathing layer fastened to the underlying house rafters with screws
-application of traditional water-proof roofing membrane
-The home is then re-shingled in the traditional way.
Wall Retrofit
-insulation inserted in the wall cavities if not already installed
-4" of rigid poliso on the exterior of the wall fastened in place with furring strips and screws through to the underlying wall studs.
-The home is then re-sided in the traditional way
No two homes are alike. Synergy can adjust cavity insulation, exterior foam thickness and materials, even move the insulation layer from the exterior to the interior based upon the home and the client and if accepted by BSC or other qualified energy consultant.
Is it Crazy to Place Insulation on the Exterior of the Home?
Actually it's crazy not to. Insulation in wall cavities is easy to do badly and far from effective when done well.
In a Traditional Home:
-25% of the home is rafters, studs, rim joists, the bones of the home. These areas cannot be insulated in a traditional home so bleed out your hard earned heat. Wood is a terrible insulator.
-25% of a home is made up by windows, and windows are even worse than wood
-Add at least another 10% of the home made up by uninsulated or badly insulated wall cavities. 10%? If you are lucky it's just 10%.
In total, 60% of the traditionally insulated home is completely un-insulated.
High performance rigid insulation on the home's exterior under new siding and roofing, catches all of those voids missed in the wall, all of the house's wood structure, tripling the insulation that's actually in the cavity, while eliminating air leaks.
All without the loss of interior space. Win, Win, Win, Win, Win (is that enough wins?)
And almost forgot.......while installing the exterior insulation, Synergy first fills any empty wall cavities we find.
Will Super-Insulation Make In-Door Air Quality Worse?
Far from it. Actually Air quality improves, significantly.
Through the stack effect, old leaky homes loose air from the roof while drawing air in through the dingy, dark and moldy gaps in walls and basements. That's no good.
When homes were first tested tight houses 30 years ago, builders forgot to include ventilation to deal with all the breathing, cooking, and humidity. That's no good either.
Since then it has become standard operating proceedure to include a simple ventilation system called a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) in all tight homes to assure air quality and humidity control. Today the air quality of a super insulated home far surpasses any traditional home.
What is a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV)?
A Heat Recovery Ventilator is a simple blower and heat exchange which heats up incoming fresh air by salvaging the heat of outgoing stale air. The only moving part is the blower.
How Much will my Heating Costs Decrease?
This question is difficult to answer as the specific reduction depends on the scope of the project. However, it's not unusual to see 70% reductions in heating costs in a home which has been retrofitted.
With new construction, reductions of 100% are achievable - with installation of solar panels.
So, I'm Convinced. I'm Interested in an Energy Retrofit or New Construction. What Next?
Call or Email us with your interest and questions. Tell us about the project you have in mind so we can understand how an energy retrofit can best be integrated into your plans.
Then let us show you some of our finished and ongoing work for yourself.
