As everyone crunches to use and demand less energy, it is important to understand the three most important concepts regarding your homes energy efficiency.  These are stopping air infiltration, adding specific insulations in various applications needed in the home, and using less and employing more energy efficient heating and cooling devices. 

There are many areas within the home to consider when making the overall structure efficient. These areas all have a specific type or combination of products that will provide the best gain.

Additional fiberglass insulation in conjunction with an attic radiant barrier and good ventilation will ensure an efficient and healthy attic for years to come.  The combination of fiberglass and foil means that the insulation can stop air movement and provide R-Value while also blocking the transfer of radiant heat. 

Another key application to use foil insulation is under concrete slabs.  Used with or without an in-floor radiant heat system, the material is easier to handle and easier to work with than traditional foam board insulation.

Moisture prone areas that require insulation are all excellent applications for reflective foil.   Foil is unaffected by water and its insulation qualities will not diminish when wet like fiberglass.  Duct and pipe wrap, crawlspaces and basements are also key areas to use the product. 

There are even simple projects that can be done using foil insulation that will help you consume less energy.  Wrapping your hot water heater or insulating your garage are two easy ones.  Both are inexpensive and a novice can complete with no special tools.

Once you understand how heat is transferred within a home and what insulation is designed to do what, it is easy then to choose the right product or group of products to achieve your insulation goals.  Radiant barrier foil insulation can help you get there.

Roll of Ultra Concrete Barrier rFOIL

There are two main products in the marketplace to insulate under a poured concrete slab.  The first is rigid foam board; the second is reflective foil bubble insulation.  Both products have approximately the same level of thermal benefits to your project.

A specific product, Ultra Concrete Barrier Insulation by rFOIL is specifically designed for under slab use.  It is easier to work with than foam board and stands up much better to the intense job site traffic required to pour a slab. 

Other key attributes are its low moisture and water vapor absorption and resistance to termites.

The product unrolls and you cut to fit.  It is safe, durable, and simple to work with.  No special tools are required.

Click on the link to learn more about rFOIL radiant barrier concrete insulation.   

Black Mountain Wind Energy

On top of Black Mountain is a communications tower which the New York State Police use.  It is evidently powered by this windmill.  Having never seen true wind energy at work, I was impressed.  This turbine system never stopped and constantly adjusted to the changing winds. 

We stayed at the summit for approximately 40 minutes on a calm day with a light breeze.  This wind energy system that powered the communications device was always in motion and 1/3 of the time operated at a ferocious velocity.

My initial impression, although I already new something man made would be at the top was disgust.  The tower and turbine completely destroyed the atmosphere of a peaceful summit in late fall.  However, there are plenty of mountain peaks in the Adirondack chain and sitting one any one of these, Black Mountain would be a distant memory. 

View of Lake George, Black Mountain

There are even signs at the top, explaining that these obstructions will be removed when the area is upgraded to satellite communications.

After seeing a system like this with my own eyes, I have to lean even more to the promotion of wind energy especially in areas that are not routinely used by the public.

We’re very interested in discussing alternative energy ideas and would love your valuable comments and experiences.

Radiant Barrier House Wrap - InsulationStop.com

The insulation industry has solved this problem but unfortunately stopped their efforts there. However, a new class of products has entered the market, radiant barrier house wraps. These leading edge products incorporate the basic functionality of current house wraps but also block radiant heat, a primary method of heat exchange between a home and the outside.

Reflective Ruff Rap, or RRR Reflective House wrap is a radiant barrier house wrap that has all the attributes of a regular house wrap but also the heat stopping power of a radiant barrier. It is a highly reflective aluminum sheet that is laminated to a thick sheet of polyethylene. The result is a radiant barrier that blocks wind and water but allows moisture transfer, which is vital for a healthy home.

Reflective Ruff Rap can raise and existing walls insulation performance by up to 20%. This allows consistent energy savings, especially during the heating and cooling months.

Roll sizes come in 54” x 200’ or 900 square feet. RRR handles, cuts, and installs like any other house wrap on the market. Lower your utility costs and increase your comfort, look into RRR radiant barrier house wrap for your next project.

 In the south or southern climates with mild winters, radiant barriers are installed in the top of the attic or along the roof joists.  In the scorching summer months, radiant heat hits the roof of a building and is absorbed into the home.  The daily temperature is already uncomfortable to most people’s preference.  This daily temperature is the starting point for an attics base temperature.

 Radiant heat travels into the attic while the attic temperature climbs.  The fiberglass insulation, although good in winter months, warms and holds this elevated temperature into the night.  Attic temperatures can easily average 120 degrees in summer months in any climate.  All the while you want the inside of your home around 70 degrees.

 Adding a radiant barrier to the roof joists creates a break or barrier to stop this absorption of radiant heat.  The attic is now not allowed to heat up as high as once before.  This lowers the temperature difference between your attic and your living space. 

 Heat loss for homes in these warm regions is generally not much of a concern.  Therefore, the thought of warm air escaping from the living space into the attic is not dealt with.

 In northern or cold climate regions however, the major concern is stopping heat loss from escaping out of the living space.  In these homes, radiant barrier insulation should be installed on the attic floor, laid over the existing fiberglass insulation.  As heated air from a home radiates into the colder attic, a barrier is created that holds back this radiant heat and does not allow it to escape. 

 Now, what happens if you want to control both summer heat gain and winter heat loss in a home?

 If you have been paying attention you will know the answer is do both.  Install radiant barriers in both the roof joists, and across the attic floor.  This effectively seals off the attic, allowing radiant heat to be neither gained nor lost. 

 Always make sure to use a perforated product in attic applications to allow the necessary moisture transmission.

Attic Radiant Barrier

As insulation professionals, we’ve known for years the effectiveness of radiant barriers.  In many applications, installing an attic radiant barrier is the easiest and most cost efficient insulation project you can do to lower your utility costs.  Due to various diminishing reasons however, the installation of radiant barriers has been limited to the informed customer, not the masses.  The average consumer still has no idea that spending a few hundred dollars in their attic will save them many thousands in heating and cooling costs in the years to come.

A case study conducted with big time names involved such as Centex Homes and Appalachian State University, funded by the U.S Department of Energy Building America Grant provided through the North Carolina Energy Office, recently announced their results.

The purpose of the study was to measure the benefits of adding radiant barriers in attic applications.  The research was conducted using a total of sixty-one sensors in two, side by side, identical four bedroom model homes in the Charlotte area.  One home had radiant barrier.  One did not.

The conclusion of the study resulted in these findings. 

1. Peak attic temperatures dropped by 23%.
2. The reduction in the air-conditioning unit’s run time during the seven hours of peak attic temperature dropped 20%.
3. The efficiency improvement in the cooled air delivered through the air ducts was 57%.

The study was conducted last summer and as of January, Centex began building homes with radiant barrier roof decking in conjunction with their Centex Energy Advantage suite of features.

See actual news release here.

 Visit InsulationStop.com to purchase industry leading Radiant Barriers, Reflective House-wraps, and Reflective Foil Insulation.

The following ideas are for attic projects that either better insulate or promote a healthier attic, both save you money in the long run.

1. Install Louvers:  Louvers passively allow moisture transfer which is vital to a healthy attic.
2. Installing Passive Attic Vents:  As warm air rises, it is allowed to escape through these vents and this air movement causes the vent to rotate, drawing out even more warm air.  These vents require no power source.
3. Installing a Radiant Barrier:  Reflects the transfer of radiant heat, the primary mode of heat gain into a home’s living space. 
4. Adding additional insulation if needed:  There is plenty of information out there that deals with R-Value or thickness of fiberglass insulation for your geographical climate.  If your existing level of fiberglass insulation is low, adding additional insulation is an easy way to create a more efficient attic.  

Here are two neat tips to help keep you cooler while you work to keep your attic cooler.

1. Use a sprinkler on the roof top while you work in the attic below.  Rig up some kind of system to help keep water flowing on the majority of your roof deck.  This will substantially cool your roof and help control any further radiant heat absorption.
2. If you have AC lines in your attic, temporarily disconnect one of the larger air ducts and allow your ac to blow into the air space.  This quick trick will cool your attic quickly.  Make sure to allow some ventilation by keeping windows a few inches open in other areas of your home and make sure to reconnect the duct work correctly. 

Radiant Barrier Basement Insulation

The current, approved method to insulate the interior of a basement involves the use of reflective foil insulation.  Gone are the days of using fiberglass insulation everywhere.  Today, we look at different insulation products in the form of insulation systems, each one being effective in specific applications, or used together to provide the best insulation barrier for your home.

For insulating your basement and foundation walls, fiberglass insulation has been proven to be ineffective, even detrimental in some cases.  There is simply too much moisture available and moisture is the death of fiberglass insulation.  Any moisture gain severely limits the performance of fiberglass insulation.  Excessive amounts lead to mold, mildew, and decay.  Fiberglass which is effective in certain applications, has also been proven hazardous to install, prone to air infiltration and compaction, and is installed between framing members and not over them.  This creates a thermal bridge that allows heat gain or loss through wood or metal studs.

Reflective foil insulation on the other hand creates a sealed, radiant barrier and is impervious to moisture infiltration.  It reflects up to 97% of radiant heat, the primary mode of heat loss in basements.  The material is thin, extremely durable, and easy to work with.  For crawlspace work, it is also impervious to insect and rodent infiltration and works well in space limitations.  Look at these radiant barrier basement insulation products and reflective foil basement application instructions to understand how to properly insulate your basement to provide the most energy efficient solution possible.

You might have to pay someone, or even better, get a little dirty yourself.  We’re talking about insulation.  You watch the DIY home improvement shows, or maybe you already know what you are doing. 

Regardless, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the federal government is offering 30% tax credits, up to $1,500 for the purchase and installation of certain insulation products and other energy saving home improvements.

Here’s a quick list of reflective foil insulation products that you can use for your insulation projects that will not only be cheaper to purchase and install but will forever save you money on your energy bills.

• Single Bubble Reflective Insulation:  The lowest cost alternative for many reflective foil insulation projects.
• Double Bubble Insulation:  The standard product used in foil insulation projects.
• Duct Insulation:  Used to wrap your existing duct work, a great energy saving project.
• Metal Building Insulation:  Reflective foil is the standard product to use if you decide to insulate your metal building.
• Ultra CBF:  A patented under concrete slab and in-floor radiant heat insulation product.
• Water Heater Insulation Kit:  The simplest, quickest project you can do to save money.
• Pipe Wrap Insulation Kit:  A little tedious, but this project will provide solid long term results.
• Garage Door Insulation Kit:  This is a no-brainer, especially if you are heating your garage.
• Between-Joist Insulation:  Custom fit foil insulation designed for easy installation in joist and stud wall cavities.
• Return Air Panning:  A more efficient, cost effective method instead of using traditional sheet metal.

This is just a short list of products and projects pertaining to insulation that blocks radiant heat transfer.  The 2009 Reinvestment act is applicable to many other energy saving products.  For more costly investments like geo-thermal heat pumps for example, there is no price limit to the 30% tax credit. 

If you are out to save energy, or are working on an energy saving project, make sure to take advantage of the federal tax credit.  Make sure the manufacturer of whatever product you purchase has a Manufacturer’s Certification Statement and pay attention to the eligibility requirements in order to receive the credit.

Always inquire with a qualified tax professional if you have questions you cannot answer.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the federal government has created tax credits for certain energy efficient consumer home improvement products.  Fortunately, these tax breaks can be substantial.  These credits are primarily for energy efficient home improvements but also include both alternative fuel and gas hybrid automobiles.

Unfortunately, as with many government tax documents, the language can be complicated.  The eligibility requirements change based on the individual improvement.  To further complicate matters, the dates for acceptance also change based on the improvement you are applying for.

Use this guide to help you understand the portion of the AARA dedicated to insulation and its use as a home improvement.  This guide is designed for you to quickly and easily understand what the requirements are and stipulations involved in claiming this specific tax credit.

1. For insulation, tax credits are available for 30% of the cost of the material, up to $1,500.  (Any material costs over $5,000 will not be eligible for rebate)
2. This credit is for your existing home ONLY, that is your principle residence.  Vacation homes and rental properties are NOT applicable, neither is a new construction home
3. There is no income limit to receive a rebate.  Everyone is applicable.
4. You must have a Manufacturer’s Certification Statement for your records.  This is a signed statement by an insulation manufacturer that certifies the product qualifies for the tax credit.  Make sure the manufacturer of the product you choose has this certification. 
5. To claim the tax credit, you need to file IRS Form 5695 and submit it when you file your 2009 taxes.  Currently only the 2008 form is available.  The 2009 form should be out in late 2009 or early 2010.  To help with your filing the 2008 Form 5695 was claimed on line 53 of the 2008 Form 1040.
6. Two or more unmarried people living in the same home who both own it are each eligible for the tax credit.  The credit must be for different improvements however.  You cannot both apply for the same insulation credit.  (Make sure to research the different eligibility requirements for the other energy efficient improvements covered.)
7. One person can have multiple improvements but the maximum credit may still be $1,500.  If applying for multiple improvements make sure to research these.  Some improvements, such as solar water heaters are a flat 30% with no upper limit.  (Make sure to research the different eligibility requirements for the other energy efficient improvements covered.)

These tax credits are a positive step to help you obtain certain energy efficient products in your home and to lower your future energy consumption.  They are extremely positive if you have already completed or are planning an upcoming insulation project.  If your home has inadequate insulation, now is the best time ever to install insulation.  Not only may you be eligible to receive a tax credit but you will save money on your utility bills and save energy for as long as you are in your home. 

This information pertains only to the insulation portion of the 2009 ARRA and should not be used for other energy efficient tax credits offered.  Always consult a tax professional if you have any questions.