[mautedingas]

Hi, quick question. Per year, how may tons of CO2 will super-insulating your house prevent being released? And how expensive is it, and indeed how plausible for the layman to do?
Does the insulation material itself require a large CO2 output to manufacture?

[Pops]

Depends on how much you are wasting now. If you have a big old house in a cold climate you would save more than a relatively newer home in a mild clime.

The best bang for the buck is to stop air infiltration, this is replacing weatherstripping, gaskets on outlet covers, caulking windows etc. Many states will pay for an air infiltration survey to find problem areas.

Next in effectiveness is probably upgrading attic insulation and then adding under floor insulation.

If you have an old house like me you gotta think about replacing the old windows with some new dual or triple glazed low E glass next - very expensive, even adding good storm windows gets costly.

Finally, if you have NO insulation in the walls you can rent the machine, drill some holes and blow in insulation.

After all that and you still want more you can start adding wall thickness to hold more insulation (I furred the interior and added rigid foam) or rip out all the drywall and start from scratch.

[papa moose]

Like Pops said, how much you save will depend on how much you are wasting now and how much insulation you put in.
As for cost and ease of installing that again comes back to how much and what type of insullation you install. Ceiling batts for example are very esay for anyone which a basic mechanical aptitude (very important not to step directly on your ceiling, only ever put weight on roofing timbers).
As for how much CO2 is produced during manufacture of insulation, that again comes back to what type of insulation is used;
-fibre glass batts, as the name suggests, are made from fibreglass which would be an oil based product
-polyester batts are becoming more popular than fibreglass as the are more user friendly but are also oil based
-cellulose insulation (the grey stuf that gets blown in like a reverse vaccuum) is made from recycled newspapers so would seem relavitely CO2 neutral
-Becoming more popular are batts made from sheeps wool, especially if sourced locally these would be very CO2 friendly (maybe a bit of methane tho .

A bit cheaper than double/triple glazing is curtains and or shutters, of course having all 3 would be even better.

[Roy]

Adding insulation to the attic helps with comfort level and energy usage. My house stays about 4 degrees warmer in the winter, and about 4 degrees cooler in the summer (have no A/c) after adding 60 bags of the blow in cellulose to my attic after receiving the Bush Stimulus money in 07. R rating? I don't know, but the blow in stuff is about a foot thick on top of the pitifully thin batting that was up there when I moved in.

All the stuff Pops said is right on the money. I've done all of those things.

About the windows: after you've weather stripped and caulked your single pane windows, if you're not made of money, you can use bubble wrap to insulate and I find that to work pretty good.

My house stays about 2 degrees warmer with the bubble wrap on the windows, than without. Not a scientific study, just a general trend.

I cut the pieces (large bubble type) out to the size of each piece of glass, spray a little water on the glass and stick it up there. It stays all winter no problem.

Ghetto? yes. Effective? semi. Cheap? very.

New windows for my 1400 sq ft house? ~$20k if I pay someone to do it -- built pre-ac and has lots of windows. If I do it, around $10k. Ergo: not happening.

[Pops]

Concur on the curtains! We haven't been able to afford the window upgrade either so Susan made insulated roman shades for almost all windows, even behind the fancy drapes.

She says its's probably no more expensive to buy them than make them because of the hardware and the fact that fabric is so expensive - I think because sewing it's considered a hobby now.

[efarmer]

Roy, you just put me in the know on how to do a down and dirty upgrade for some windows in my 72 year old shop building by where the assembly team ladies sit for the winter. I will light two candles in your honor on the altar of Ozark hillbilly energy management and say a prayer of thanks to Rube Goldberg. And Pops, you ain't too shabby your own darn self. Now if bubble wrap sews up inside burlap OK I will also have me a dandy new winter coat. I am going to be a babe magnet fer certain.

EF

[anador]

Read an interesting article on the BBC recently about historic buildings and energy savings.

On one note, the greenest house is the one already built, and if you can do a little modification to an older home you will incur far more carbon savings on the grand scheme of things than you would by building an industrial LEED, supermodern earthship.

This link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-11759023

discusses how older homes, when outfitted with the curtains and shutters they were designed to have to reduce draughts, perform as well as newer homes and homes with double glazing.

These older homes also last longer and are capable of being repaired and maintained using locally sourced, non-industrial technologies, while the modern LEED platinum shards-o-glass house cannot.

The rush to jump on the demolish-the-old-and-replace-with-new bandwagon in the pop green eco-fad we are living in bothers me.

The embodied energy to produce and maintain the technologies in these hyper-efficient structures is predicated on fossil fuels.

Sure the wood frame house may lose a little more heat in the winter, but it can cool itself in the summer using passive ventilation. Not to mention that a wood house that has stood for 100 years has gotten alot of mileage out of its initially small C02 footprint of construction. These new green-fad structures don't have lifetimes anywhere near traditional construction. And their technologies have to be used and maintained in a very VERY specific way by their users to attain the efficiency they advertise.

The EPA recently criticized LEED because they studied several Platinum buildings and found that they were using comparable amounts of energy and water to conventional structures, because the occupants did not conform to the strict usage parameters put in place by the designers to attain such high efficiency ratings. (also because you can attain LEED certification by racking up points in other areas)

Face it, no-matter how you cut it, south facing walls of glass panels in tropical and warm places are not green.... EVER.

[Pops]

I heard the points may be changed to give remodeling credit for recycling.

Ours isn't an old house by most measures, it's only 100 or so. There are many benefits, it has good siteing with its "back" to the cold NW winds and sitting porch to the SE, small rooms, most with cross ventilation and all with doors so you can condition only the areas being used - those are probably the 2 items most neglected and hardest to retrofit in "modern" houses. It has a full foundation (strip footings under every first floor bearing wall) and is framed with rough sawn oak that is probably stronger than steel and more rot resistant!

The biggest downside is balloon-framing - wall studs run from foundation to roof. Those stud bays can create a chimney effect, sucking in unconditioned air from the crawl space and pumping the heat from the conditioned space right out through the attic - and of course allowing a structure fire to do the same. As well, those old boys used 20d nails and driving them in that oak was tough so there aren't very many connections - what connections there are are strong but there just aren't enough. I've been working room by room, tearing out the plaster, adding fire blocking, mechanical, insulation and vapor barrier along with structural connections from foundation to studs, stud to joist and stud to rafter.

There are still many old homes around here built like mine that could be had for a pittance - Here is one for $40k on an acre that's already had lots of work done:

[anador]

How are you doing the firestops?

I am doing CD'S for a traditional balloon framed school building (for a 19th century construction class) and I am simply doing a course of brick firestopping all along the first floor headers.

Seems real easy and economical IMO

[PrestonSturges]

Lack of a vapor barrier is a nightmare. We rented a place, and the air shooting out of the wall plugs would blow out a match. I taped a clear plastic drop cloth over the inside a bay window, and it instantly inflated like a balloon.

[anador]

Thats why Im a big fan of unreinforced solid bricking or ROLOCK brick masonry for small buildings (at least in new england where theres no earthquake risk). Alot easier to do tight work in brick or even heavy timber that prevents drafts just by the nature of the system. Where draft channels exist they are also small and much easier to tackle on a moment to moment basis.

[davep]

One of the better things you can do if you have a wood stove is to use an insulated tube to bring in air from the outside directly to the stove air inlet. You also need to be able to close the outlet at the wall.

This stops the decrease in pressure inside the house, and subsequent air leakage through the walls etc.

I'm not a big fan of vapour barriers and the like, preferring walls with materials that breathe water vapour. With this you can envisage a highly insulated straw bale design (for example) with high thermal mass from internal clay 'plaster' and no need for electric ventilation. The clay also absorbs humidity. Even if retrofitting to non-vapour permeable walls, clay can help absorb humidity at night in bedrooms, whilst liberating it during the day.

[Pops]

How are you doing the firestops?

I've used rough sawn lumber mostly since it adds some rigidity to the frame (tornadoes and all that...) but where I didn't have that I used surfaced lumber and whatever resistant scraps laying around - a couple layers of Type X drywall or some Wonderboard. You could use surfaced lumber and fill the gap with fire-stop foam but I don't know how expensive it is.

The deal with vapor barriers is to use them on one side only - in or out, but never seal both! Rooms with high humidity - kitchen/bath/laundry I always put it inside. I read up on this and several articles said with modern latex paints it's never a good idea to put it on the outside of an old building.

I'd love to have tyvec on the outside of this place, a few christmases ago I had icicles hanging from the outlet on the north kitchen wall! We are a little tighter now, not much but a little!

[dolanbaker]

Just one thing to keep in mind with draught proofing, ensure that there is ventillation for fires & stoves etc. could kill if carbon monoxide builds up.

It is alos inportant that the house is kept well ventillated to prevent damp spots forming as well, I have an almost airtight house and I use an active heat recovery ventillation systen, keeps the internal air warm and fresh.

[Keith_McClary]

The deal with vapor barriers is to use them on one side only - in or out, but never seal both!

In a northern climate always inside. If you put them on the outside you will get frost/condensation on the cold outside of the insulation. This can melt and cause damage. Use breathable tyvec, etc. outside for windproofing.

I saw a house that had attic insulation added, but there was a crack in the kitchen ceiling, allowing moist air to leak up and freeze. In a warm spell it would melt and wet the ceiling. The tenant put a sheet of poly on top (cold side) of the insulation, which made it worse.

[Pops]

Yeah, a really tight house does need ventilation. The day I need to add a heat exchanger will be one joyful day!

[Pops]

Just another thought on old balloon framed houses, we hired the blower door guy to come out this last summer and do the infiltration test. The biggest surprise to me was the amount of air leaking in around interior door jambs and casing! I could hear it in some places!

Once you think of it it makes perfect sense, those studs are open to the crawlspace just like the exterior walls. Still it was one of those forehead smack moments. Lots of caulking later the house is noticeably tighter.

[oowolf]

I have a superinsulated house. 15" of styrofoam board in walls and 24 in ceiling. I have 2 (TWO) vapor barriers-one inside, one outside and have never had any problems with condensation except on the window glass. All the wiring is contained in oversized baseboards so the vapor barrier is not penetrtated. Fresh air comes in through buried 4" plastic sewer pipes (cool tubes) which cool, or heat in winter, the air to a constant 54 degrees. The same sewer pipe is used in the ceiling to vent stale air. System has no moving parts--works purely on thermosyphon effect. Average house temperature, summer and winter is 63 degrees (with residents in house--if we're gone for some time in winter, the temperature falls to around 54 due to lack of "body heat") and the indoor humidity averages 55%. (2 100 watt incandescent light bulbs will keep the temperature up) In the absence of drafts, 63 degrees does not "feel" cold.
If I had any ambition, I could write a book on this.

[Keith_McClary]

Average house temperature, summer and winter is 63 degrees (with residents in house--if we're gone for some time in winter, the temperature falls to around 54 due to lack of "body heat")

In what climate zone is the Big Rock Candy Mountain located?

So you don't need any kind of furnace?

[Crazy_Dad]

Anyone looking to build a new house should consider rammed earth. The technique is thousands of years old, and cost/energy effective. The end result is considered pleasing to the eye by people who like the material. http://www.ramtec.com.au/ (FIXED) is a good site to start investigating. You tube also has many vids on the topic.

I have been in houses in Australia that are cool in summer and retain warmth in winter. The walls are typically 300mm thick, so proper passive solar planning can make them very efficient.

Coupled with the correct plants around the house, airconditioning is not required.

You still need to deal with the roof, which can be tackled in numerous ways.

Woops I messed up the URL - fixed now.