Archive for the ‘Case Study’ Category
Case Study Update
Way, way back we promised a case study house update. Well, it’s finally here. We’ll start with a smaller but challenging energy efficiency home improvement.
Visit our page on YouTube to see a video of spray foam insulation going into headers under a bay window. This is a very tight and strange spot in which to get insulation. After the spray foam went in the headers, the homeowner then insulated the exposed floor section of the window with 2″ spray foam for the first layer, an a R-24 batt and then 1.5″ of ISO board. This ended up providing a 44 R-value for this area.
Often when people hear ‘exposed floor’ they think of a dirt floor in a basement, but this isn’t what we’re referring to in the energy efficiency renovation world. What we mean by exposed floor is any floor that is exposed to the exterior elements from underneath. The bay window is a typical example, but so is a room above an unheated garage. It’s always best to insulate any wall or floor that is exposed to the exterior elements.
You can see from the video that using spray foam was relatively easy, and probably the best application for the headers.
Have you faced your own challenges with insulating strange spaces and/or exposed floors? If so, tell us what you did to get ‘er done.
Case Study: the calm before the storm
This 1200 sq ft Sudbury bungalow, built in 1988, will be transformed into an energy efficient house.
So it begins. We’re going to follow the trials, tribulations and triumphs of a home owner as he begins renovating to make his home more energy efficient.
It seems that whenever you talk to people about renovations, they don’t always have positive stories to tell. But the endings usually turn out the same: happy its over, very happy to have done it!
Follow along as this 1200 sq ft Sudbury bungalow built in 1988 transforms itself into an energy efficient house. Why would the homeowner bother? Because the investment he puts in the home now will make it more comfortable and less costly to live in, and there truly is no better time to renovate, while there are still incentives to get.
The house has not been updated for energy efficiency since 1988 so this should be quite a trip. Stay tuned…
Working too hard?
Note the bloody thumb. I hope this isn't how your renovations are progressing.
Check back here for regular updates on a case study we’re going to track.
A CanSpec employee is busy renovating his own house, top to bottom, for energy efficiency purposes, and we’re going to check in every once in awhile to share in his progress, struggles and discoveries along the way.
All you have to do is watch, no Band-Aids required.