Feb 22 2008 2:47PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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I get feedback, story ideas and generally interesting correspondence from readers via email almost every day. Occasionally, I will share them with you. Today is one of those days:

Dear Mike:  I just read your latest issue of Professional Remodeler and had to make a comment.  I have been in the Weatherization Program for 10 years and have done energy audits on over 700 homes. The homes that I found the hardest to get savings or increase in comfort were the ones that had been added on to, or what we call chopped up. This was true for over 100-year-old homes and recently remodeled homes.

Remodeling can hide and cause a lot of flaws in the thermal envelope of the home (the air barrier and the insulation boundary). The best or most practical time to increase the efficiency of the home is when it is being remodeled, or renovated. This is a great market for remodelers to get into, but not only that, they owe it to their customers to insulate and air seal to higher standards. For example, don’t throw fiberglass batts at the new addition, use cellulose or foam. Also don’t neglect to air seal the connection of the old attic to the new. Once the project it done, it makes it 10 times harder to treat them correctly.

How about a section in your magazine on addressing the thermal envelope while doing those renovations? For example, don’t install recessed lights in your 2^nd floor ceiling unless building an air tight box over them.  (Recessed lights are a terrible air leakage path into an attic). Or better yet, explain the basic theory of heat loss and how the house works as a system. Also explain why you get condensation in a house, and how to control it.  Once you know those basics, you can’t help but start doing things right.  Thanks for your time.

Dear Reader: Many of these types of issues are covered in our monthly department "Construct." We will take these exact topics under advisement for future issues. Thanks!