Insulation from the Ground Up PATH Case Study

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The finished house won a 2006 Energy Value Award. Scheduling, availability and job-site storage "Lead-time and transportation have not been a problem for us," Fosdick says. "When storing the 4 x 8 sheets of insulation at the job site, be sure to place plenty of weight on top to avoid losing sheets to the wind. On a previous job, we learned wooden pallets were not heavy enough and found ourselves chasing sheets. Protecting polystyrene foam stored on the job site from sunlight is also important, since exposure to UV rays can damage the insulation." Training "All of Tierra's concrete work is performed in-house, so our crew is familiar with FPSFs," Fosdick says. "The insulating panels are built into our shop drawings and easily incorporated into the process of building walls, since the insulation is the first thing we place in our casting form. After the first house, our crews were competent installers, and it became part of our standard wall construction method. There were no major learning curves. "Training for subcontractors is critical. On a previous project, a plumber didn't understand the necessity of the insulation barrier. He was careless about replacing insulation that was damaged when he put pipe penetrations through the foundation walls. Training for subcontractors is mainly a matter of getting them to respect that the insulation and its placement is important to the integrity of the home." A whole-building approach "When considering new technologies, it is important to not isolate or compartmentalize," Fosdick says. "Instead, take a whole-building approach, starting with the design and building envelope. The combination of several well-chosen technologies — in this case passive solar design with thermal mass for heat storage, proper insulation, quality windows, high efficiency equipment, Energy Star appliances and Energy Star lighting — will improve the quality and durability of the home much more than any measure on its own." This article is provided courtesy of PATH — the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Homebuilding. PREVIOUS  1 | 2 | 3 | 4