Do You Have a Second Story That Bakes in the Summer?

So the framing, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical are complete.  The low-voltage stuff (pre-wire for surround sound, alarm systems, cameras, intercoms, etc.) and central vac are in the walls and ceilings.  Ready to slap on your insulation, right?  Wrong.  That is, if you want to make your house as energy efficient as possible.

Most people skimp on probably the most important part of building the house -- sealing it properly and insulating it against the elements in the heat of the summer and the bitter seeping cold of winter.  Maybe you suffer with a second story that just bakes in the summer, and no matter how cold you turn down the AC, there are rooms upstairs that are just never cool enough to sleep at night.  Hopefully, you're not like some of our clients who have had to sleep on sofas on lower levels of the house just to get through the hottest nights.

There are solutions, and this is where Greenify shines!  Take for instance, our second story on our model -- built into attic space.  Truly not the best energy efficient design.  However, with a little extra planning, Greenify came up with a solution to ensure these upstairs bedrooms are comfortable in any weather.  It begins with radiant barrier under roof sheathing and down the outside walls.  If you've never seen radiant barrier, it's that space-suit-like shiny stuff.  It was actually invented by NASA for astronaut space suits to insulate them against extreme temperatures in outer space and upon re-entering the atmosphere.  Used on houses, it reflects heat coming in from the sun back out to keep attic temperatures significantly lower during the summer.  During the winter, it prevents heat loss to the outside by reflecting the HVAC heat back into the house.  Ask any of our customers, and they will tell you the immediate and noticeable difference in the comfort level of their homes once radiant barrier is installed.

 Here's a close up of the radiant barrier foil between the trusses.  We don't recommend or install the paint kind of radiant barrier as it is just not as effective as the foil.  The foil reflects up to 97% of the radiant heat coming into an attic!  Every home, whether new construction or existing, can benefit from the energy savings of radiant barrier.

 Another overlooked, but crucial aspect of energy efficiency is properly sealing your home.  There are gaps in the framing around windows, in walls, in the rim-joists that often are covered up with typical R-19 insulation batts.  However, that doesn't keep the winter wind from whistling through or summer heat from radiating in.  Greenify foams all those perforations to prevent that energy loss.

 Ever wondered how those spiders got into your house?  Probably through your electrical boxes or other perforations from the electricians, plumbers, or HVAC guys.  The holes have to be cut, but if Greenify foams around them before you cover them up with insulation, you can eliminate a lot of entry places for those pesky invaders.

 This plumbers hole was big enough for a whole family of mice to enter into the home.  Not anymore after Greenify came to foam.

 Foaming perforations is an investment that has to be made before the drywall goes in.  It's something that can't be changed very easily later.

 Most builders will only put in the minimum amount of insulation required by code, which simply is not enough.  In our climate, the R-value goal should be close to R-60 in the ceilings and R-30 in the walls.  In many of the clients Greenify serves, they don't even have the minimum requirement like they thought they did.  You should have enough insulation in the eaves, as pictured here, to prevent snow-melt and eventual ice-damming and roof damage.

 This is when you can be relieved you framed your house with a minimum of 2x6 (instead of 2x4) when it's stuffed full of insulation batt equalling R-30.  Stay tuned for the next post which will show you a new kind of insulation called "Mesh and Blow" which literally looks like your house is wrapped with a pink overstuffed quilt.  We'll also show you cellulose blown insulation which is made from recycled newspaper and is dense enough for soundproofing as well as fantastic insulation.