Making Homeowners Comfortable in their New Home in Enfield, CT
Challenge
These homeowners in Enfield, CT called us for a Free Home Energy Evaluation for their new home they just moved into. They knew they wanted to update their windows and doors because the home was not very energy efficient. We went to the home and conducted our Evaluation process. First we sit down with the customer to go over their main concerns, and then we do our walk-through. When we walk through the home to diagnose the problem, we notice that there was four layers of insulation in their attic! When our Building Science Specialist noticed this they decided to speak to the customer that this was a huge concern and that this should be taken care of first, and they agreed! A previous company had blown in cellulose insulation into the attic, then came back in and put a radiant barrier over the cellulose which was deemed not efficient enough, and another layer of fiberglass was added on top. The last layer was another layer of cellulose insulation blown in! We see things all the time that could end up in bigger problems in homes, thankfully we got to this homeowner and could help them!
Solution
We sent our Production team out to the home to remove all of that old, nasty insulation in the attic. This is an itchy, dirty job, but our team is always prepared with full suits head to toe, as well as masks to keep them safe! We first remove all of the pieces of radiant barrier and vacuum up all of the cellulose we could. Next, we remove the rest including any debris with our vacuum again. We bag up, and properly dispose of the material. Now we have a clean open space to get to work. These homeowners wanted to have some attic storage space, so we made a catwalk in the attic for them. To do this, we lay down our SilverGlo foam insulation boards to air seal, and then our panels of wood to complete the insulated storage area! Now we can install the SiverGlo foam board and foam to air seal any penetrations where air is able to leak up into the attic, or out of the attic. Finally, we can install our Cellulose insulation. We blow the cellulose insulation into the attic covering up all areas other than the catwalk we built for storage. Now this attic is rid of multiple layers of nasty insulation, air sealed, and insulated! Thanks to Dr. Energy Saver these homeowners are now more comfortable, happy, and healthy in their home!
