Residential Comfort & Energy Efficiency

Hometrust Remodeling recently completed an insulation job in Laurel, MD 20723.  The project consisted of the following measures:

• Air seal the attic floor
• Install soffit baffles at eaves for ventilation
• Cut soffit holes to add air intake for attic ventilation
• Seal 4 recessed lights
• Add 10" of loose fill blown cellulose insulation
• Treat the main attic access hatch
• Treat the garage attic to encapsulate the space
• Sealed accessible HVAC duct connections

For most insulation to be effective it is important to stop the flow of air by sealing up holes and cracks in as many accessible areas as possible. 

Insulating the accessible skylight kneewalls to R13 after sealing smaller crevices/cracks and adding sheathing (air barrier) over the insulation will maximize boundary effectiveness and reduce air communication between the living space and the attic (outside).

                                 
Completed attic insulation & skylight kneewall 20723                                      Garage roof encapsulation in Laurel, MD                   

Most of the largest leaks in homes occur where framing (such as floor joists or wall studs) span from an area inside conditioned space to an unconditioned or vented space, such as the attic,crawlspace, garage, or roof. Appropriate blocking is needed in these instances.

Untreated recessed lights are invisible gateways for air to communicate between the inside (conditioned space) and outside (attic).  Covering and sealing accessible recessed lights will eliminate this issue.

Encapsulation, using open cell spray foam, was completed for this project so that the space below, including the HVAC unit in the garage attic, would become part of the overall "envelope".  The garage is going to be converted to living space (in-law suite) so by encapsulating the area above the space, it will make it easy to complete the job once the work gets done and when the space is changed, the HVAC will also benefit from being enclosed inside the house rather than outside (garage attic).