Use these photographic examples of best practices (and less-than-best practices) to achieve high quality home performance work in your customers homes. Contact Moe Srifi at moe@efficiencyfirstca.org for more information. Air sealing Spray foam is used to seal cracks, leaks, and holes in the attic floor space. All sources of air leaks should be sealed before filling the attic floor joists with insulation (including can lights and skylight wells). Air sealing prevents polluted, unhealthy air from entering the living space, which improves the home s indoor air quality and comfort. Incorrect: Obvious gaps and holes are left unsealed, allowing for dirty, hazardous insulation to enter the living space. Correct: Obvious gaps and holes are air sealed with spray foam. (Note: In the picture, existing insulation is removed for better access to the attic floor.)
Reusing attic insulation Attic insulation can be reused only if it is even, uncontaminated (free of dirt, debris, and rodent material), and uncompressed. Old and dirty insulation can be hazardous, especially if the attic floor is not air sealed. Incorrect: Existing insulation contains debris and electrical wiring that can be a fire hazard. Correct: Existing insulation is free of debris. Incorrect: Existing insulation contains debris and electrical wiring that can be a fire hazard. Correct: Insulation free of debris and newly installed.
Attic knee walls Knee walls are vertical walls with attic space directly behind them. These walls are notoriously leaky and often uninsulated. For energy efficiency, a knee wall and the attic floor in the attic space behind it should be properly insulated and air sealed. All vertical attic knee walls must be insulated to at least R-19 and have an air barrier on all sides. All seams of the air-barrier and sides must be sealed to prevent air from entering the assembly. Incorrect: Gaps and voids in the insulation. Correct: The entire knee wall is insulated. Insulation dam Attic access panels and drop-down stairs equipped with a durable R-10 insulated cover that is gasketed (i.e., not caulked) to produce continuous air seal when occupant is not accessing the attic. Incorrect: No insulation dam installed to protect the insulation from falling. Correct: Best practice is to install additional blocking to create insulation dams.
Attic access hatch Attic insulation should cover the attic access hatch. The surrounding areas of the hatch are also air sealed with spray foam to prevent any insulation and unconditioned air from entering the living space. Incorrect: Attic access hatch is not completely insulated, causing heat to transfer between the living space and the attic. The purpose of insulating the attic is to prevent heat transfer. Correct: Attic access hatch is properly insulated by attaching a fiberglass batt. Recessed can-light Recessed lights are notorious for being inefficient. These can lights can be extremely leaky and waste a lot of energy as air leaks in or out. Incorrect: No air sealing around recessed canlight fixture. Correct: Recessed can-light must be IC/AC rated and well insulated.
Crawlspace A properly insulated crawlspace will help prevent heat from transferring between the crawlspace and living space, making the home more comfortable and energy efficient. Incorrect: Parts of the crawlspace are exposed, allowing heat to transfer between the crawlspace and living space. Correct: Correctly insulated floor fully covers the floor area. Vapor barriers Moisture in the crawlspace creates a humid environment underneath the floors, which can cause mold-related problems. Laying a vapor barrier will minimize these problems and also reduce that musty smell that often passes into the living space. Incorrect: The crawlspace is exposed to the ground soil. Correct: A correctly-installed vapor barrier will help control the humidity level under your floor and extend the life of the wood in the crawlspace.
Ducts Bent ducts will obstruct airflow and prevent the heating/cooling systems from performing efficiently. Ducts must also be lowered and straightened. This reduces the distance between the heating/cooling system and the rooms to which the ducts deliver air. Incorrect: The ducts are bent, preventing air from being delivered properly. Correct: The ducts are lowered and straightened to provide optimum airflow. Solar Tube Solar tubes must be insulated to R-19 and have an air-barrier covering on the attic side, the insulation and air barrier must extend from the attic deck to the roof deck and any seams need to be sealed. Incorrect: Solar tube not fully insulated to R-19. No air-barrier covering on the attic site. Correct: Solar tube insulated to R-19 and the air barrier is extended from the attic to the roof.
Baffle Baffle is a material that is supposed to be installed at every eave vent in the attic. It redirects the cross ventilation airflow from the eave vents over the insulation. Incorrect: Insulation is not complete to the outside plate and the baffle does not protect against wind washing. Correct: The bottom of the baffle is well fitted and fully secured. The baffles need to be high enough to prevent insulation from falling over or into the vents. Dryer Vent A dryer vent system is designed to remove heat, moisture and lint from your dryer. A gas dryer also exhausts carbon monoxide. Improper venting can cause a dryer fire and may lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Incorrect: Using a flexible duct can kink as the dryer moves. Correct: Use the 90-degree elbow at the exhaust end of the dryer.