The main key to understand when it comes to making your house run more energy efficiently is that energy flows from "hot" to "cold." In other words, when you hear someone say, "close the door, you're letting all the cold air in," they are actually misspeaking. The reality is that when you open the door on a cold day, you are letting heat escape from your house. Heat is energy. Cold is lack of energy. Stated within the laws of thermodynamics is that heat will naturally flow into cold.
So, the goal for any house is to prevent heat from exiting the housing structure during the colder times of year as well as keeping the outside heat from entering your home during the hotter months. In other words, the goal is to prevent heat from flowing to cold.
There are currently some amazing new products on the market today that help do just that. They are products of the Low-E brand building materials and they are designed to outperform practically all other similar applications. We will examine a few of these applications below.
1.) Housewrap/Foam Insulation. Most are familiar with housewrap. Tyvek brand may come to mind. Tyvek Housewrap serves to prevent wind and water exposure. However, it is not an insulator and therefore has no R-Value. There do exist insulation housewraps, often referred to as fanfold since it is stored folded and unfolds like an accordion before being installed. Fanfold comes in many thicknesses and, generally, the thicker it is, the more insulation performance it will provide. Most have an R-Value of R-1.0 - R-2.0.
Another option is insulated siding. This siding has a thick layer of insulation built into the siding panels themselves. Most insulated siding comes with an R-Value of R-2.0 - R-3.0. However, insulated siding is very expensive, often costing the consumer twice as much as "standard" vinyl siding installation. This is because the materials are more costly, as is the labor. Also, since the insulation is so thick, after installation, many of the openings like windows and doors becomes recessed within the siding walls, something that is considered to be aesthetically displeasing.
Fortunately, Low-E has the solution. They offer a special insulation housewrap that is only 3/16" thick and yet boasts an incredible R-Value of R-4.17. This is because is prevents 97% of radiation heat from passing through it. So, it reflects the heat from the sun, to keep it out of the house, but also reflects heat from the interior heating sources (heating ducts, fireplace, etc.), to keep this heat inside the house. So, it prevents heat loss and heat gain as necessary.
Though it may be slightly more costly than other types of housewraps or exterior insulation products on the market, since it replaces those products, the net cost is usually negligible, especially when you consider the potential energy savings.
2.) Roofing Underlayment. Installed under most roofing systems is currently a layer of felt paper, also called tar paper. Felt paper is a vapor barrier. However, it is not an insulator. So, heat is able to escape easily in the winter months and enter more easily on the summer months.
Once again, Low-E has a better solution. The Low-E roof underlayment replaces the need for felt paper. It still is a vapor barrier, so will still function to prevent water seepage and allow for moisture to escape. But, since it also is an insulator and prevents 97% of heat radiation loss/gain, the energy performance of the roofing structure will increase dramatically. Obviously, this helps with energy efficiency as well as your direct energy costs.
3.) Attic Space Applications. Ever been in your attic? If you have, you likely realized just how much heat is escaping through your main floors and into your attic space. Adding Low-E insulation can lower the temperature in your attic by as much as 20 - 30 degrees. A staggering 5.5 R-Value can be attained by installing the Low-E product on the attic flooring. Unfortunately, many people opt to just add more of what is called "mass insulation" to the insulation that is already there. But, the fact is that if 6" of mass insulation isn't performing the way you want it to, adding more likely isn't the solution. The main difference is that mass insulation absorbs heat. Low-E reflects it, 97% of it to be exact.
While adding the Low-E product to your attic space will obviously save you substantially on your energy costs (both heating and cooling), it will also help tremendously in preventing ice damming. Ice damming occurs when ice and snow melt rapidly while atop of a roofing structure. With only so many places to go, this abundance of water can seep into a house through the roof. Having the Low-E attic space application installed actually will slow down the melting of the snow/ice by reflecting the radiation from the sun. So, ice damming caused by rapid snow/ice melting will no longer be an issue.
One great aspect about the attic space applications, is that it is the least costly of the three discussed here. This is because you don't need to replace your roof or siding to have it installed. But, if you are in the market for new roofing or siding, these Low-E products should be installed whenever and wherever possible.
Other positive factors about the Low-E products besides the fact that they are extremely energy efficient include the fact that they are also waterproof, mold resistant and flexible.
Call us today to schedule your free energy efficiency consultation at (877) 846-9566 or schedule online.
