Location: North Plains, OR
Solutions Provided:
Since his heating bills in the winter were extremely high, this North Plains, OR homeowner was interested in an energy audit to help figure out what was going on.
Solution
This North Plains, OR homeowner saw our vehicles at a neighbor’s home and called us for an appointment. Our first step is to sit down with each homeowner to talk about what they have been experiencing and discover what they hope to accomplish. Besides reducing the utility bill, he wanted his home warmer in the winter and to reduce allergy triggers.
Our energy consultant then put on a protective suit and crawled into the attic. He saw mold growing on the roof deck (photo) which would account for some of their allergy issues! The existing insulation was also not very deep, the can lights were not covered (a big area for air to leak out of in a home), and the insulation itself was old fiberglass (see photo). Fiberglass is the old option; it didn’t work well back in the day, and it doesn’t work well now. There are better and longer-lasting options now.
He chose to move forward with TruSoft™ blown-in cellulose insulation to the higher R-60 insulating level. The first step our insulation crew took was to vacuum out all the old fiberglass. They then treated the attic’s roof deck with Mold-X2 to neutralize the mold and stop it from growing. Part of the reason the attic was moist enough for mold to grow was a bath fan was emptying in to the attic; unfortunately we see this all too often. Our crew routed that fan’s exhaust ducting to the outside.
Next comes air sealing. Our crew installed the tight can light overs over where the lighting sticks up through the attic. They also spray foamed areas where air leaks in from the living areas below. Then comes the last step of blowing in TruSoft cellulose.
With all these steps taken, this home will be warmer in the winter, cheaper to heat, and healthier to live in without mold growing in the attic!
Photos:
