Your Building Envelope

The Building Envelope: your first

line of defence

The first article in this series identified the importance of a tight building envelope in creating green homes.  Structural Insulated Panels and Insulated Concrete forms create an excellent air tight wall Assembly and building envelope because they do no breathe, have a high resistance to heat loss and create healthy indoor living environments by controlling the flow of moisture and eliminating condensing surfaces on the internal wall surfaces.  However 99% of all homes are built with conventional 2×6 framing.  This article looks at the design of conventional building envelope, the advantages of sealing homes with spray foam insulation and the importance of effective air barrier and vapor barrier control layers.

The building envelope is made up of the roof, above grade walls, below grade walls, and the basement floor.  These building envelope components should be thought of as systems for each is made of an assembly of individual products, working together.  These products include exterior cladding, control layers (moisture barrier, air barrier, thermal barrier) and the structural members (framing).  Each of these components plays an integral role in how a building envelope and the house it encloses performs – the failure of any of them can result in the failure of the building envelope.

Are conventionally built homes satisfactory?  Modern homes are code required to be built with 2×6 structural framing, a minimum of R-20 insulation (thermal barrier) and a layer of 6 mil polyethylene sheet (vapor barrier & air barrier).  There are additional layers to the wall assembly including gypsum wall board, and paint on the interior and OSB, house wrap and cladding on the exterior.

Traditional Building Envelope design: Deficient

The problem with the above building envelope is this:  The entire system relies on the 6 mil polyethylene membrane to stop air movement, vapor movement and to permit the fiberglass batt to perform as designed!  In Canada, the polyethylene layer goes on the warm side of the wall because we are in a climate which predominantly requires heating meaning it is subject to dozens of penetrations at the time of installation (electrical outlets, light switches, window frames and doors, recessed lighting enclosures, seams – top, bottom and where the layer must be installed around framing members.)  This says nothing of the penetrations added with decorative wall hangings, nail holes and modifications done after the fact.  Unless these seams and penetrations are sealed in such a way as they never release, plenty of opportunity for air movement and with it moisture movement is created.  Worse, because fiberglass batt insulation allows air and moisture to move through it, penetrations and deficiencies in the 6 mil poly layer allow for air pressure differences across the wall assembly to degrade the performance of the insulating layer over time resulting in effective R-Values of half (or less) the advertised value.

Spray Foam Insulation creates a lasting high performance building envelope.

If this same building envelope were insulated and sealed with a  single application of spray foam insulation, the result would be significantly different.  Because spray foam is manufactured on site, it conforms to every minute variance, nook and cranny in the building envelope.  It is a perfect, custom made fit.  Made up of billions of tiny, microscopic bubbles, it will never settle, sag, or move, it absolutely and completely seals a wall without any penetrations.  It conforms to electrical boxes, outlets, and recessed light cans, wrapping itself around and behind them to completely enclose them.  It is inches thick and not subject to any of the potential problems of a layer only 6 mil thick.  Spray Foam is not dependant on caulking, glue or sealants to act as an air barrier or vapor barrier and results in a building envelope that is air tight, impenetrable to moisture, and has a stable R-Value much higher than fiberglass.  At an R value of 6 per inch, there is potentially R-33 available in a 2×6 cavity wall if super insulating is required.

Conclusion:

A robust building envelope is designed to endure and separate two different environments.  The modern, conventional building envelope does not do this adequately because it is constructed using an air barrier and vapor barrier subject to degradation over time.  The system created to accomplish this is too heavily dependant on a single layer of thin plastic (6 mil polyethylene), and any penetrations or deficiencies in its installation, or subsequent use degrades building envelope performance allowing moisture into the building envelope and heat loss from it resulting in higher expense and shorter useful life span.  Spray Foam, though more costly at time of installation addresses this in a single, simple application and is required in new homes by informed homeowners.

Our next article will look at the importance, function, design and performance of the air barrier layer and materials used to create air barriers in the building envelope.

Tags : air tight, benifits, building envelope, Environment
Posted in : building envelope | 12 Comments »

Keep your cool with Spray Foam Insulation

Suffering in the heat?  Look to your roof.

As Canadians, we generally think in terms of staying warm through the winter. Many of us see insulation as a key to that, and of course it is. How many of you have had trouble sleeping this past week in the searing heat? With rooms that will not cool down because of the heat sink effect created by traditionally insulated attics that take hours to cool, now may be a great time to point out how much cooler an insulated foam roof can be.

Insulate your roof deck with foam.

Spray foam can be applied to the underside of the roof deck because it is applied as a liquid and formed in place – it bonds with the substrate and will never settle or sag. In an application like this we create what is called a closed roof assembly. Rather than spraying the floor of the attic and allowing the attic space to heat up during the day, foam is applied to the roof deck which serves to enclose the attic into the conditioned space below.

Benefits of foamed roof deck

The advantages to doing this are several. First, heat is stopped at the building envelope (the roof) and never allowed to enter the interior space. In so doing it does not have a chance to become trapped in the attic above your bedrooms in the evening. The second advantage is that by sealing the building envelope, moisture and condensation (a winter problem) are eliminated as issues during the heating season. While the volume of air that is conditioned by a home is increased with a closed roof assembly, efficiency increases because foam does not breath – there is no air movement through it like there is with fiberglass and similar products.

Lower cost roof installations at EcoLogicFoam

The result: Cool summer bedrooms, warm winter homes, improved air quality, an end to mold as a result of air reaching the condensation point inside attic spaces, lower energy bills and more comfortable, livable homes. In fact the only disadvantage is the cost. Like all premium building solutions,foam is not a cheap alternative, however, give us a call at EcoLogic for we have some innovative solutions that cost a fraction of what our competitors do without compromising the end result.

Call 1-888-880-8420 today to discuss your attic, roof, and insulation needs.

Tags : benifits, efficiency, energy efficient, renovating, spray foam insulation, thermal insulation
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EcoLogic Spray Foam: Next Generation insulation

EcoLogic Spray Foam is a polyurethane foam insulation system made out of recycled plastic bottles and soy bean oil and does not negatively affect the ozone layer.

EcoLogic Spray Foam Insulation Replace traditional hazardous insulation products with renewable natural oils and water and maintains a superior standard of quality performance and service.

EcoLogic is Energy Efficient

EcoLogicFoam has high thermal Resistance with an R-Value of 6 per inch, twice that of competing materials
• EcoLogic Foam is recognized as an Air Barrier because it forms a solid, continuous, air-tight seal which stops convection
• It is also a recognized Vapor Barrier by the Canadian Construction Materials Center
• EcoLogic Foam improves Structural Integrity, increasing racking and sheering strength by 300%
• Homeowners who use EcoLogic Foam enjoy Improved Indoor Air Quality: it prevents dust, mold and moisture from entry, Contains no hazardous chemicals, and is Recommended by doctors and allergists for those who suffer from respiratory ailments
• EcoLogic Foam results in Improved Noise Attenuation
• Because EcoLogic Foam is a superior insulator you can expect to use up to 50% less energy
• According to the Home Appraisers Journal “A homes value increases by $20 for every $1 of annual energy savings.”

Call Ecologic today for your free quote: 1-888-880-8420

Tags : air tight, benifits, certified, efficiency, installer, R-value, spray foam insulation, Video
Posted in : Video | 10 Comments »

Unplug electronics, battery chargers and other equipment when not in use. Taken together, these small items can use as much power as your refrigerator.

Take steps to cut water use such as installing faucet aerators, low-flow showerheads, and low-flush toilets. As much as 19% of California electricity is used to pump, transport and treat water.

A 5° higher setting on your air conditioning thermostat will save about 10% on cooling costs.

Always buy ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and equipment – they’re up to 40% more efficient. Find rebates and incentives in your area using our rebate finder.

Turn your water heater down to 120° or the “Normal” setting when home, and to the lowest setting when away. Water heating accounts for about 13% of home energy costs.
Reduce air conditioning costs by using fans, keeping windows and doors shut and closing shades during the day.

Turn off unnecessary lighting and use task or desktop lamps with CFLs instead of overhead lights.

Enable “power management” on all computers and make sure to turn them off at night. A laptop computer uses up to 90% less energy than bigger desktop models.

When possible, wash clothes in cold water. About 90% of the energy use in a clothes washer goes to water heating.

Run your dishwasher and clothes washer only when fully loaded. Fewer loads reduce energy and water use.

Make sure your dryer’s outside vent is clear and clean the lint filter after every load. When shopping for a new dryer look for one with a moisture sensor that automatically shuts off when clothes are dry.

Test for air leaks by holding a lit incense stick next to windows, doors, electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, ceiling fixtures, attic hatches and other locations where there is a possible air path to the outside. If the smoke stream travels horizontally, you have located an air leak that may need caulking, sealing or weather stripping.

Tags : benifits, budget, efficiency, savings
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EcoLogic Spray Foam now offers an innovative solution to homeowners who have shied away from using foam due to the cost of application.

As shown in this video, we can install R-14 Roxol Batts to your homes walls and then spray onto them as a substrate. The result is a high R value wall system with the advantages of foam including its air barrier and vapor barrier properties as well as its high thermal resistance, at a lower cost.

While not as efficient as a complete foamed wall, this offers an alternative to homeowners who are on a tight budget that has until now precluded the use of foam in their walls.

Call us to see if this application is right for you 1-888-880-8420.

Tags : air tight, benifits, Cost, efficiency, spray foam insulation, Video
Posted in : Cost, R-value, Video | 3 Comments »

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At EcoLogic, we’re experts are in Creating Comfortable Homes.

Let’s Talk

If you’re like most folks, by the time you’re ready for your first house you’ve already become a home comfort expert. Because we’ve all lived in houses growing up, with comfortable rooms that people gathered in and uncomfortable rooms that folks just passed through.

Energy Efficient New Home

And all of us have visited and stayed at relatives and friends. We know a cold, drafty, clammy room when we’re in one! So we’re all home comfort experts, but not many of us know exactly how to build a house that will provide a warm, comfortable environment for our families and loved ones.

At Ecologic, our spray foam insulation technology replaces conventional insulation materials to provide you with more comfort at reduced energy levels. This advanced building technology works by addressing the three major causes of home discomfort: heat loss, air leakage and moisture. Ecologic’s foam technology attacks these three comfort challenges in multiple ways.

First, it is a superior insulation product. With an R-6 rating per inch of foam, it is a superior insulator to conventional fiberglass batts.

Secondly, because it is applied by spray, it gets into every nook and cranny between the inside and outside walls of your home. By doing so, it prevents the air leakage that conventional insulation allows, since cold air will travel around the edges of conventional insulation the way cold air will blow through the edges of an ill-fitting window.

Lastly, Ecologic’s spray foam is an approved vapor barrier, blocking not only moisture, but also pollutants, dust, odors and allergens. It provides the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you are creating a healthy interior environment for your family.

What about affordability?

Ecologic’s spray foam insulation is a premium building product, like granite countertops or custom windows. It will add to the cost of building your home. For a typical mortgage on a new house, it will add perhaps $20 to $30 a month to your monthly mortgage payment. But it is still a money-saving bargain. How can that be? Because typically you can expect to use between 40% to 50% less heating energy by applying Ecologic’s spray foam insulation when your home is built.

The energy cost savings almost always exceed (and often far exceed) the increased mortgage cost. As for retrofitting an older house, the financial formula is not the same, but the payback will likely be around 4 to 5 years, after which you will enjoy a net cost saving every month. If the future were to bring unreasonable increases in the cost in energy, your foam insulation would serve to hedge you from those distressing increases.

Why the “Eco” in Ecologic?

At Ecologic, we’re proud that our technology is environmentally responsible. The foam is made from recycled polyurethane (think ‘chopped-up used milk bottles’) mixed with soya oil, a bio-oil free of petroleum. We spray it on using a ‘zero ozone depletion’ propellant that is safe for the atmosphere.

Tags : benifits, budget, Cost, energy efficient, new product, Questions, R-value, savings, thermal insulation
Posted in : Common Questions, R-value | 2 Comments »

A new Fraser Crossing is being built to twin the Port Mann bridge.  The strength of the concrete is foundational to the success of this and any new bridge.  EcoLogic Spray Foam was contracted by Keiwit construction to insulate the concrete forms used to create the bridge sections.  By insulating these forms the concrete cures slower resulting in superior strength.

No matter what your commercial application, be it protecting a shop floor from corrosive materials, insulating pennstock at a micro hydro project or retrofitting a penetentiary, from the oil patch, to mining, industrial to multi family residential, we can meet your needs.

Tags : benifits, conduction, energy efficient, heat loss, installer, R-value, Video
Posted in : Video | 1 Comment »

A well insulated house saves money by reducing energy consumption. It costs far less to heat a well insulated home because less heat energy is lost through conduction, convection, and radiation.  Having your home foam insulated is not only beneficial financially but adds greatly to the comfort of your home. It takes less time in cold weather for your home to reach a comfortable temperature.   Because your heat energy is not lost through your walls and ceilings, temperature remains comfortably stable throughout the day.

A fairly bleak future is forecast if the present production of green house gas emissions continues to increase. Insulation can help us all reduce our need to use energy and contribute to green house gases while improving comfort levels.

There is now speculation that the Canadian government is looking at legislation like what Britain has introduced requiring house sellers to provide any prospective purchaser with a Home Information Pack (HIR). This pack of information will provide all the relevant local searches, title, surveys and, as a major new change, a Home Energy Report (HER). A home energy report will be complied by a Home Inspector who will rate the energy efficiency of a home and produce the HER.  Each HER report will display an energy efficiency rating from A to G in descending order of energy efficiency. Clearly, the better insulated your home is the better the energy efficiency rating will be.

When you do possibly come to sell your house and you made your home energy efficient and insulated to the highest standards you will get an excellent A or B energy rating in the home inspection report. Won’t that make your home easier and quicker to sell? If you don’t spend the money now on insulation the chances are you will have to before you can sell. Will a “G” energy rated home ever sell now that the focus will be on making and maintaining energy efficient homes?

Making your home well insulated and energy efficient makes sense whichever way you look at it. Insulation is actively encouraged by the Government and the Energy Industry through various schemes including EcoEnergy Grants for various methods of saving energy and insulation systems.

So why insulate your home? The single biggest loss of energy in most homes is due to inadequate insulation. Far too much heat energy escapes to the outside. With a high level of insulation your home will cost less to run, will be more comfortable to live in and you will play your part in minimizing green house gas emissions preserving our environment for our grand children. And it need not cost a small fortune to save a small fortune and do the right thing, insulate your home to the best standards and enjoy your home and grand children!

Tags : benifits, budget, efficiency, Grants, heat loss, investment, return
Posted in : Cost, Return on Investment, Uncategorized | 10 Comments »

Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency is the

key to lower total costs,

and spray foam is the

answer.

As you go through the process of building your home, adding an addition, or renovating some part of it, have you considered energy efficiency?

You likely have worked out a budget for each aspect of the home, from counters to cabinets, wall finish to floor covering.  Some of these items come with big tickets, but did you know that the most expensive component in your home is the insulation you choose as this directly impacts your efficiency?

Reduce your total cost of ownership by 41% through improved efficiency with spray foam insulation

Paul Huddy of Tucson based Solar Institute says the initial costs; purchase price plus financing costs over 30 years, are only one-third of the total home ownership cost.  The sticker price is a mere sliver at 11% of ownership expense.  Operating costs (efficiency) consume another third (including utilities) and the last third, is taken up with home maintenance and repair. Few people look at the cost of ownership in this way and almost no one considers that a sticker price of $160,000 equals 30-year ownership costs of $1,440,000! The good news is that this does not have to be the bottom line.  If a prospective home owner was to spend $200,000 to buy a more energy-efficient house, operating and maintenance costs can come down by as much as 75%!  The impact this has on total cost of ownership is unbelievable – it can bring the total 30-year cost down to $840,000 – a savings of $600,000.”

While there are many systems or upgrades that you can add to improve efficiency, from high efficiency HVAC equipment, low flow faucets, and Low E windows, nothing has a greater impact on a homes energy efficiency, operating expenses and maintenance costs than Spray Foam Insulation.

Spray foam is built for efficiency

By creating an air barrier, vapor barrier, and the highest R value insulator in a single application, spray foam not only saves you money by reducing your energy consumption and improving efficiency, but eliminates moisture problems, and increases the longevity of your home.  EcoLogic Spray Foam has taken that to the next level by offering a foam product that is made with recycled plastic bottles and Soya Bean oil.  It is a renewable, high efficiency, healthier alternative to competing materials.

Take a look at the benefits of EcoLogic Spray Foam Insulation:

■  Thermal Resistance:

R-Value of 7 per inch, twice the efficiency of competing products.

■  Air Barrier:

forms a monolithic, continuous air tight barrier, stops convection.

■  Vapor Barrier:

recognized Vapor Barrier by The Canadian National Building Code.

■  Structural Rigidity and Integrity:

adds to the structural rigidity of the wall increasing racking and sheering strength by 300%.

■  Improved Indoor air quality:

creates an airtight structure preventing dust, moisture and mold from entry. Does not contain formaldehyde, bleach, or other volatile organic compounds. Recommended by Pulmonologists and allergists for those who suffer from Asthma and Allergies to improve their living environments.

■  Improved Noise Attenuation:

unmatched ability to absorb airborne noise. It forms the foundational component of a noise isolating wall system.**

■  Environmentally friendly:

Use up to 80% less energy.

■  Builder friendly:

it is installed in the same sequence as traditional insulation, and requires no alteration to your building plans.

■  Cost efficient:

It is not only a sound financial decision, it is the only one:

Reduce the size of your HVAC equipment by 40%.

Increase the value of your home by 3 or 4 times your investment. The Home Appraisers Journal,

“A homes value increases $20 for every $1 of annual energy savings.”

Improve your efficiency, Call us today for your free estimate:  1 888-880-8420

Tags : benifits, budget, Cost, efficiency, investment, return
Posted in : Cost | 54 Comments »