Even insulated spots can have problems Part 2

Remember the customer with the rim joist issues? Well after some discussion and a little elbow grease, progress has been made. The great part about being asked to return and share the progress shows that the customer really cares about their home energy consumption and comfort. Holes and seams in the areas we identified were sealed with spray foam and then faced R-13 insulation was added over top of the sealed portions and cut to the size of the rim joist to provide a good seal. The customer already had a can of spray foam and an extra roll of insulation from an earlier project so this was with zero out of pocket expense but plenty of return.

What used to be 44 degrees has now increased to 65 degree surface temperature and all the air that was coming in has stopped as well. A great improvement.

The corner that was missing insulation and all the seams leaked was also fixed. Sealed the leaking seams on the rim joist and sill plate and also filled with insulation. This corner of the basement was much warmer just to stand in afterwards.

The customer repeated these repairs for as long as there was spray foam and insulation available. Now without a blower test being done the energy savings from air sealing could not be calculated, however properly insulating rim joists can be calculated. Lets do a quick heating only savings calculation:

A rim joist bay is just a hair over 1 square foot in this home. The R-Value of the existing wood and vinyl clad against the rim joists in this home comes out to R-2. Just applying correctly cut R-13 onto the rim joist creates a space that is now R-15. Using the average 5500 Heating Degree Days for Maryland, $2.7/gal for the propane heat that the customer uses when they’re not burning wood for ambiance, and a furnace with an efficiency of around 84%, that comes to a savings of $2/year per joist bay sealed and insulated. A little more with the sealing but without actual leakage data it can’t be taken into account. The customer did in total 12 square feet of sealing and insulating. For no out of pocket expense because materials were already in the home the customer saved $24/year for just heating costs. While that may seem small, there are many joist bays still left to do, but that $24/year saved reinvested to the same project turns into $48/year saved the following year for just heating costs.

Given that the customer wants to spend many years living in this home it was an easy decision to make as the savings start immediately. With the money the customer has saved they are going to perform a blower door test. Should you get a blower door test? Check out our article What is a Blower Door Test and Why do I need a Blower Door Test.

Was this how you thought these problems would be fixed? Is this something you’d like SIY to consult you and your home about? Feel free to drop an email to info@siy.biz or fill out the form in our Contact Us section and schedule a consultation. We will provide you with the information and guidance to tackle your project in a cost effective manner for both your wallet and your energy savings.