Insulating a Floor with Spray Foam
The owners of this home wanted their floors to be warmer. The house was built on a 3-ft-high crawl space that was later dug and transformed into a shallow, unconditioned basement.
The room above this shallow basement was very cold and drafty during the winter time. Dr. Energy Saver concluded that insulating the floor above the basement would be the best approach for this particular home. Thus leaving the basement unconditioned, rather than conditioning the whole space and including it into the internal building envelope. Spray foam was applied between the floor joists. Spray foam insulation expands as it is applied, filling every gap around joints, plumbing, wiring, ducts and fixtures. Spray foam not only insulates but air seals the floor as well.
If your home sits on a vented, unconditioned crawl space or basement, your home is wasting a lot of energy. Cold floors, drafty rooms and high energy bills are some of the symptoms of energy loss through the crawl space and basement. Call Dr. Energy Saver for a free foundation insulation estimate and see just how much you can save!
NSI 3000 Carbon Monoxide Detector
The NSI 3000 CO Detector Offers Real Protection:
• Provides protection for all age groups and conditions, especially infants, children, the elderly, and highly sensitive or ill people. Other detectors barely provide minimal protection for healthy adults.
• Lets you know there’s a problem before reaching dangerous, even deadly CO levels,long before the other detectors even begin to work.
• NSI’s Model 3000 Monitors employ the same electrochemical sensor technology found in professional CO Analyzers that cost thousands of dollars. These monitors are calibrated using CO, not electronic guesswork.
OTHER MONITORS BARELY PROVIDE MINIMAL PROTECTION FOR HEALTHY ADULTS!
Injecting Foam Insulation into Existing Walls with Vinyl Siding
How do you insulate or add R-value to existing walls? Larry Janesky from Dr. Energy Saver demonstrates the process of using injection foam insulation in the exterior walls of a home with vinyl siding. Injection foam can be applied to walls even if they are already insulated with fiberglass batts. Besides increasing R-value, injection foam also closes gaps in the structure and seals air leaks. Injection foam insulation can be applied with less disruption than other conventional methods, even in finished and vinyl sided walls. In this particular case, pieces of the siding were removed, holes were drilled to apply the foam, and the vinyl siding was replaced afterwards. Injection foam is a water-based product with no toxic fumes or harsh smells. For a Free Insulation Estimate contact your local Dr. Energy Saver.
Installing Jumper Ducts to Make Bedrooms More Comfortable
Climate control and comfort in a home depends on much more than the size, power and efficiency of the heating and cooling system. It depends on proper insulation, air sealing and, above all, it depends on the air duct’s distribution and adequate balance between return and supply ducts.
Larry Janesky, founder of Dr. Energy Saver, was recently in Central Florida helping a homeowner with a high cooling bills, and uneven temperatures around the house.
The bedrooms in his house had only supply ducts. The only return ducts were located in the common areas. Using state-of-the-art equipment, Larry demonstrates how the lack of return ducts in this home’s bedrooms was increasing the positive pressure in the rooms above acceptable levels, consistently pushing air out of the house, and causing unconditioned, hot and humid air from the outside to be sucked into the common areas of the house. The differences in pressure made the air conditioner work harder, without ever making the whole house comfortable.
When homeowners experience similar problems, they tend to mistakenly believe that they need a bigger, and more powerful heating and cooling system. This is why it is a good idea to call in an energy conservation specialist, before you commit to buying an HVAC upgrade.
In this case, for example, just by adding a return duct to each bedroom, Dr. Energy Saver experts brought the pressure levels in the rooms down to normal. The temperatures are now even around the house, comfort has improved and the old air conditioner now works more efficiently.
If you want to save money, energy and make your home more comfortable, call a Dr. Energy Saver dealer in your area!
Basement Insulation Upgrade with Fiberglass Blanket and Low-E Replacement Basement Windows
Dr. Energy Saver was called to help transform the basement of a 100-year-old house into an energy efficient and comfortable space with insulation and replacement windows. This particular basement had irregular stone walls, so rigid foam insulation — the best option for insulating a basement — could not be used. Fiberglass blankets were substituted, and a 20-mil-thick vapor barrier was used to keep moisture from evaporating into the basement. The old basement windows were also replaced with new, Low-E replacement windows, for additional improved energy savings.
For a Free Basement Insulation or Energy Upgrade contact Dr. Energy Saver.
How New Homes Waste Energy
If you think energy waste is something you only find in older homes, and that new homes are all built with energy efficiency in mind, you are seriously mistaken. A lot of new homes are built with no regard to energy efficiency whatsoever. Sometimes it is because building codes are not updated to meet new energy efficiency standards. Sometimes it is because the builder is unaware of current best green building practices, and sometimes it is simply because they are trying to cut costs in a tough economy and spend more on visible features like energy efficient windows, and green roofing, while forgetting proper insulation and air sealing.
Larry Janesky, owner of Dr. Energy Saver, walks us through a new construction project showing the various details that are normally overlooked by builders. Such oversights can result in wasteful and very uncomfortable homes, very expensive heating and cooling costs, and high energy bills.
Improper attic insulation, that doesn’t meet the U.S. Department of Energy recommended R-Value for the regions is among the most common issues in new construction. Improperly insulated ducts running through unconditioned attics are other sources of energy waste.
Some architectural features such as cantilevers, bay windows, and custom windows with round frames, pose additional challenges when it comes to insulation. In particular, they create odd spaces that are hard to fill with popular insulation choices. Fiberglass bats, for example, is the material of choice in most new construction projects, because it is the least expensive, yet it only works when evenly distributed and fluffed inside wall cavities. Compressed fiberglass loses R-Value. These odd spaces around architectural features are often neglected or poorly insulated, creating gaps and cold spots in the building envelope. Common sources of air leakage are often overlooked as well. Holes around pipes, fixtures, ducts and duct chases, allow unconditioned air to move through and leak in and out of the house if not properly sealed.
If you have concerns about your new or old house energy consumption, and want to make your home more comfortable and affordable to own, call your energy conservation experts at Dr. Energy Saver!
Saving Energy with Heat Pump Water Heaters
Heat pump water heaters harvest heat from the surrounding environment to provide hot water for your home. A heat pump water heater boasts a 230 % energy efficiency rate, which means you get more than twice the performance for each dollar spent running the system. Compare that to a typical electric water heater that works at less than 100% efficiency.
Paired with a geothermal heating and cooling system, a heat pump water heater becomes super-efficient, because the ambient heat absorbed by the water heater unit is provided by the geothermal HVAC system.
Halco is the leading, most reputable heating, cooling and energy conservation company in the Finger Lakes area, serving Syracuse, Rochester and surrounding towns since 1984!
If you are serious about saving energy, lowering energy bills and living more comfortably, give Halco a call for a free estimate, or schedule a comprehensive home energy audit to learn even more ways to make your home green and comfortable!
Tankless Water Heaters : Hot Water on Demand and Big Energy Savings
Imagine being able to enjoy as much hot water as you need, whenever you need it. Never running out of hot water or being able to take a shower right after another family member does, all while running the dishwasher is no longer a dream. Now, imagine doing all that for a fraction of what you spend now to run your current tank-based water heater.
Tank based water heaters — even the newer, more efficient models — are still wasting a lot of energy. The temperature of the water in the tank drops and in order for you to have hot water again, it needs to be re-heated. This happens constantly, several times a day, whether you are using it or not, whether you are at home or away.
Tankless water heaters don’t store water. The water is heated on-demand, when you need it. Top of the line models operate at a 98% efficiency rate. That means that nearly every dollar spent to run the unit is being turned into hot water. Old tank based models work at about 50% efficiency.
Tankless water heaters are also self-modulating. That means they produce as much or as little hot water as needed. They are also designed to be compact, using less space than the bulky, tank-based units.
Halco is Central New York’s most reputable heating, cooling and renewable energy company, serving the Syracuse, Rochester and Binghamton, NY area since 1984.
Visit our website of gives us a call to learn more about energy efficient water heaters, and many other services we provide to help you save money and energy!
Injecting Foam Insulation into Exterior Walls with Clapboard
Dr. Energy Saver was called to add insulation to the exterior walls of an old Sears, Roebuck & Co. home. This particular home had hardly any insulation and the owner was spending a lot of money in heating bills. Dr. EnergySaver opted for using injection foam in this job. Injection foam doesn’t expand like spray foam and can be applied to any existing wall cavity, either by itself or to increase the R-value of walls formerly insulated with fiberglass. Holes were drilled in the clapboard to access the wall cavities. After the foam was injected, the holes were plugged and repainted. Injection foam also closes structural gaps, sealing any air leaks in the walls. As a water-based product, injection foam doesn’t emit toxic fumes or harsh smells.
For Free Insulation Quotes contact your local Dr. Energy Saver today.
Insulating Exterior Walls with AirKrete (Short Version)
Dr. Energy Saver recently performed a number of energy-saving improvements in this ranch-style home to help lower energy bills and increase overall interior comfort.
In this ‘On The Job’ episode, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, demonstrates how they air sealed and increased the R-Value of existing walls using a new injection foam product called AirKrete.
A lot of energy was being lost through the walls of this home, because the walls were insulated with fiberglass batts, which do not stop air flow. There was no tar paper or Tyvec liner on the exterior of the walls to act as a wind breaker so the air was flowing right through them.
AirKrete foam insulation was injected in the existing walls, through small holes drilled on the outside, to access the wall cavities. AirKrete is a 100% inorganic and environmentally-friendly foam insulation product that has an excellent R-4 value per inch significantly increasing the insulating performance of the existing walls. Its consistency is similar to that of shaving cream, which allows the foam to completely fill the wall cavity and any existing gaps; air sealing and insulating the wall at the same time.
AirKrete is free of harsh, volatile chemicals and does not produce smelly or toxic fumes before, during or after application. In fact you can’t smell AirKrete at all.
Perhaps one of the most beneficial characteristics of AirKrete is its fire rating, especially when compared to fiberglass. To see a demonstration of the material’s impressive fire resistance, watch the complete version of the AirKrete video.
At Dr. Energy Saver we are always looking for new materials, technologies and techniques to make your home more comfortable, safe, healthy and affordable to own. If you have rooms in your home that are too cold or too hot, or if you would like to lower your energy bills, we can help! Visit our website to schedule your home energy evaluation and insulation estimate with a local home energy company. For more information and ways to save energy at home, watch the other episodes of ‘On The Job,’ on our website or YouTube channel!
Fire Testing Insulation Materials
In this 50th episode of the ‘On The Job’ web series, Larry Janesky does something a little different. Rather than walking us through a recent project, he takes us to Dr. Energy Saver’s National Energy Conservation Center – a 40,000 sq. ft. training facility at the company’s headquarters in Seymour CT – to demonstrate how different types of insulation materials will behave in case of a house fire.
Fire rating of insulation materials is something often overlooked not only in energy-efficient upgrades, but also in new construction. There are some code-mandated guidelines for using different types of insulation in different areas of the house, but at Dr. Energy Saver, we believe that the fire safety of homes and buildings can be greatly improved with the right choice of materials.
This is not a scientific test. The purpose of this video is to demonstrate the significant differences in the way different insulation materials behave when exposed to fire.
Using a propane torch, Larry put all the most common types of insulation to the test, including fiberglass (faced and unfaced), open-cell foam, closed-cell foam, open-cell foam with FSK paper, polyisocyanurate foam, fire resistant open-cell foam, expanded polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, fire block foam, denim insulation, AirKrete injection foam, cellulose and Rockwool insulation.
According to this demonstration, the best performing materials by far were AirKrete injection foam, cellulose and Rockwool, but Larry explains that this should not constitute grounds for avoiding the use any of the other materials, because each different material has its specific application. When it comes to green building and remodeling, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Smart energy-efficient retrofitting is about evaluating each home’s features, energy consumption patterns and finding the best materials and techniques to achieve the most energy savings while making homes more comfortable, healthier and safer.
Dr. Energy Saver dealers nationwide have improved the homes and lives of many homeowners across the United States and we’d love to help you too! Call us or visit our website to locate a dealer near you!
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Insulating Multi-Level Attics
Unusual architectural features, such as multi-level attics make a home unique by giving it personality and helping to define the building’s style.
Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, demonstrates how these charming features can significantly impact the home in terms of energy efficiency.
Multi-level attics create spaces that are hard to access, and therefore hard to insulate and air seal. These areas are often overlooked during construction, and they usually become gaps in the building envelope.
If properly insulated attics are the most important feature of an energy-efficient home, gaps in insulation and sealing in the attic are usually the number one sources of energy loss. In multi-level attics, small portions of the walls usually protrude from the attic floor. If not properly air sealed and insulated, they will cause heat from the living area to be lost to the unvented, cold attic during the winter, through the wall cavity. In the summertime, cool, conditioned air will escape and the scorching heat from the attic will transfer to the living space putting a burden on your air conditioner system.
Each insulation challenge demands a custom-designed solution. There are several techniques and insulation materials that can be used to close these gaps and the choice will depend on specific features of the area in question.
In this particular case, the portion of the wall protruding from the attic floor was insulated with SilverGlo foam board insulation, and air sealed using spray foam.
Are you experiencing inexplicably uneven temperatures around the house, with some rooms that are either much colder or much hotter than others? Does your home feel drafty or damp? At Dr. Energy Saver, we can help you fix all these problems and make your home more comfortable and affordable to own, by lowering your energy bills.
So don’t wait! Give us a call today and see just how easy it is to have a greener, more enjoyable home.
For more tips on how to save money and energy at home, watch other episodes of Dr. Energy Saver’s ‘On The Job’ videos!
