Can This Home Be Greened? Fixing the No-Insulation Home

Enlarge Image Image Gallery “By adding proper insulation, the Blantons will probably cut their heating bills in half,” says Mike Sheehan from Acorn Home Improvements. Robert Politzer

Bob and Madalina Blanton’s beautiful 1912 home in Maplewood, New Jersey, is filled with gorgeous hardwood millwork and the era’s impeccable plaster craftsmanship. But, like many homes from this time period, the Blantons’ was built with little attention to energy performance.

After purchasing the home in 2006, Bob and Madalina renovated the kitchen and bathroom, updated the plumbing and electrical systems, refinished the floors and replaced some of the windows. Upon their request, the Blandons’ contractor used only low- and zero-VOC products, and the couple has noticed improved indoor air quality as a result. In fact, Bob, who has chemical sensitivity as a result of working in the silkscreen printing industry for 29 years, has noticed a general improvement in his health since they moved into their newly renovated home.

However, Bob told me of temperature extremes in their daughter’s bedroom on the second floor, which made me suspect the home was not properly insulated. My suspicions were confirmed as I walked through the home. In the attic, where the Blandons are considering adding a conditioned work space and bathroom, there’s no insulation between the floor or roof joists. In the basement, the exposed oil-burning boiler has uninsulated pipes; a basement storage room had no insulation. The Blantons told me they’re on a monthly payment plan for oil heat, paying about $650 a month, and still have an annual leftover balance around $1,000.

To assist my investigation of the   home’s energy performance, I contacted Michael Sheehan of Acorn Home Improvements, which specializes in energy audits and home renovations.

1. Scan the Home 

Problem: We needed to determine all areas of inadequate insulation. 

Solutions: Anyone who lives in an older home should order a thermal imaging scan of the exterior walls and roof. This device lets the investigator literally “see” through the walls and ceilings to find gaps in insulation. With the use of a Flir ThermaCAM B2 thermal imaging camera, Sheehan determined that the majority of the exterior walls and second-floor ceilings were void of any type of insulation. He verified this with a visual inspection of the stud cavities in the balloon-frame construction, visible from the attic.

Cost: Quality insulation companies offer thermal-imaging scans at no extra charge as part of their proposal development. Home-performance consultants typically include this service as part of a more extensive evaluation of energy and healthy home issues, which costs from about $500 to $1,000.

2. Insulate the Shell

Problem: The home’s shell had virtually no insulation.

Solutions: Sheehan recommends blowing cellulose insulation into the exterior walls of the first two floors and the second-floor ceiling (attic floor). Soy-based expanding foam insulation would be another high-performance option. Installers can drill holes in the cavity, then insert hoses and dense-pack the cellulose to prevent the material from settling. The balloon framing makes retrofitting insulation easier because many of the cavities can be reached from the attic. This method will achieve a high insulation rating of R-15 in the walls and R-38 in the second floor ceiling. Acorn also proposes installing formaldehyde-free R-13 fiberglass batt insulation along the exposed studs in the walls of the staircase leading to the attic.