Insulating Roofs, Walls, and Floors

ABOUT INSULATING ROOFS, WALLS, AND FLOORS

Its not unusual for a house to have three or four types of insulation: spray foam, loose fill, rigid foam, and/or batts. Each type has multiple uses, but most also have limitations on where they can be used.

The best insulation for each location depends on a number of factors, including cost, ease of installation, available space, and the material's resistance to moisture.
All insulation types perform best when they're installed well. Some (like batts and blankets) can lose significant R-valuewith even a slightly sloppy installation.


Grading installation quality

The Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), a national association of home-energy raters, long struggled with the question of how to estimate the R-value of walls that vary widely in performance depending on the skill of the insulation installer. Eventually, RESNET developed a useful rating system for insulation installation quality. The system is described in an article published in the January/February 2005 issue of Home Energy magazine, "Insulation Inspections for Home Energy Ratings," by Bruce Harley. The RESNET rating system recognizes three levels of insulation installation quality: Grade I, Grade II, and Grade III.

Grade I is the best installation


"In order to qualify for a Grade I rating, insulation must … fill each cavity side to side and top to bottom, with no substantial gaps or voids around obstructions (that is, blocking or bridging—as seen in the grade II photo below), and it must be split, or fitted tightly, around wiring and other services in the cavity. In general, no exterior sheathing should be visible through gaps in the material," Harley wrote. "Compression or incomplete fill amounting to 2% or less of the surface area of insulation is acceptable for Grade 1, if the compression or missing fill spaces are less than 30% of the intended fill thickness (that is, 70% or more of the intended insulation thickness is present)."

The standard for a Grade II installation is somewhat lower


"A Grade II rating represents moderate to frequent defects: gaps around wiring, electrical outlets, plumbing, other intrusions; rounded edges or 'shoulders,' larger gaps, or more significant compression. No more than 2% of the surface area of insulation missing is acceptable for Grade II."

Grade III installations are the worst
"A Grade III rating applies to any installation that is worse than Grade II." For further information on the RESNET grading system—including illustrations of good jobs and sloppy jobs—see "Assessing the Quality of Insulation Installed in New York Energy Star Labeled Homes."

ABOUT INSULATING FOUNDATIONS

Basements

Because foundations aren't really exposed to vast temperature swings, less insulation is needed there. Insulation in a basement should be chosen to do more than slow the flow of heat through these relatively stable environments; the best choices of basement insulation stop air and water, too. Basement walls and floors can be insulated on the inside or the outside, inside being the easier method for retrofits and outside being easier (in general) for new construction.

Exterior insulation choices should be moisture tolerant


Below-grade walls and floors should be insulated on the outside with, , spray foam, or rigid mineral wool. Because polyisocyanurate can absorb water, it should not be used under a slab or on the outside of a foundation. Polyisocyanurate performs well, however, when used on the inside wall of a basement or crawlspace.

The most common insulation under slabs is XPS, although EPS also works if its density is adequate and if it is rated for ground contact. If the insulated slab must bear heavy loads, XPS is usually a better choice than EPS.

Closed-cell spray polyurethane foam can also be used under a slab.
Basement walls can be insulated on the exterior or interior with EPS, XPS, spray polyurethane foam, or rigid mineral wool (for example, Roxul drainboard).

To insulate a basement wall from the inside, the foam should be applied directly to the concrete, in order to keep moist interior air away from the cool, damp surface and lower the risk of condensation. To allow any accumulated moisture to dry to the inside, a semipermeable foam (EPS or XPS) is the best choice. To meet code requirements for a thermal barrier, the foam will probably need to be protected with a layer of gypsum drywall; fiberglass-faced drywall is more moisture resistant than paper-faced drywall.

Under no circumstances should fiberglass batts be used to insulate basement walls. Because fiberglass batts are air-permeable, they are unable to prevent moist interior air from contacting colder basement walls. That's why fiberglass-insulated basement walls can easily become damp and moldy.

Crawlspaces

Although some builders insulate the floor above a crawlspace (the crawlspace ceiling), most building scientists recommend building a sealed, insulated crawlspace that includes wall insulation. It usually requires less insulation (and involves fewer tricky details) to cover a short wall around the perimeter than the whole floor.

Sealed crawlspaces should be built and insulated exactly like basements.

Of course, a well-detailed insulated crawlspace needs more than just insulation. Among the other critical details are careful air-sealing of the rim-joist area and (if the crawlspace has a dirt floor) installation of a ground cover.

Slabs on grade

Some builders insulate slab perimeters without insulating under the slab. In all but the warmest climates, however, it's better to install a continuous layer of EPS, XPS, or spray polyuyrethane foam under the entire slab. Some builders modify an ICF  for use as a form for the slab that includes insulation.

If the home has in-floor radiant heat, it's especially important to include a thick layer of foam directly under the entire slab. Experts disagree on exactly how much foam to add, but they all agree that at least some is a good idea. Engineer John Straube of Building Science Corp. says that after about 4 in.—perhaps 6 in. if the slab includes radiant heat—the money is better spent elsewhere. However, Passivhaus builders sometimes install up to 14 in. of sub-slab insulation.

Soil has a measurable R-value, so it can insulate the bottom of the slab from the exterior air to some extent. But soil is also a nearly infinite heat sink. The average soil temperature varies depending on the climate and the soil depth; however, if the soil has an average temperature of 55°F and the interior of a house has an average temperature of 72°F, heat will always want to flow from the warm side of the slab toward the soil. That's why it's important to insulate under a slab.

ABOUT INSULATING ABOVE-GRADE WALLS

The strategy adopted for insulating a home's above-grade walls depends on the wall construction used.

• Walls built from SIPs or ICFs already include insulation.
• Concrete-block  walls are best insulated from the exterior with rigid foam or spray polyurethane foam.
• Wood-framed walls can be insulated with cavity insulation (fiberglass batts, sprayed-in-place fiberglass, cellulose, or spray polyurethane foam), on the interior (with rigid foam board), on the exterior (with rigid foam board or spray polyurethane foam), or with a combination of approaches (for example, some cavity insulation and exterior foam sheathing).

Thermal bridging
The effective R-value of a framed wall assembly with cavity insulation is always less than the R-value of the insulation alone, as thermal bridging through the studs degrades the performance of the wall. Thermal bridging can be reduced, and the thickness of the wall increased, by:

• adding foam sheathing to the exterior of the wall;
• adding a layer of rigid foam under the interior drywall; or
• building a double-stud wall with staggered studs.

Foam sheathing


The performance of any wood-framed wall will be improved by installing exterior rigid foam sheathing; the usual choices are XPS or polyisocyanurate. Although EPS can be used, it is more fragile than the other two options.
Adding foam insulation to the outside of a wall affects the wall's ability to dry out when it gets wet. Different types of foam insulation have different permeance ratings, but after a few inches they're all pretty impermeable to moisture. Most foam-sheathed walls are designed to dry to the inside. This means that interior plastic vapor barriers should never be used on foam-sheathed walls.

According to Joseph Lstiburek and Peter Baker of Building Science Corp. (see link below), adding 1 in. of R-5 insulation to a 2x6 wall insulated with fiberglass batts increases the effective R-value of the wall from 14.4 to 19.4, a 35% gain with only a 15% increase in wall thickness.

Adding 2 in. of foam raises the R-value from 14.4 to 23.8, an improvement of 65%. A layer of insulating foam on the outside of walls also reduces the risk of condensation by raising the dew point of the surface where water vapor is likely to collect.

Thick foam sheathing is safer than thin foam sheathing. To learn more about determining a safe thickness for exterior foam, see "Calculating the Minimum Thickness of Rigid Foam Sheathing."

ABOUT INSULATING FLAT CEILINGS

Flat ceilings under unconditioned attics can be insulated with fiberglass batts, blown fiberglass, or blown cellulose, but cellulose works best—especially in very cold temperatures when convective loops can degrade the performance of fiberglass. Regardless of the type of insulation used, more is always better, and it's usually an inexpensive upgrade as space is less of a limiting factor than it would be for walls.

Spray polyurethane foam can also be used to insulate a flat ceiling, although at a much higher cost than cellulose. An advantage of spray foam is that it air-seals as it insulates. With all types of attic insulation, air-sealing before insulating is almost more important than type and depth of insulation.

Attic-floor insulation should extend over the top plates of perimeter walls. To provide enough room for the necessary depth of attic insulation, be sure to specify raised-heel roof trusses.

Locating insulation at the attic floor has several advantages over locating insulation along the slope of the roof:

• It's cheaper, easier, and faster to install thick insulation at the attic floor.
• Unconditioned attics are easier to vent than insulated rafter bays.
• It's easier to detect and pinpoint roof leaks when the attic is unconditioned.

ABOUT INSULATING ROOFS

Sloped ceilings and roofs can be insulated from above (by installing rigid foam on top of the roof sheathing), by installing insulation between the rafters, from below (by installing rigid foam under the rafters), or by a combination of some or all three of these insulation methods. Any of these methods will work. Although installing insulation on top of the roof sheathing is more foolproof, it's also less common.
EPS
,or polyisocyanurate foam can be installed above roof sheathing. Two or more layers of rigid foam with staggered seams can be topped with eave-to-ridge 2x4s to create vent channels, followed by a second layer of roof sheathing. Exterior insulation like this with staggered seams disrupts conductive heat flow through the framing assembly.

Installing insulation in rafter bays is risky, as interior moisture can migrate through the insulation (either by diffusion or by piggybacking with exfiltrating air) and contact the cold roof sheathing, leading to condensation. This problem can be prevented by using closed-cell spray polyurethane foam, with or without a ventilation channel under the roof sheathing.

ABOUT RETROFITTING INSULATION

Although adding insulation to an existing home is always more challenging than insulating a new home, weatherization contractors have developed many cost-effective methods of improving existing insulation levels.

It's important to manage any moisture problems in a home before engaging in air-tightening measures or insulation improvements. Inspect the home to identify any leaks or high-moisture areas, and be sure that the home is equipped with adequate mechanical ventilation.

Among the tried-and-true methods used by experienced weatherization workers:

• To insulate a basement floor, install a continuous layer of XPS foam on top of the concrete. Top the foam with 2x4 sleepers and a plywood subfloor. If a low ceiling makes every inch critical, the sleepers can be omitted; in that case the plywood subfloor should be mechanically fastened through the foam to the concrete.
• Basement or crawlspace walls can be insulated with interior XPS, EPS, or closed-cell spray polyurethane foam. The foam should be protected with a thermal barrier (for example, 1/2-in. drywall).
• Above-grade frame walls can be insulated by blowing dense-packed cellulose into stud cavities through holes drilled through the siding. When insulation is complete, the holes are plugged.
• If siding is being replaced, rigid foam or spray polyurethane foam can be installed on top of the exterior sheathing. Exterior foam retrofit jobs require considerable trim work around windows and doors, however.
• Flat ceilings under unconditioned attics are usually easy to insulate with blown-in cellulose.
• Improving the insulation over a sloped ceiling is often easier from the exterior than the interior. Rigid foam insulation can be added above the roof sheathing in conjunction with new roofing.

After air-sealing and insulation work is complete, the renovated home should be tested for radon. Radon levels often increase after a home has been weatherized.
If a house is undergoing extensive remodeling, it's worth considering a deep energy retrofit.
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Scott's Contracting
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