LEAKY HOMES ARE INEFFICIENT, UNCOMFORTABLE & UNHEALTHY
BUILD A MORE DURABLE HOME
Address 3/4 of Major Risks Management Controls of Home Construction.
Each is necessary to guaranteeing a healthy, efficient, well-built home.
The control of heat flow in buildings requires insulation layers installed properly that are comprised of few thermal bridges, an effective air barrier system, good control of solar radiation, and management of interior heat generation.
In order for air to flow into, out of, or within a building, two requirements must be met: a hole or path must exist for the air to flow through and there must be a driving force. Air flows within buildings are either controlled or uncontrolled. In either case, the actual flow of air is determined by several factors, including hole size, resistance to flow, and pressure effects. Uncontrolled air flow can lead to comfort, indoor air quality and energy efficiency concerns.
Different than bulk water control, a vapor control addresses the moisture that travels via air and is unseen to the naked eye. Once inside a wall cavity, the vapor will go through convective loops in which it can reach dew point and turn from vapor to liquid. This is often seen later as condensation or damp insulation fibers.
4. Bulk Moisture Control
VAPOR DIFFUSION
AIR LEAKAGE
Water vapor diffusion is the movement of water vapor through vapor-permeable materials. Vapor diffusion happens through a solid material even when the material has no holes. A typical example of vapor diffusion happens when a material, such as gypsum drywall installed on a wall, separates two zones. If the air on one side of the drywall is very damp, and the air on the other side of the drywall is very dry, diffusion will occur. The drywall will absorb moisture on the damp side and then evaporate it through the dry side.
Building Science Corporation paper RR-0412: Insulations, Sheathings and Vapor Retarders, displays the potential water intrusion from just a small air leak can be up to 90 times greater than the water that would normally diffuse through gypsum board into the enclosure.
Air leaks are often the largest contributor to moisture problems,
especially mold and mildew
ENHANCE YOUR INSULATION
Less Noise
Isolate and block free movement of vibrating air (sound).
More Comfortable
Reduce drafts, cold/hot spots and unwanted outside humidity.
Save Energy
Reduce consumption, due to heating and cooling escaping.
PROVIDE A TRUE R-VALUE
Air Leakage carries many properties that will diminish the overall performance and effectiveness of fibrous insultation.
Outdoor temperatures, humidity, and air flow will break down the insulation around your home over time. Even worse, brand new insulation will not perform as it was designed if installed in an environment with air leakage which compromises its integrity. Less air leakage means there is less thermal impact the insulation must combat.
A study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, in Stuttgart, showed that a leaky enclosure can decrease the insulation’s effectiveness by a factor of 4.8 – making a 500 sf leaky building require the same amount of heating as a 2,400 sf airtight building.
ENHANCE YOUR INSULATION
Air sealing lets your insulation materials perform as they were designed.
Removing air leakage is key to the performance of any insulation. If outside temperatures can flow freely into a wall/floor/roof system, then the “true” R-Value is diminished. AeroBarrier allows any insulation material you use to perform better, even spray foam.
Since AeroBarrier significantly removes air leakage, you can begin to rethink which insulation material you require to still offer an energy efficient home. Fiberglass insulation becomes more efficient and cost-effective than ever after AeroBarrier has been applied. With open and closed cell spray foam being two to three times the cost of fiberglass, switching from spray foam to an AeroBarrier/fiberglass insulation package can save builders a substantial amount. And if you still prefer spray foam, AeroBarrier complements it perfectly by addressing all the air leakage still left behind.
SAVE ENERGY & MONEY
Right Mechanical Fit
Lower the requirements of systems, such as ventilation, ductwork and hvac.
Reduce Heating & Cooling
Boost the effectiveness, and longevity of heating and cooling systems.
Reduce Construction Costs
Completely air seal your home with a single team, while reducing the risk of failed inspections.
RETHINK HOW YOU BUILD
These are savings you can both recover and pass along to your homeowners for a more attractive offer.
A tighter home, that can be controlled through mechanical ventilation, such as ERV’s or HRV’s, offers many cost saving benefits. Right off the top, you will be able to shave off the tonnage on HVAC equipment and reduce the duct work size. A reduction in just 0.5 tons for an HVAC system can save over $800 per build.
Additionally, heating and cooling is a home’s largest energy consumer. Reducing the Air Changes per Hour (ACH) by properly air sealing and using mechanical ventilations offers significant drops in energy consumption. Less energy consumption equals less solar panels required to offset utility costs, meaning you can lessen the number of panels necessary. Each solar panel will save you $535 on average plus labor costs associated. Furthermore, significantly reducing energy consumption by air sealing with AeroBarrier Connect makes the offer of net metering more practical than ever.
BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
30-70% of your energy bill is used for Heating/Cooling
REDUCE RISK
LABOR CAN BE UNPREDICTABLE
AeroBarrier removes the labor inconsistencies of time and quality, placing air sealing in a single, guaranteed process.
Air sealing isn’t just the responsibility of framers, drywallers and insulation companies. With an average of 22 sub-contractors involved in a single build, it becomes difficult to manage air sealing from start to finish. Unfortunately, tight schedules and miscommunication increase the odds of penetrations not being sealed prior to surfaces being installed, making them inaccessible.
Air sealing can be applied at any stage of the build and correct any missed sealing in just a few hours –even leaks in inaccessible areas, with precision. This provides worry free, guaranteed air sealing results in up to 1/3 of the time it would usually take. AeroBarrier not only reduces labor costs on the front end, it removes costly rework on the back end, removes the cost of additional compliance attempts and the worry of holding costs for not meeting deadlines.
GUARANTEED TO MEET ANY INSPECTION REQUIREMENT
MEASURED IN REAL-TIME, WITH THE SAME EQUIPMENT AS INSPECTION TOOLS. Read More
Uncertainty is Costly
The average cost to hire a certified blower door technician is $450.
The cost of failure quickly drives up fees.