Attic Insulation Case Studies: Home Energy Health Audit discovered Roof leak and Inadequate Insulation in Pinckney, MI
Challenge
The homeowner had a roof leak at one point and mold growth caused, they were also told by a home health audit that they could use more insulation for energy efficiency. Mold growth was found on top the roof decking and rafters. They also had rooms that were cold below the attic floor. A roof leak was causing added moisture into the attic with not having baffles installed proper ventilation from the soffits to the ridge vent. Attic floor penetrations had also not been air sealed prior to installing the fiberglass batt insulation when the home was built. Nine cans lights were not air sealed on the attic floor allowing airflow to escape into the attic from the conditioned air space below. The homeowner chose to have the problems fixed because they could see how not having proper insulation on the attic floor and not having penetrations on the attic floor air sealed meant they were not only spending money to heat and cool their home but they were losing that air they paid to heat and cool the home to the attic. The homeowner's biggest concern was that they were losing money heating and cooling the home to the attic that they paid for to heat and cool the conditioned space of the home.
Solution
The homeowner chose our company because we were able to show them that they would be able to save money on energy with a properly insulated attic. We also used thermal imaging to show them the heat loss coming from not having the can lights air sealed and covered with can light covers. Our solution was to remediate the mold that was on the roof decking and rafter, remove the existing batt fiberglass insulation and air sealed all the accessible penetrations, top plates and can lights with polyurethane foam and install R60 Cellulose to the attic floor. We ran into a couple challenges during the installation process. We had difficulties fitting the bags of old insulation through the scuttle because the old insulation made the bags thick with only a few pieces in each bag. We also had difficulty with walking through the attic because the attic did not contain trusses and the rafters were hard to reach making it difficult to walk safely. We used a combination of products to achieve our end result. We used Mold X2 products, Durovent Baffles, ZypFoam, SilverGlo, TiteShell Can Light Covers, Can light flag markers, and Stabilized TruSoft Cellulose Insulation. The homeowner now has an energy efficient attic and will be saving money on energy bills while also reducing the changes of ice dams. They also have a healthy mold free attic that will help reduce allergens within the home.
