Comfenergy Before & After Photos

Sometimes comfort and energy issues can be caused by leaky and poorly insulated HVAC ducting.  The before/after pics that follow show a duct that was poorly insulated, running through a cold attic in the winter.  Hot air was leaking into the attic instead of going to the room to deliver the hot air.  Plus there was little to no insulation on it which was "cooling down" the heated air making it less efficient.

Comfenergy sealed the ducting and insulated it with an R13, closed cell spray foam.  This seals the duct leakage and insulates it to better than the existing code (R8)

This home in Charles Town WV was designed with several cantilevers.  A cantilever ("a long projecting beam or girder fixed at only one end") is part of the home that hangs out from the walls of the home.  The cantilevers of this home were uninsulated and therefore allowed the outside temperature to impact the air and comfort of the inside rooms connected.  Our Home Performance Sales Pro Greg determined that the use of spray foam to insulate the cantilever would help solve this problem.  The lower cover of the cantilever was removed by our production crew and then spray foam was used to fill in the hollow space inside.  

One of the biggest culprits of heat loss in the winter (and high energy bills) is recessed can lights that back to the attic.  The attic is outside the home and the top floor in inside the home.  These can lights are 6" holes in the ceiling that allow heated air out of the home. Covering them and sealing them keeps the heated air in longer and lower the usage of the heating system.

This Jeffersonton, VA homeowner has suffered from high humidity in the basement of their home for years. The basement is attached to a low ceiling crawl space built on a slab. The high humidity is typically caused by:

1. Drainage of ground water from outside.

2. Hydrostatic water table pressure coming up from below.

3. Hot/humid air coming into the basement and hitting cold surfaces.

These before and after photos show how Comfenergy solved the humidity issue. A perimeter drainage system was installed in the slab around the perimeter of the crawl space. CleanSpace (20 mil) vapor barrier is tucked behind the perimeter drain. Then Thermax foam wall panels are installed to provide the proper air sealing and insulation value. Thermax also provides a thermal barrier for fire protection and meet codes.

Now the basement and crawl space are nice and dry!

This homes attic had old insulation, open access air vents and an attic fan.  This all added up to a lack of control over the space and temperature fluctuations that impacted the comfort for the homeowners in the living spaces below.  We air sealed the attic with ZypFoam, sealed up the vents and fan and used SilverGlo insulation panels to cover many of the walls and other needed spaces in the attic. This will help control the space and reduce the loss of conditioned air from the living spaces below.  Increased comfort and lower bills will be other nice results.