Insulation Services Case Studies: Making Home Warmer in Winter in Chantilly, VA
Challenge
A homeowner in Chantilly, VA wanted to make their home warmer in the winter time. The rooms above the crawlspace were their main concern, as they were always colder than other parts of the house. Millions of homes were built with vented dir crawl spaces but now building scientists agree that was a big mistake. In the winter, vents let cold air right into the house when floor insulation sags away from the sub floor and cold air gets above it, rendering the existing insulation useless. This home's crawl space also leaked groundwater in heavy rains, which feeds mold, odors, and makes the home a lot harder to heat. Another source of heat loss in this home was it's vented attic. The heated air was leaving the house through cracks and air leaks in the attic, which was also under-insulated compared to today's standards.
Solution
In order to make the rooms in this home stay warmer in the winter (and more comfortable all year round) Comfenergy did several things. We removed all of the old insulation in the attic and air sealed all of the cracks and top plates where air was escaping. We properly insulated the attic floor with TruSoft Cellulose insulation and insulated the scuttle cover with SilverGlo. To fix the issues in the crawlspace we first installed a SmartSump to collect the groundwater and pump it outside, Smart Pipe was installed around the perimeter of the crawl space to drain water from the walls and floor of your crawl space, and CleanSpace drainage matting was installed over the dirt floor. Next, we installed a SaniDry CX crawl space air system to de-humidify and make the upstairs dryer. Finally we encapsulated the crawl space by sealing up the vents and installing drainage matting, TerraBlock Floor insulation, and Spray Foam insulaion. Now the home will stay much warmer, have less drafts, and lower fuel and electric bills.
Project Summary
Estimator: Matt Pascual
