HOMEFRONT Insulation: Unsexy, but the payback is huge

KATHY FLAXMAN From Friday's Globe and MailSeptember 28, 2007

Insulating her home didn't just save Maxine Lewis money on her fuel bill, it helped eliminate the bill entirely for a year and a half!

When Ms. Lewis, a 42-year-old publishing executive, and her husband Giles Osborne, a chartered accountant, also 42, moved into their Moore Park two-storey semi-detached home in the fall of 2001, it was drafty and cold. Room by room, area by area, the couple renovated, starting with the ground-floor kitchen, living room and dining room, later tackling the upstairs master bedroom and creating a master en suite bathroom. Wherever they tore something out, that was a place where insulation had never lived.

The most glaring example was the master bedroom. Located at the front of the home over the veranda, it was so cold that under a mat where Ranger, the couple's Chesapeake Bay retriever slept, mould formed on the floors as a result of the dog's body heat meeting the cold air.

"When the wind blew, the curtains moved," Ms. Lewis laughs. "The air was coming in through the walls, not the windows." Our renovations included a new furnace, and when we were finished we had overpaid our gas bill substantially."

It's September, and while shorter, cooler days may send us pining for the heat of August, it's February that really freezes us. A well-insulated home can be cozy and toasty even then and it will be cool on scorchers, too.

Robert Stotton of Brantford-based Insta-Insulation points out that homeowners who are renovating have the ideal opportunity to add insulation. It will save money on energy costs and prevent damage to the home.

"It seems a shame to me when a client tells me, 'I just did a $150,000 renovation and I'm freezing,' " Mr. Stotton says. "Insulation isn't a sexy product and it's not something you can see and admire, but moisture and mildew will damage your home and the costs of energy seem to be doubling every seven or 10 years. Insulation will pay for itself in three or four years."

The ideal time to insulate is when a home is being built. It's far easier to add those luscious R values as the foundations and walls go up, and, in fact, they can even be built in as part of the foundation.

"There are Styrofoam blocks used for building that are filled with concrete which are providing foundation and insulation at the same time," says Michael DeJong of Michael DeJong Homes, based in Burlington, Ont.

There are numerous types of insulation available, all providing different R values depending on thickness and where applied. Those pink fibreglass batts we have all seen are inexpensive and hence popular, although installing them is far from a carefree picnic. They're made of glass fibres that can harm skin, eyes and clothing — protective masks and gear are musts.

"Also, the energy used to manufacture this product is considerable," Mr. Stotton notes. "Other products such as spray foam give a far better R value in a smaller space and are less disruptive when they are being installed."

In cities such as Toronto, a lot of homes have masonry construction — double brick, wood lathe on the inside of the wall with plaster applied directly on the lathe. Notice anything missing? Insulation!

In Ontario, the revised building code of 2004 strengthened provisions for insulation, but how can owners of these heat-leakers compensate?

In some cases, foam can be blown into the walls, but Mr. Stotton advises against this. "We don't like to do work that we can't see," he says. "I compare this to visiting a blind dentist." You might get a filling but would it even be in the right tooth?

The attic is the recommended starting point for upgrading insulation in an older home. The Ontario Building Code specifies R40 for this area, and even if your castle was insulated years ago, the material may have lost its strength and need a boost. Fixing leaking windows is next up, and importantly, insulating an unfinished basement, plus the rim joist at the top of this area.

"In attics, you need both insulation and ventilation. Having an attic that is too hot might sound good, but it is not. If it is too hot, you are inviting moisture buildup. What you want is a dry, well-ventilated attic," points out Don MacLean of Toronto-based Homecraft Renovations.

When renovating, the walls can be taken down, reframed and insulation added. "If you add Styrofoam batts you are going to lose five inches all round," cautions Mr. DeJong. "Spray foam makes sense despite the extra cost. It takes up less room and it packs a lot more punch."

Insulation comes in a variety of options and even colours. Mr. MacLean notes that there are those foundation blocks, and there is rigid foam.

"This is often used under floors," he says. "You would have gravel, rigid foam and then concrete. Twenty five per cent of heat loss in a home is through the basement."

A rigid type of Styrofoam can be used under stucco — the stucco can be trowelled on directly or on top of wire mesh. Some products are better than others in the long term. Fibreglass, for example, can "slump" or fall out of place. Spray foam is good for areas with sloping walls and ceilings. Another product, Roxul, comes in batts like fibreglass but is somewhat easier to work with because it is made of mineral wool and does not retain moisture. There are also aerosols that can be applied around windows and doors.

Mr. DeJong notes that while we squeal about the cost of gas, oil and electricity, our relatively low energy costs have, in fact, made us somewhat lackadaisical about insulation.

"In Canada, we export our construction technologies to countries like Russia because we have learned to build in a harsh climate and survive. Our energy costs, however, are still heavily subsidized by governments and they are not realistic. If they were higher, consumers would happily pay for the best insulation."

Special to The Globe and Mail

HOMEFRONT Insulation: Unsexy, but the payback is huge

KATHY FLAXMAN From Friday's Globe and MailSeptember 28, 2007

Insulating her home didn't just save Maxine Lewis money on her fuel bill, it helped eliminate the bill entirely for a year and a half!

When Ms. Lewis, a 42-year-old publishing executive, and her husband Giles Osborne, a chartered accountant, also 42, moved into their Moore Park two-storey semi-detached home in the fall of 2001, it was drafty and cold. Room by room, area by area, the couple renovated, starting with the ground-floor kitchen, living room and dining room, later tackling the upstairs master bedroom and creating a master en suite bathroom. Wherever they tore something out, that was a place where insulation had never lived.

The most glaring example was the master bedroom. Located at the front of the home over the veranda, it was so cold that under a mat where Ranger, the couple's Chesapeake Bay retriever slept, mould formed on the floors as a result of the dog's body heat meeting the cold air.

"When the wind blew, the curtains moved," Ms. Lewis laughs. "The air was coming in through the walls, not the windows." Our renovations included a new furnace, and when we were finished we had overpaid our gas bill substantially."

It's September, and while shorter, cooler days may send us pining for the heat of August, it's February that really freezes us. A well-insulated home can be cozy and toasty even then and it will be cool on scorchers, too.

Robert Stotton of Brantford-based Insta-Insulation points out that homeowners who are renovating have the ideal opportunity to add insulation. It will save money on energy costs and prevent damage to the home.

"It seems a shame to me when a client tells me, 'I just did a $150,000 renovation and I'm freezing,' " Mr. Stotton says. "Insulation isn't a sexy product and it's not something you can see and admire, but moisture and mildew will damage your home and the costs of energy seem to be doubling every seven or 10 years. Insulation will pay for itself in three or four years."

The ideal time to insulate is when a home is being built. It's far easier to add those luscious R values as the foundations and walls go up, and, in fact, they can even be built in as part of the foundation.

"There are Styrofoam blocks used for building that are filled with concrete which are providing foundation and insulation at the same time," says Michael DeJong of Michael DeJong Homes, based in Burlington, Ont.

There are numerous types of insulation available, all providing different R values depending on thickness and where applied. Those pink fibreglass batts we have all seen are inexpensive and hence popular, although installing them is far from a carefree picnic. They're made of glass fibres that can harm skin, eyes and clothing — protective masks and gear are musts.

"Also, the energy used to manufacture this product is considerable," Mr. Stotton notes. "Other products such as spray foam give a far better R value in a smaller space and are less disruptive when they are being installed."

In cities such as Toronto, a lot of homes have masonry construction — double brick, wood lathe on the inside of the wall with plaster applied directly on the lathe. Notice anything missing? Insulation!

In Ontario, the revised building code of 2004 strengthened provisions for insulation, but how can owners of these heat-leakers compensate?

In some cases, foam can be blown into the walls, but Mr. Stotton advises against this. "We don't like to do work that we can't see," he says. "I compare this to visiting a blind dentist." You might get a filling but would it even be in the right tooth?

The attic is the recommended starting point for upgrading insulation in an older home. The Ontario Building Code specifies R40 for this area, and even if your castle was insulated years ago, the material may have lost its strength and need a boost. Fixing leaking windows is next up, and importantly, insulating an unfinished basement, plus the rim joist at the top of this area.

"In attics, you need both insulation and ventilation. Having an attic that is too hot might sound good, but it is not. If it is too hot, you are inviting moisture buildup. What you want is a dry, well-ventilated attic," points out Don MacLean of Toronto-based Homecraft Renovations.

When renovating, the walls can be taken down, reframed and insulation added. "If you add Styrofoam batts you are going to lose five inches all round," cautions Mr. DeJong. "Spray foam makes sense despite the extra cost. It takes up less room and it packs a lot more punch."

Insulation comes in a variety of options and even colours. Mr. MacLean notes that there are those foundation blocks, and there is rigid foam.

"This is often used under floors," he says. "You would have gravel, rigid foam and then concrete. Twenty five per cent of heat loss in a home is through the basement."

A rigid type of Styrofoam can be used under stucco — the stucco can be trowelled on directly or on top of wire mesh. Some products are better than others in the long term. Fibreglass, for example, can "slump" or fall out of place. Spray foam is good for areas with sloping walls and ceilings. Another product, Roxul, comes in batts like fibreglass but is somewhat easier to work with because it is made of mineral wool and does not retain moisture. There are also aerosols that can be applied around windows and doors.

Mr. DeJong notes that while we squeal about the cost of gas, oil and electricity, our relatively low energy costs have, in fact, made us somewhat lackadaisical about insulation.

"In Canada, we export our construction technologies to countries like Russia because we have learned to build in a harsh climate and survive. Our energy costs, however, are still heavily subsidized by governments and they are not realistic. If they were higher, consumers would happily pay for the best insulation."

Special to The Globe and Mail