Retrofit insulation helps in making older homes energy efficient.
Homes built about 30-40 years ago are did not have the stringent energy standards of today.
Those were the days when oil and gas was cheap and it was thought that fossil fuels would last forever.
No one thought about conserving energy.
We burnt fossil fuels like crazy to drive our motor cars, to heat our homes, to cool our offices and polluted our environment like it was no body's business.
Today, faced with climate change and erratic climate a result of our rampant misuse of nature's resources we have woken up to the fact that if we don't bite the bullet and change our ways we might end up destroying our planet.
Recent constructions are built to highest levels of energy efficiency.
New building laws require that buildings have minimum carbon footprint.
This means the building by its existence and use should limit its carbon emissions to the minimum standards set by the law.
The law also requires that older buildings become more energy compliant by taking up retrofit insulation.
It's easy to insulate buildings as they are being constructed as the insulation can be placed in the empty spaces in the wall.
It is a little difficult to put in the insulation in older buildings as you have to pull apart the structure to put in the insulating material.
Some types of retrofit insulation do not require for the walls and ceilings to be taken apart.
Blow in insulation, spray foam insulation are some of the forms that can be used as retrofit without major redo of the basic structure.
Small holes are drilled into the walls and the spray foam is pumped into the hole from the bottom.
The foam expands and fills up the space.
For retrofit insulation that uses materials like cellulose or fiberglass the material is blown in both from bottom and top.
For some types of insulation a little water is used to help the insulation to stick to the walls.
When moisture is used it is important to let the insulation to dry completely before sealing it off.
Moisture in the insulation defeats the very purpose as it can completely negate the insulating properties of the materials.
Homes built about 30-40 years ago are did not have the stringent energy standards of today.
Those were the days when oil and gas was cheap and it was thought that fossil fuels would last forever.
No one thought about conserving energy.
We burnt fossil fuels like crazy to drive our motor cars, to heat our homes, to cool our offices and polluted our environment like it was no body's business.
Today, faced with climate change and erratic climate a result of our rampant misuse of nature's resources we have woken up to the fact that if we don't bite the bullet and change our ways we might end up destroying our planet.
Recent constructions are built to highest levels of energy efficiency.
New building laws require that buildings have minimum carbon footprint.
This means the building by its existence and use should limit its carbon emissions to the minimum standards set by the law.
The law also requires that older buildings become more energy compliant by taking up retrofit insulation.
It's easy to insulate buildings as they are being constructed as the insulation can be placed in the empty spaces in the wall.
It is a little difficult to put in the insulation in older buildings as you have to pull apart the structure to put in the insulating material.
Some types of retrofit insulation do not require for the walls and ceilings to be taken apart.
Blow in insulation, spray foam insulation are some of the forms that can be used as retrofit without major redo of the basic structure.
Small holes are drilled into the walls and the spray foam is pumped into the hole from the bottom.
The foam expands and fills up the space.
For retrofit insulation that uses materials like cellulose or fiberglass the material is blown in both from bottom and top.
For some types of insulation a little water is used to help the insulation to stick to the walls.
When moisture is used it is important to let the insulation to dry completely before sealing it off.
Moisture in the insulation defeats the very purpose as it can completely negate the insulating properties of the materials.
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