HEET in January 30, 2010

A Green Marlborough group had fun weatherizing Amy's house and reduced air infiltration 28%!*  

A special thanks to experts Audrey and Jason from Cambridge (www.HEETMA.com) who taught us to evaluate and weatherize a home.  Thanks, too, to our neighbors in Maynard and Acton who came.  A great big thank you to Green Marlborough and community members who came.  This was an excellent teaching/learning experience for us to build on.  

The weatherization projects were:  

• Weatherizing 3 basement windows with plastic and double-sided tape

• Weatherizing doors with Q-Lon and door sweeps

• Spraying insulation foam around 2 metal basement door frames

• Caulking cracks

• Installing insulation gaskets behind electrical outlet and light switch plates

• Insulating the attic hatch door which provides access to the attic

• Weatherizing the tops of walls in the attic

Audrey explains Q-Lon weatherizing products for doors, and Susi helps by sawing it.		Jason inspects the attic to check for sealing at the tops of walls while Bob looks on.
Leah installs an insulation gasket behind a light switch plate.		While Kate and Audrey take a moment to talk shop in the kitchen.
Amy talks to her brother-in-law about her solar hot water system and her computer that monitors energy reduction.		Bob, Ann and Chris insulate bandjoists in the basement with foam board and spray foam.
The blower door test measured air flow before & after our work.  After cracks/holes were sealed, air flow decreased 28%! Now Amy's house will be warmer and less drafty.		It was 20F outside and a sunny day.  Amy has solar hot water panels in her front yard which were sending 180F water to tanks in the house!.
Todd weatherizes a basement window with plastic and double sided tape.		Chris cuts a piece of foam board while Ann installs a foam board and spray foam in a band joist.
Andrea puts an insulation gasket behind the face place of an electric outlet.		Jen and Kate discuss how to add 2" foam board to the attic hatch door.
The group poses for a picture after a good, fun day weatherizing Amy's house. This was a great  hands-on experience with caulking guns, spray foam cans, saws and screw drivers!
*28% air infiltration reduction is determined by a blower door test.  Before any work was done, the test measured1900 cfm or cubic feet per minute - equivalent to a 10" x 19" hole in the wall.  After the team completed weatherizing the home, it was 1350 cfm.  The reduction is 28%.  This would will reduce the homes electricity by nearly 1200 kwh or nearly $200 annually at current prices ($.17 per kwh).  In a home heated by natural gas this would be equivalent to 40 therms.   The homeowner spent about $200 on materials.  In one year her energy savings will pay for this.  After that she is saving $200 annually!