Energy Waste
Energy Waste
Today’s Power Trip – How Moisture Ruins Energy Efficiency
by Don Ames
Moisture can embed itself over years of penetration and take all your energy efficiency efforts and make them useless. To save energy as part of a working plan, you will need to make sure that moisture is not short-sheeting your intentions to save power and lower your power bills. Moisture can damage wood framing and wall componets and make air sealing nearly impossible. Remember all that new insulation you installed under the floor? Add excessive ground moisture or a leaking pipe and the resulting wet insulation looses it ability to insulate.
Today, I had the pleasure of watching an energy hog get torn down - a manufactured home that had lost the battle to the long term effects of moisture. The original plan was to fix it up and establish it’s air and insulation barriers once again. To turn the home into a likeness of itself when it was new. The prevailing rains made that plan an inappropriate use of time, materials, and money.
It’s like watching a roller coaster, slight smile across your face, looks like fun, but glad your not on board. The track hoe was making quick work of depositing the home into a dumpster. After the home was tested to be sure their was no asbestos present, the appropriate permits were purchased and the track hoe was scheduled. All furnishings and personal items were removed and the owners housed in a nearby motel.
Why tear the house down?
Sometimes even the best Contractor has to admit it’s better to start over.
- The roof leaked in several places and roof trusses were damaged.
- Roof insulation needed to be replaced and increased.
- The furnace had been removed in favor of space heaters and the heating ducts plugged with spray foam.
- Doors and windows had allowed moisture to enter the walls and rot out the wall framing and floor. You could see light shining in from under the walls.
- The bathroom floor had seen so much moisture that two floors had been added to the top of the rotten floor underneath.
The repair of the home would have required replacing most of the home structure and would have cost far more than the home was worth. To end up with a home that is in good enough condition to justify energy and power saving measures, it is best to find a home in better condition.
Can we find a home in better condition that can be made energy efficient?
It’s not an easy task to locate a home that fits within the needed guidelines and goals. With a little luck, an ad was noticed in the paper about a home that needed to be moved because it’s hardship placement permit was terminated. The home either had to be moved or a new septic system installed. Have you priced a new septic system and drain field lately?
The Home had some great energy upgrades already in place.
- The underfloor belly had been insulated with blown fiberglass.
- Heating ducts had been tested and sealed.
- Furnace replaced about 9 months ago.
- Water replaced 2 years ago.
- Vinyl, double pane windows had been installed.
This replacement home was the same age as the moisture damaged energy hog, but in a whole lot better condition. It will be an excellent home that is ready to have additional energy saving measures installed. After getting the home moved, leveled and setup – the ceiling will be insulated by filling the cavity with blown insulation and a new vinyl roof will be installed.
This is a winning project for all involved.
The homeowners have a home where they can be warm, safe, and comfortable. The home is well insulated and the energy efficiency measures ensure the power bills will be under control. The power provided has one less home in their service area that is wasting energy.
Hey, thanks for visiting this energy saving project, come back to Detect Energy real soon, but I won’t be leaving a light on for you…