Before & After Photos

This homeowner in Port Republic, Maryland has two kids. One kid had a room that is always a perfect temperature. The other kid had a room that is always freezing. She decided that it was finally time to call in a professional so that both of them could have warm rooms.

Complete Home Solutions came out and gave her an energy audit. We crawled up into her attic and immediately spotted a problem. There was not enough insulation and no air sealing. That will definitely make for an uncomfortable house. So, we air sealed any leaky spots that we found (with caulk and/or spray foam) and we installed our loose fill cellulose insulation. Now, the homeowner can be at ease knowing that both of her kids are staying warm.

This customers basement wall was uninsulated when we arrived, which can result in a very cold and uncomfortable basement. This is because the bricks are not an effective barrier, air easily flows through these block walls. Block walls are hollow, have a big honeycomb of airspace inside them and can be very porous. Any type of boiler, furnace, water heater or ducts in the basement are wasting the heat that comes off them instead of warmer the room or the floors above it. To fix these issues we installed a SilverGlo foam board which reduces heat flow, stop airflow through the walls, and provide a better seal from your basement walls to the outside of your house. In result the basement can be cooled or heated more effectively while using less energy, all of these things mean a more comfortable home!

We met this homeowner at a trade show that we were working. He spoke to our home comfort specialist who was there and explained some of the issues that he was experiencing - such as cold rooms and floors and a musty smell that kept resurfacing. Our expert had a pretty good idea of what might be behind these issues, but wanted to see it for himself before assuming anything. 

He came out for a home energy audit so that he could fully evaluate the house for this client. He found that the crawl space (which is where he suspected the problem to be) was to blame for these issues. We took out the old BATT insulation, fixed the vapor barrier, and spray foamed the walls. These measures created a whole new crawl space that would give this homeowner a more comfortable and healthier home.  

Just having some insulation in your attic really isn't enough. If your insulation is deteriorating (just as parts in this picture are), your attic isn't functioning effectively. If you don't have any air sealing (just as this attic didn't), your attic isn't functioning effectively. We revealed all of this to these homeowners when we performed our full home energy audit. 

To upgrade this attic into one that would create a more comfortable home, we had to establish a thermal barrier. This meant air sealing any attic cavities/penetrations, replacing the old insulation with fresh, blown in cellulose, and installing insulation baffles. We also took the extra step to complete a "Super Deck," which is a way for the homeowner to have a storage space in the attic while maintaining that thermal barrier. The result has been a more comfortable home at a lower cost for these homeowners! 

When your duct work is in the attic, it is especially important to make sure that it is sealed properly. If it isn't, then you will ultimately feel it during the hot and cold months. You can try to raise the AC/heat to make your home comfortable, but when that air is traveling through ducts that live in an unconditioned space, you aren't going to achieve much. 

The solutions for this homeowner meant sealing their ducts. We removed the old insulation (which wasn't doing too great) and instead applied 1" of closed cell spray foam. This particular product is great for sealing duct work because is both air seals and insulates at the same time (and has a long lifespan). Heating and cooling the house will be much easier now.