RESIDENTIAL WEATHERIZATION BEST PRACTICES FIELD GUIDE Contents 1 INTRODUCTION to the FIELD GUIDE and BEST PRACTICES
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION RESIDENTIAL WEATHERIZATION BEST PRACTICES FIELD GUIDE Contents 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD GUIDE AND BEST PRACTICES .................................. 4 1.1 How to Use this Field Guide .................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Commitment to Health, Safety, and Durability ........................................................................ 5 1.3 General Requirements .............................................................................................................. 5 1.4 Material and Installation Requirements .................................................................................... 6 2 WEATHERIZATION HEALTH AND SAFETY BEST PRACTICES ..................................... 9 2.1 Covering Fibrous Insulation in Intermediate Zones ................................................................. 9 2.2 Safety Requirements for Electrical Wiring............................................................................... 9 2.3 Carbon Monoxide Alarms ...................................................................................................... 10 3 INSTALLER RECORD .............................................................................................................. 12 4 ATTIC AND ROOF-CAVITY INSULATION ......................................................................... 13 4.1 Preparation for Attic and Roof-Cavity Insulation .................................................................. 13 4.2 Passive Attic Ventilation ........................................................................................................ 17 4.3 Exhaust Fans .......................................................................................................................... 19 4.4 Prescriptive Attic Air Sealing (Optional) ............................................................................... 20 4.5 Attic Insulation: Installation ................................................................................................... 23 4.6 Unvented Attics...................................................................................................................... 29 4.7 Sloped Roof Cavities in Finished Attics ................................................................................ 30 4.8 Exterior Roof Insulation ......................................................................................................... 31 5 MANUFACTURED HOMES: CEILING AND ROOF INSULATION .................................. 32 5.1 General Requirements for Insulating Ceilings and Roofs ....................................................... 32 5.2 Exterior Roof Insulation ......................................................................................................... 32 5.3 Insulating Manufactured-Home Roof Cavities ....................................................................... 33 6 UNDERFLOOR INSULATION………………………………………………………………..36 6.1 Preparation for Underfloor Insulation ..................................................................................... 36 6.2 Prescriptive Crawlspace Air Sealing (Optional) ....................................................................... 39 6.3 Installing Underfloor Insulation ............................................................................................. 40 7 MANUFACTURED HOMES: UNDERFLOOR INSULATION.............................................. 44 7.1 Duct Insulation, Duct Sealing and Air Sealing ...................................................................... 44 7.2 Preparation for Underfloor Insulation .................................................................................... 44 7.3 Blown Underfloor Insulation ................................................................................................. 46 7.4 Fiberglass Batt Underfloor Insulation .................................................................................... 47 8 WALL INSULATION: SITE BUILT HOMES………………………………………………..48 8.1 Insulating Unfinished Walls ................................................................................................... 48 October 2016 Residential Weatherization Best Practices Field Guide Page 2 8.2 Installing Blown Insulation ................................................................................................... 48 8.3 Exterior Continuous Wall Insulation ....................................................................................... 50 9 HVAC DUCT SEALING AND INSULATION……………………………………………….51 9.1 Duct Sealing ........................................................................................................................... 51 9.2 Duct Insulation ....................................................................................................................... 51 10 MANUFACTURED HOMES: DUCT SEALING AND INSULATION……………………..53 10.1 Duct Sealing ........................................................................................................................... 53 10.2 Duct Insulation ....................................................................................................................... 53 11 HYDRONIC AND WATER-PIPE INSULATION ................................................................... 54 11.1 Materials Requirements.......................................................................................................... 54 11.2 Installation Requirements ....................................................................................................... 54 11.3 Heating Cable Requirements .................................................................................................. 55 12 PRIME WINDOW, SLIDING GLASS DOOR, AND FRENCH DOOR REPLACEMENTS 56 12.1 General Window Requirements ............................................................................................. 56 12.2 Window Installation Requirements ........................................................................................ 57 12.3 Safety Glass and Emergency Egress ...................................................................................... 60 13 PRESCRIPTIVE AIR SEALING……………………………………………………………..62 14 WHOLE-HOUSE AIR SEALING……………………………………………………………63 14.1 Introduction to Whole-House Air Sealing .............................................................................. 64 14.2 Whole-House Air Sealing Practices ....................................................................................... 66 14.3 Air Leakage Testing Protocol ................................................................................................. 69 15 EVALUATING HOME VENTILATION LEVELS………………………………………….72 15.2 Whole-Building Ventilation Requirement .............................................................................. 72 15.3 Local Exhaust Ventilation Requirement ................................................................................. 72 15.4 Natural Ventilation Credit ...................................................................................................... 73 16 MECHANICAL WHOLE-HOUSE VENTILATION………………………………………...76 16.1 Local Ventilation .................................................................................................................... 76 16.2 Mechanical Ventilation Strategies .......................................................................................... 77 16.3 Combustion Safety-Testing .................................................................................................... 79 APPENDIX 1: WHOLE-HOUSE VENTILATION REQUIREMENTS .................................. 83 APPENDIX 2: EXHAUST FAN PRESCRIPTIVE DUCT SIZING ........................................ 84 APPENDIX 3: N-VALUES FOR CFMN-TO-CFM50 CONVERSION ................................... 85 APPENDIX 4: GLOSSARY ....................................................................................................... 86 APPENDIX 5: ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................... 94 APPENDIX 6: STATE BUILDING CODE DIVISIONS ......................................................... 96 October 2016 Residential Weatherization Best Practices Field Guide Page 3 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD GUIDE AND BEST PRACTICES Weatherization is an effort to improve a home’s thermal performance by adding insulation and reducing air leakage. Many older homes, and some newer homes, lack adequate insulation, which wastes energy, causes discomfort, and leads to high energy bills. Sometimes these flaws in the building also impact indoor air quality (IAQ) or the durability of the home. Weatherization can improve these flaws and reduce bills, save energy and keep occupants comfortable, while at the same time preventing damage from moisture and health concerns to the occupants. This illustrated field guide contains step-by-step weatherization procedures for single-family buildings and mobile homes. Single-family buildings include one-to-four dwelling units within the structure. Modular homes and accessory dwelling units are considered single family. This guide doesn’t cover multifamily weatherization (5 units or more). The guide explains why weatherization is important, how to perform weatherization measures, and helps contractors communicate this to homeowners. While explaining each weatherization activity, the field guide also discusses relevant building science, which explains how the house works as a system.