Our trained technicians can perform a variety of test on your home that will pinpoint what you can do to improve your home to make it more energy efficient and comfortable. The tests we perform identify key issues and enable you to correct the problems which translates into energy savings and more cash in your pocket each month.

Blower Door Test

This test allows our technicians to identify where cold/hot air is leaking into your conditioned space and what needs to be done to seal up your walls, stop drafts and keep your conditioned spaces comfortable.

Infrared Scan

The infrared scan shows exactly where your homes insulation is under-performing and where you are loosing the most conditioned air from your home. You can then add insulation to the areas that need it most.

Electrical Inspection

We calculate how much more efficient your home could be and how much money you could save by installing energy efficient appliances and lighting fixtures.

Duck Leakage Test

Your duct work is responsible for carrying hot and cool air from your furnace / air conditioner into the rooms of your house. We test to make sure there are no holes or leaks in your duct work that allow conditioned air to spill out into unconditioned areas of your home. This insures that the air you are paying to heat and cool makes it into the living space of your home in the most efficient manner possible.

If you would like to find out how your home could be more energy efficient please contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our trained specialists by clicking here.

What Our Customers Have to Say

“Building a home can be very stressful, from selecting right paint colors, flooring, green technologies, to finding reliable contractors.  When I heard about polyurethane foam insulation as a more energy efficient option to fiberglass or cellulose insulation I researched it and discovered the benefits.  Yes it generally is more expensive initially but the overall value of clearly out weighed that.

My general contractor gave me several urethane foam insulators that he has used and heard of.  I called them all and met them all.  Of the 3 different contractors I selected EcoFoam.  This was an easy choice based upon the knowledge that they had of the product, track record and they showed up on time.

The crew that EcoFoam sent over was well organized, efficient, neat and professional which really meant a lot.  All the work was done in the agreed time frame with no delays.  I remember Luke (owner of EcoFoam Insulation) commenting after the work was done that I would be able to notice a huge difference between the way my new house was insulated versus my previous home.  “we’ll see” is what I thought in my head.

I’ve now lived in my home for almost a year and I can honestly say I definitely can tell the difference between polyurethane foam insulation and cellulose or fiberglass.  I heat my walk out ranch home predominately with a wood burning stove.  The walk out level has yet to be finished and is virtually unheated.  Even in the dead of winter maintaining 75F is easy to do with little or no use from my furnace.  Cooling the house in the summer is so inexpensive with little use from my air conditioner.  It’s like living in a cooler!

I highly recommend and have recommended EcoFoam to anyone who is looking to improve the energy efficiency of their home.  It’s the wisest investment I have made in my home!“

Are They Knowledgeable?

A good contractor should have a robust understanding of most if not all available insulation systems that could be placed in your home and should walk you through the pros and cons of each one. They should also be able to explain the why the product they are recommending is the best and most cost effective for your application.

Did they assess all areas of your home?

A good contractor is going to want to take a look at all the areas of your home, the attic, the basement and the walls so that they can get a good picture of why you are loosing heat from your home. They should never come in and suggest something without first having a thorough look around. An exception to this would be if a homeowner wants a certain section of the house treated, but the contractor should inquire if there are others areas of concern?

Rank areas in order of importance

The attic should always be the first priority, its simple and everyone knows that heat rises, so first stop this problem area and then move on to the other areas., however some contractors try and sell products based on how much they make off of them not based on if the customers needs them. The rim joist and basement should be next on the list followed by the exterior walls. If you call a contractor out to have him look at your walls for example and upon discovering that there is no insulation in the attic he suggest that you insulate that before you tackle the walls you know that he has your best interest in mind.

The proposal

A good contractor will take a day or two to write up a good proposal. This is often because they want to let their thoughts settle and make sure they are suggesting the right things. It is nice to know what the price tag is on your project before the contractor leaves the site but hasty estimates lend to things being overlooked. The proposal should also be detailed on exactly what the contractor is going to do, they should spell out each application and where that application is to be applied.

Homeowners often ask me if they should add insulation to their home and to answer that question i like to ask the homeowner three questions.

Is your home comfortable to stay in?

By this I am trying to find out if you are cold in the winter and hot in the summer? Are you adding layers because your home never seems to be warm enough?  You should be able to be comfortable in your own home without breaking the bank and having the meter run at warp speed. Which brings me to question 2.

Is it financially taxing to keep your home at a comfortable temperature?

Do you dread seeing the power bill come in the mail? You should be able to keep your house at a comfortable temperature and not have high energy bills.  There is no set number on what you should pay a month per sq ft and a good way to check on that is to ask your neighbors what they are paying and compare.  If your neighbor pays half of what you do then maybe you will need to think about adding insulation.

Are there any presenting problems that make you think you need insulation?

Here I am talking about areas of your roof where the snow melts faster then the rest or you have pipes freezing in your crawlspace year after year or you have icicles that reach the ground.  If you answered yes to any of those questions you should have your insulation checked.

Based on the answers to these questions you can quickly assess if you need to add insulation to your home. If you have additional questions about adding insulation to your home or would like an energy analysis conducted on your home to see where you could be saving money on your energy bills please contact us today.

Our professional team can add insulation to your home without any remodeling or installation headaches. Our eco-friendly insulation solutions can be installed in almost any home to increase insulation performance for significant savings on your energy bills.

Almost all older homes and some newer homes in Michigan are significantly under-insulated; which means most Michigan homeowners are paying higher heating and cooling bills than they should be. Retro-fitting your existing home is generally a simple process. By increasing attic insulation, sealing rim joists, insulating crawl spaces and adding insulation to your exterior walls you can reduce your energy consumption and make your home much more comfortable.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment with an insulation specialist and receive a free, no obligations energy assessment for your home.

A major challenge in existing homes is air infiltration – a problem that can appear in multiple areas of a home, including the attic, rim joist and crawlspace. Using polyurethane foam to seal these critical areas is one the most cost-effective and easy solutions to stop air infiltration.

Existing homes typically have multiple air infiltration points, from the attic down to the basement. Closed cell foam is the best option when air sealing because it will also act as a vapor retarder, assisting with another common problem in existing homes that can lead to mold and poor indoor air quality.

Attics
Vented attics are the best environment for employing air sealing methods with polyurethane foam, as they usually contain several spots of air and moisture penetration.

Rethinking Air Sealing in Residential Remodeling

These problem-areas include junction boxes, can lights, pipe penetrations and drywall-to-wood connections. A quick flash of spray polyurethane foam (approximately ½ inch thick) will seal around these areas. When used in conjunction with traditional insulation methods, such as blown-in cellulose or fiberglass, this small amount of foam will stop air infiltration while maintaining the R-value designated by building codes.

Rim Joists

Rim joists are another common spot for air and moisture infiltration. Traditionally rim joists have been insulated with fiberglass, which can lead to mold problems when exposed to the elements and doesn’t stop air infiltration. Removing the existing fiberglass and spraying a flash of spray foam (approximately ½ to 3” thick) around the rim joist will create an airtight seal. The fiberglass can be placed over the foam to further insulate.

Crawlspaces

Crawlspaces can be a major contributor of moisture in a home, as well as cause “cold spots” in the floor. Spray polyurethane foam is one of the easiest ways to insulate these hard-to-reach areas. Most crawlspace retrofits can be completed with one laborer in less than a few hours when using a spray foam kit.

source: Sprayfoam.com

Q: I have a 1940 “Colonial” that looks like a raised Cape Cod. When replacing the single-pane slider to the deck with an Andersen® slider, we discovered that under our aluminum siding was cedar shake. And under the cedar shake was 1×12s and then plaster. There is no insulation. Then I heard that “Houses before World War II didn’t have it” line, and realized why the utilities were so high.

I have since taken all the old blown-in insulation out of the attic and replaced it with 6-8 inch pink fiberglass. And I built an attic box wrapped in insulation to cover the stair pull-down where most of the heat escapes.

I plan to re-side. Should I strip the siding and the cedar shake and put some sort of Tyvek® wrap on and then side back? Or should I just re-side over the cedar shake and have the goop blown down the walls? I am told that may run $5,000. Seems like a lot compared to Tyvek®. What are your thoughts?

A: Tyvek® is a house wrap and has the insulation qualities nearly equivalent to the paper this is printed upon. Its function is that of a barrier and not a blanket, so take that out of the insulation side of your equation. It’s true that most houses built prior and, to some degree, for a while after, World War II, didn’t have insulation. They were certainly making and selling insulation prior to the war.

The notion of using something in a wall or ceiling to keep a house warmer or cooler has been around for a very long time. I’ve seen pine needles, straw, mud—even corncobs—stuffed into wall cavities of old homes with the clear intent to make the inside cozier. You’re on the right track doing what you’ve done up in your attic. I probably would have left the old insulation in place and gone over it with the newer to thicken the net amount of insulation in place. Sometimes, old insulation products will have asbestos in them, so leaving insulation alone is considered a good idea.

Covering the drop stairs is also a very good idea, but most people won’t go to such extents. In over 30 years of inspecting houses, I’ll bet I’ve only seen maybe a half dozen or so drop stair covers. I normally suggest weather-stripping the opening at the very least. After all, it’s an uninsulated door to the exterior. The air in the attic is outside air that during some seasons, like summer, is more severe than the air outside the front door. Hot air will both convect and radiate heat through this opening into the house below, increasing the cooling load and consequently driving up cooling costs. You’ve rightly identified those drop stairs as a big wintertime heat leaker. As long as what you’ve done is tight, you’ll benefit year round.

If you are planning to re-side your house, then what I read between the lines of your letter is that you’ll be tearing off the old aluminum siding and re-siding with vinyl. Good plan. Now, you can use Tyvek®. It’ll help, but it won’t be the cure. Most siding installers place a fan-fold type, thin, foam insulation board behind the vinyl they install. Again, it’s a help, and you’ll feel the difference, but it’s still not the cure.

I did some checking on the costs and methods of insulating the insides of your exterior walls. The foam system, to which you refer as goop, would probably be the method I would choose. The hole needed to get it into the wall is small, and the product flows around minor obstructions and doesn’t settle over time like a loose material would. You’ll end up with 3-1/2, maybe 4, inches thick of material in the walls that will make you snug as a bug. The median job price I heard for such an installation was between $3,200 to $3,500. If you realize a savings of $400 per year in lower heating and cooling costs, then your payback period is just over eight years. That’s certainly worth considering.

While we’re spending your money, what do your windows look like? If they are 1940 originals, then you’d be wise to consider replacing them during the re-siding effort. They will cost more than insulating, but if they are leaky, you’ll be taking a big step in the right direction by replacing them.

Source: http://www.ashireporter.org

The use of ccSPF can impart a number of high-performance attributes to metal roofing and cladding assemblies, from high R-value thermal insulation and good acoustical performance to wind uplift resistance and increased racking strength.

Replacing metal roofing and wall panels may cost $10 to $13 per square foot. In contrast, a ccSPF application can range from $3 to $5 per square foot—less than half the cost—and provide extra insulation and waterproofing, in addition to other benefits.

When properly designed, constructed, and maintained, a metal building or roof assembly should last 15 to 30 years before requiring serious maintenance. Nevertheless, thousands of metal building and roofing assemblies need retrofit or replacement long before the end of their expected lifespan.

Factors critical for energy efficiency and durability must be addressed in new and retrofit construction.

These include:

• Thermal shock movement;
• Moisture condensation;
• Uncontrolled air movement;
• Thermal bridging; and
• Radiant heat absorption.

Closed-cell sprayed polyurethane foam can help solve many of these concerns. The material is sprayed onto a surface as a liquid. Within seconds the foam—while still in a fluid-like state—expands 30 to 40 times its original volume to form a lightweight insulation, filling cracks, crevices, and areas difficult to reach with other products.

The material can be installed as a roofing system (or insulated exterior wall covering), or applied to the interior walls and ceiling. Both options have distinctive benefits. Various factors determine which system is appropriate for a specific metal building project.

Building owners and specifiers are often faced with the question of where to install the ccSPF—inside or outsie. In some situations, the answer is obvious; in others, it can be difficult to determine.

Applying ccSPF to the building interior controls structural movement better, as it emails gluing the trusses, joists, beams, and other elements directly together. The potential for poor weather conditions, such as high winds or rain, may also make interior application preferable. Conversely, installing insulation on the outside of the building provides enhanced energy efficiency, as it eliminates thermal bridging.

In cases where there is much activity inside a building—such as ongoing operations, equipment, racks, storage, furnishings, and occupied areas—the most appropriate way to use ccSPF is applying it outside the building envelope. Overspray preparation (i.e. covering or masking off areas or objects that might accidentally be oversprayed) may also affect the preferred point of application.

To determine the appropriate type of ccSPF application, basic building information is required, such as location, climate, intended use, and occupancy. Questions pertaining to major concerns or challenges should be answered. Suitable questions include:

• Are there leak, moisture, or condensation issues?
• Is energy efficiency a major concern?
• Will there be considerable work disruption from an interior application?
• Is overspray prep needed before the application?
• Is additional structural strength desired, and if so, of what type? For example, if the building is in a hurricane-prone zone and the owner would like to reinforce the whole building against wind damage, what are the options?
• What type of substrate preparation is required?
• Are there surface or assembly preparation challenges? For example, is rust treatment or replacement of fasteners or welds required?

After considering the building requirements and desired changes, the building owner should then review the characteristics and benefits for each type of ccSPF system. Regardless of whether the building owner decides to install a ccSPF system outside or inside a metal building—or use a combination of the two – research and historical evidence suggests the application provides a range of benefits

In many households, the bulk of energy is consumed during the cold-weather months. That’s because heat is often running all day long to keep the home comfortable, heavier clothes are worn, which take longer to wash and dry, less time is spent cooking outdoors and more time is geared around firing up the kitchen stove.

Making some changes –in a green way –can be beneficial, especially in terms of monetary savings. Here are a few steps to take.

1. Douse drafts: Drafts can drive up energy usage. Caulk around windows and doors, or consider replacing drafty windows all together if it’s in the budget. There are many energy-efficient options available. Another way to stop drafts is with a “draft snake.” It’s simply any piece of fabric (even a rolled up towel) that’s placed at the bottom of doors to prevent drafts. You can use scraps of fabric, sew them in a tube shape and fill with sand or kitty litter. Kids can customize theirs with eyes and tongues from craft store supplies.

2. Replace furnace filters: Clogged furnace filters compromise the flow of air through the system and can cause the unit to work harder. That equates to more energy use. Replace filters at least once a month. An even greener option is electostatic filters. They trap around 88 percent of debris, and are much better at controlling the bacteria, mold, viruses and pollen that cause illness and irritation. They will be more costly than standard filters, however.

3. Turn down the water heater thermostat: Many thermostats are set to heat the water to 140 F. That level of warmth is often not needed.

Turning down the thermostat to 120 F can save considerable energy … and money.

4. Watch the thermostat: Statistics show that for every degree you lower the thermostat during heating season, you’ll save between 1 and 3 percent of your heating bill. Use a programmable thermostat to automatically keep the heat at the desired temperature, whether you’re home or not.

5. Cozy up to save: Keep the thermostat a little lower and dress warmer. A sweater worn around the house can save you money. Also, don’t forget to don slippers or warm socks. A lot of heat is lost through the feet and head.

6. Beef up insulation: Add more insulation to the home and insulate pipes for added energy savings.

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