Bauer Specialty Insulation & Gutters

New Stimulus Bill Offers Great Incentive to Insulate Now

TAX CREDITS FOR ENERGY SAVINGS!

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed a stimulus bill (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) that made some significant changes to the energy efficiency tax credits.

Click here to view the details of the energy efficient tax credits for homeowners. Tax Credit Summary

The new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes great benefits for homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their primary residence. The expanded tax credits are a huge incentive because tax credits lower your tax liability directly. For example if your federal tax bill totaled $3,000 a tax credit will reduce that amount directly. Deductions only save you the percentage of the tax bracket you're in.

Just as a solid foundation is vital to building a house that will last insulation and air sealing are critical in creating an energy efficient building. Quality HVAC technicians consider the shell of the home in order to properly size heating and cooling equipment. Those who don't often oversize and cause other problems in which mechanicals short cycle resulting in energy loss, lack of proper dehumidification and ineeficent operation. This wastes energy and can shorten the life expectancy of the unit.

A properly insulated home with a tight envelope will retain the energy you spend to create a comfortable environment. This coupled with conservation techniques and proper equipment will set you on the path for true energy savings.

Here's a recap of the main energy tax credits applicable to homeowners from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

"Economic Stimulus Act Extends Renewable Energy Tax Credits

The tax section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides a three-year extension of the production tax credit (PTC) for most renewable energy facilities, while offering expansions on and alternatives for tax credits on renewable energy systems. The extension keeps the wind energy PTC in effect through 2012, while keeping the PTC alive for municipal solid waste, qualified hydropower, and biomass and geothermal energy facilities through 2013. In addition, a two-year extension of the PTC for marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy systems will keep that tax credit in effect through 2013. The PTC provides a credit for every kilowatt-hour produced at new qualified facilities during the first 10 years of operation, provided the facilities are placed in service before the tax credit's expiration date. For 2008, biomass facilities fueled with dedicated energy crops ("closed-loop biomass"), as well as wind, solar, and geothermal energy facilities earned 2.1 cents per kilowatt-hour, while other qualified facilities earned 1 cent per kilowatt-hour."

See pages 33-34 of theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 (PDF 5.9 MB) of the actual bill.

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Insulation

Bauer Specialty Insulation

We Can All Agree That Insulation Is a Good Idea

Insulation reduces the transfer of heat to keep your environment comfortable all year round.
Insulation is one of the lowest cost options for improving the energy efficiency of your home. Over time it pays for itself with energy savings and keeps paying you back for as long as you own your home.
A quality insulation job gives you improved comfort.

A good insulation job will keep snow on your roof and ice out of your gutters. Note how the blanket of snow is even across this roof. Even the vent pipes have minimal melt around them.
Proper insulation is a critical step in protecting the investment you've made in your home.

What is a properly installed insulation job?

Attention to detail is required to provide a consistent level of insulation that will perform well. Some homes prove difficult to retrofit with any type of insulation. We enjoy working with you to come up with the best option that fits your current needs and budget.

To determine where your home ranks in energy efficiency have us come out and look things over. We can give you some options of what can be done or you may choose to have us perfom a full energy audit. Click here to learn more about full energy audit process we follow.

Building Science Overview

House as a System

There is a continuous interaction among the occupants, structure, mechanicals, environment, pollutants and energy sources in your home. As one cha

1st Law of Thermodynamics

Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It can change form and moves from place to place.

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

Energy flows naturally from high concentrations to low concentrations in an attempt to equalize. Ex. heat goes to cold, wet moves to dry, high air pressure moves to low air pressure.

Heat Transfer

Heat is a form of energy. Heat loss or gain occurs three ways:

Conduction

Transfer of heat through solid materials between objects in contact.

Convection

The flow of heat through a fluid substance, such as air or water.

Radiation

Transfer of heat from warm object to cool object that are in sight of one another but not in contact. heat energy via invisible light rays

Insulation

Trapped air. Various materials are used to create, or attempt to create, tiny pockets of air slowing heat transfer through a space or material.

Moisture Control

Water is one of the biggest enemies to homes when left unchecked. Most effective to control bulk moisture at its source. Prevent or reduce rain water from pooling and entering foundation.

Relative Humidity

The amount of water in a sample of air. Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. Condensation occurs when warm air that is saturated comes in contact with a surface that is cool enough to meet dew point and the water in vapor form returns to its liquid state.

Humidity Control

Dehumidify damp spaces. Use vent fans that exhaust to the exterior of the building at the source of humidity in bathrooms and kitchens.

Importance of Air Sealing

Over course of one year, a 100 square foot wall can allow ONE CUP of water to diffuse through drywall with no vapor barrier. But if a HALF INCH hole is present, FIFTY CUPS of water can pass through by convection.

Thermal Envelope/Boundary

Refers to location of insulation in the building shell. Should be continuous and preferably aligned with pressure boundary.

Pressure Boundary

The air barrier that separates indoor air from outdoor air. Should be continuous and airtight and preferably aligned with thermal boundary.

R-value

How well a material resists heat transfer. Measured in a laboratory at 75 degrees once material has reached steady state... and... [link to article R-Fairy Tale] U-value – how fast heat moves through a material. Inverse of R. U = 1/R

Effective R-value

Whole wall r-value concept.

Stack Effect

The natural effect when a building is heated, and the warm air inside the building is less dense than the colder air outside. The warm air rises up and out of any holes in the upper portions of the envelope. The escaping air is replaced with outside air that enters through holes in the lower portions. Air sealing helps minimize this loss.