I'm pretty sure I've never seen this stuff before. It's installed in rafters as batts, held in place by cardboard sheets below. Papery consistency, now crumbling. The house is ~1923, but no idea when this was installed.

Anyone know what it might be? Thanks for any help here.

Views: 868

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Hi Brian,

Thanks for sharing the brochures.   The middle link shows a lot of detail.  I found their heat loss savings calulations really interesting but way off if they are considering a house with no insulation to maybe an R-11.   I would love to know how they did the math.  For maybe a small two story home the pre insulation Btu numbers are pretty accurate for a home in the mid west with 6000 HHD's/

That IS an interesting link Brian!  I've seen a straw version of that material: 

Hey Rem, 2,000,000,000 BTU annual load?  What "small house" are you thinking?  

Most houses I've seen have 500-1800 total therm usage (insulated or not) until you get to great big houses.  If you factor in all the efficiencies of combustion and distribution before you even get to enclosure load, you cut the fuel BTU carrying the load by what, 25-75%?  

IDK, I think the layer of insulation vs none can have surprising results.  Those saving seem like good faith numbers, particularly when there is no accountability for saving being delivered.  They certainly could have projected a lot higher.  Think about 1990's window claims of cutting energy bills in half!  

We need tracking of results, that'll bring accountability to this field.  Promises of savings without tracking, how is that supposed to work?  How are you supposed to know if your promises come true?  

Imagine, Home Performance could actually be a rare industry that consumers could count on GETTING what they're PROMISED if results were tracked.  (The Solar industry has this figured out, we need to.) 

i agree with the others that's it's old rock or mineral wool bats

RSS

Home Energy Pros

Home Energy Pros was founded by the developers of Home Energy Saver Pro (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and brought to you in partnership with Home Energy magazine.

Latest Activity

Nick Helmholdt replied to Joshua Knittel's discussion Google Thermal View? in the group INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY USERS
"Any bets on how long it will take this company to land in court? A local energy efficiency group in…"
30 minutes ago
Matthew Redmond posted a photo
1 hour ago
Matthew Redmond posted a status
"Full house for NYSWDA's ASHRAE 62.2 course today. A lot of discussion on implementing this standard on NY State's diverse housing stock."
1 hour ago
Paul Scheckel posted a blog post

Less oil, more courage: Energy and Art

Hard to admit, but I'm not all fun-facts all the time. Sometimes I even pay attention to things…See More
2 hours ago
Tom Delconte posted a blog post
4 hours ago
Profile IconBarbara Hall and Adam brown joined Home Energy Pros
8 hours ago
tedkidd replied to Jose Macho's discussion Why Are Energy-Saving Home Inprovements Down??
"Pat, I think you and I agree on a LOT of things.   One thing I don't want to see is more…"
yesterday
tedkidd commented on Tom Delconte's blog post Robert Shiller Says Retrofits Are Never Worth It!
"Bob B.   Buying a home is a good investment because it is forced savings more than a good…"
yesterday
Joe Huang posted a discussion

White Box Technologies launches Web-based weather data for building energy simulations

White Box Technologies is pleased to announce under agreement with ASHRAE the launch of WBT Weather…See More
yesterday
Joseph Lamy commented on Jim Gunshinan's blog post The Universe Is Made of Stories
"My life changed when I got 'ductalatored' - became familiar with proper sizing guides for…"
yesterday
J.C. Martel replied to J.C. Martel's discussion Disasters & sustainable energy
"Thanks Dennis."
yesterday
Judi Lyall joined allen p tanner's group
Thumbnail

Energy Auditing Equipment for Sale, Trade or to Purchase

Discuss the pros and cons of the equipment you are interested in prior to purchase. Post equipment…See More
yesterday

© 2013   Created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service