I have a 1957 home that I am upgrading. That it needs a complete overhaul of the insulation and HVAC goes without saying. Yet, it’s not clear to me where I should best focus my efforts …..
For example, the existing heating system operates off a single thermostat in the hall. As a result, at the current setting some rooms stay at 68 degrees, while other rooms hover at 74 degrees. Which rooms do I insulate so as to get the most energy savings?
Is there a way to tell how much heat is being provided to each room? For example, is the 68 degree room cooler because it’s losing more heat – or is it receiving less heat to begin with?
I have noticed that even the new double-pane “Energy Star” windows are considerably cooler to the touch than the wall next to them. I take this to mean the windows are STILL major energy losers. Am I right? Will covering the windows with plastic make much of a difference? Does it matter whether I attach the plastic to the window frame, or to the molding around the window (making a deeper air pocket)?
Likewise …. my temperature measurements have shown a great deal of stratification …. that is, it’s quite a bit warmer at ceiling level than at, say, table level. Is this something best countered by super-insulating the ceiling – or, should I use fans to keep the air mixed?
Replies
In a 1957 house remember that the electrical system is likely well behind current code. Most significantly, ground wires are likely to be missing, and there will only be grounded outlets where they were (perhaps incorrectly) retrofit. Plus you may have a fuse box, and even if it's a "modern" breaker panel it may be woefully inadequate. (You may need to have a new electric service installed.)
The plumbing is likely cast iron drains and may well be galvanized water pipe. The lifespan of cast iron is 50-75 years in many cases, and you could easily have some rotted drains. And galvanized is very unpredictable.
Windows are always the biggest heat loss -- except in a 1957 house the air leaking through the walls and floor and ceiling and around the windows is an even bigger heat loss.
Thanks For The Thoughts
The electrical and plumbing, while valid issues, are outside the scope of this topic.
I cheated a bit on my description- I left out a few details.
Using Flir-One (a gizmo that turns your cell phone into an IR camera), I could readily see loads of heat escaping from the new, 'energy efficient' windows. Sort of scares me when I think of the windows I had replaced!
The scans were sensitive enough to see the difference between the solid-wood headers over the windows, and the walls next to them.
About 1/3 of the stud bays lack even minimal insulation. Major ceiling areas also lack any insulation; attic access is pretty much non-existant, Major heat is lost where the attic connects to the carport roof.
Interior IR scans really identified uninsulated areas, as well as the heat stratification in the rooms.
On the plus side, simply covering doors with 1 sheet of 1/2" foamboard made a big difference.
The water heater has been moved from the carport to within the house. Water lines in the crawl space have been insulated. Crawl space vents at least have screens in them now; I'd say maybe 3 of 13 cannot be closed off at all, while 4 have "automatic" vent louvers. The balance are closed off.
Overall efficiency of this house has been rated as 'atrocious' by the power company.
Again, in a house of that vintage air leaks will be your biggest problem. Our 1976 house got enormously more comfortable when we resided and put housewrap under the new siding (carefully taped around windows). No longer could you feel a strong draft blowing through the electrical outlets. (And this house already had "beaverboard" sheathing, reasonably tightly nailed.)
Is there a way to tell how much heat is being provided to each room If forced air heat,
Get one of the hand held $10 anemometers from HF or online, grab a thermometer.
Measure air speed out of duct, measure temperature, calculate CFM and BTU/min. Compare between rooms.
Do a manual J or your own calculations to compare room heat loss. If you don't kno what manual J is go ask over at HVAC-talk.com.
Brother recently did a 1907 house, ended up stripping all interior wall down to studs and installing insulation. Central IL. He had an old gas bill from the house from when nat gas was 4 cents/them, $35 month with old gravity coal conversion furnace.
1957 likely not much better if no wall insulation.
100K-therm *$35/.04 = 87 million BTU month heating, would be a $900 heating bill nowadays. Bet you don't want to strip all the interior walls, eh?
Good idea!
I'll get that tool and measure.
Some walls have been stripped already. That's been necessary for other remodeling activities. I'm currently putting temporary fiberglass insulation and a plastic covering over these walls. In any event, these areas have already had 1/2" (of 1" planned) foamboard added to the outside, and seams sealed.
I say 'temporary' as I am still working on these areas. Once I have the wiring, etc., in. I'll fill the stud bays with foam.
I've tried various "Manual J" calculations and have not found them helpful at all. Maybe I've been trying the wrong places .... if you have a link, I'd appreciate your sharing it. The cites I've tried have been far more focused toward air conditioning than heating.
Wash state university has a spreadsheet for complying with WA state energy codes.
It is better than Manual J.
I think this is still an active link.
For some reason the link will not copy to here, flashes on screen then dissapears. The link button above does not want to work either...
try going to: http://www.energy.wsu.edu/BuildingEfficiency and following the links.
Math For The Weekend! Yay!
I'll run that link down - thanks!
The exact mechanism of heat leakage really isn't the question here - be it a multitude of small air leaks or whatever. The question was: Where to start? Will I get more of an impact from first attending to the 'warm' rooms or the 'cool' rooms? Are the rooms cool because they're receiving less heat- or because they're leaking it worse?
As mentioned before, my IR scan gavre me some ideas as to where to start. I am definitely leaking plenty of heat through the attic connection of the house to the carport. I am also definitely leaking a lot of heat through the absolutely airtight glass of the new 'efficient' wondows.
Everything one might consider .... air leaks, low R values, multiple HVAC control zones, air circulation within the house .... will be addressed, eventually, by the finished remodel. This, alas, will take many years. The question is where to set my priorities to reduce utility costs and increase comfort NOW, as much as possible.
note the edit in previous post, made a typo, it is wsu.edu not wsa.edu.....
Link to spreadsheets
Someone edited the test of the link and fixed the "wsu" but they forgot to fix the actual link address. It's still "wsa."
Here's the correct link: http://www.energy.wsu.edu/BuildingEfficiency
This link below will take you to a page with a lot of info pdfs and several spreadsheet-based worksheets/calculators.
http://www.energy.wsu.edu/BuildingEfficiency/EnergyCode.aspx#PUBS