Insulation and Thermal Energy

Heat is thermal energy.

• Thermal energy will always move from warm to cold.
– For a home in a cold climate, that means it wants to escape.
And we want to stop that.
• Thermal energy will always move best through solid materials (like
lumber, siding… and compressed insulation).
– This is called thermal bridging – the transfer of heat energy
through solid materials.

Thermal energy will have the hardest time moving through a vacuum –
or a sealed pocket of air.
• That’s how insulation works – it creates sealed pockets of air to slow
down the transfer of energy through building systems like walls,
floors, and ceilings.
So: We insulate to stop thermal bridging.
 Remember:
Insulation is meant to stop the transfer of energy,
not the movement of air.
• So never stuff insulation into gaps to try and help stop drafts.
• We’ve already stopped drafts and unwanted air movement with
caulk and expanding foam on the inside and XPS blueboard and
tape on the outside.

The functional part of insulation is all

those sealed air pockets trapped by the
cellulose or fiberglass fibers.
Stuffing and compressing insulation
reduces those air pockets and
increases the solid material for thermal
energy to travel through. So:

Compressing insulation creates potential

for thermal bridging instead of stopping it.
The simplest rules for installation:
• Never compress insulation to fit.
• Always “fluff” insulation; never “stuff” it.
• Always cut insulation to fit snugly within a space.
• Always cut and trim batt insulation around obstacles like
blocking, pipes, and outlets.
• Always sandwich wires within insulation.
• Never compress insulation behind ducts, pipes, or wires.
 Batt
Insulation
We install batts of fiberglass insulation in our exterior walls.
• Batts come pre-cut in different widths to fit snugly in standard
stud bays:
– 22 ½” wide for 2-foot stud spacing
– 14 ½” for 16” stud spacing
• Batts come either full or half height for the stud bay.
• Batts come in different thicknesses: What is an R-value?
A rating system for measuring
– 5 ½” thick for 2x6 walls (R-19) thermal resistance. The higher the
– 3 ½” thick for 2x4 walls (R-13) R-value, the more effective the
insulation at stopping energy flow.
– 11” thick for ceiling bays (R-38)
• Batts can come faced (with a kraft paper vapor barrier on the
front) or unfaced (without any paper facing).
 Simple Install: The open bay
Always install batts so that they fit snugly between framing members.
Push the batt tight to top plate without
compressing the insulation or leaving gaps.

Check that it fits neatly between the studs:

• Make sure there are no gaps or compression.
• If the piece is too big, measure the width of the bay
(distance between studs) and cut the batt to fit.
 Make sure batt fits snugly between top and
bottom plates without gaps or compression.
If the piece is too long, overhanging a plate or
compressing on top of it, cut the insulation to fit.

Batts which overlap the top or bottom plate create two problems:
• Compressing the insulation at the plate creates a gap between the
insulation and the sheathing directly above or below the overhang, and
• The overlap creates a bump in the drywall, causing screws to pull
through, cracking drywall edges, and making it very difficult to install.
• Just like everywhere else, always cut the batt to fit.
Fold the paper flaps out over
the studs, pull paper taut, and
staple it to the face of the studs.
• No need to go crazy with
the staples. A few will do.

Note: Do not staple paper inside

the studs. This compresses the
insulation in these corners.
 Cutting batt insulation
Fiberglass insulation really wants to tear in ugly ways. Don’t let it!
• Always start with new knife blades.
• Replace as they get dull.
• Short cutting strokes are most effective.
• Trying to make long continuous cuts will
just drag and tear insulation into clumps.

Use your fingers to open the cut as you go,

creating room for the blade to work.

Many people find it easier to lay a board across the insulation for longer cuts.
• This creates a straight edge to cut along and compresses the insulation while you cut.
• It’s okay to compress insulation for a cut, just make sure to fluff it out before installing.
Insulation around wall intersections
Where interior walls intersect exteriors, make sure batt insulation
passes behind the interior wall stud and its drywall clips.

This is why we
use drywall
clips; so that the
bay behind this
wall can be
continuously,
fully insulated.
Sometimes it is
easier and cleaner
to remove the
paper before
installing.

Measure and cut

for any blocking.

Carefully tuck
insulation behind
stud and drywall
clips so that it fits
snugly in the bay.
 If you removed the paper,
trim it to fit on each side of
the stud and staple it on.

Paper can go on top of drywall clips

(easier for paper installation)
or

behind the drywall clips

(easier to see for drywall installation).
Insulating California Corners
The purpose of framing
California Corners is to
minimize lumber
and
maximize insulation
in all exterior corners
of the house.

Improperly insulated corners can

become significant energy leaks.
Insulating California Corners
The key is to install
insulation behind
these corners without
gaps or compression.

So never tuck an
entire batt behind
the corner.

This compresses the

insulation from 5 ½” to 4” and
so is much less effective.
 Insulating California Corners
Measure and cut the face of the paper and
insulation to fit snugly around the 2x6 corner.

Volunteers often find it easier

to lay a 2x6 on the insulation
as a measurement and as a Cut through paper and
straightedge. approximately 1 ½” of insulation
and pull that insulation out.
 Insulating around outlet boxes
Measure the location and
size of the outlet box, and
cut as tightly and accurately
as possible.

Don’t cut all the way

through the batt; just the
3 ½” depth of the box.

Protect the paper; avoid

tears and big gaps.

Tuck this remaining insulation behind the Avoid gaps in

box and fluff edges of insulation to be as insulation, and fill
snug as possible to the edges of the box. with fluffed scraps.
 Fitting batts around blocking
We use a lot of blocking in our homes.
Exterior-facing blocking supports
sheathing nailing patterns. Blocking takes
the place of
larger, solid
framing options
like whole studs. Ladder blocking ties interior
walls to exteriors and supports
drywall edges in corners.
Again, the
purpose is
always to
minimize
lumber
so we can
Cabinet blocking supports maximize
kitchen cabinets, bathroom
vanities, and medicine cabinets. insulation.
Never tuck full batts of
insulation behind any blocking.

Always cut the shape of the blocking

out of the batt so that it fits snugly
around it.
1) Measure the location of
blocking and cut 1 ½” deep into
insulation, using a straightedge.

3) Tuck notched batt into bay, behind

blocking and snugly between studs.

4) Fluff insulation around blocking for a

snug fit. Tuck small fluffed pieces into
any gaps.
2) Carefully remove insulation
from within these cuts. 5) Staple paper over insulation to face of
framing, keeping it taut and free of tears.
 Insulating around wires

2) Tuck the back half of the batt into the

1) Separate bottom half of insulation bay behind the wires.
into roughly equal thicknesses.
Let the front half fall over the wires,
tucking edges snugly against framing.
Always do your best to protect the paper facing.

It protects the insulation while

hanging drywall and it helps
support cut pieces from falling out
of the wall until drywall is up.

Most importantly, it is a
vapor barrier within the
finished wall.

Removing the paper before

you separate insulation into
layers or make cuts will help
protect it during installation.

When you remove it, try to keep as much of the insulation with
the batt, and not attached to the sticky backing of the paper.
 So how do we insulate
a mess like this?

1. Separate a 1 ½”
thick layer of
insulation from the
batt.

2. Measure and cut that 1 ½”

layer into pieces to fit
behind the wires and
snugly between the blocks.
3. Pay special attention to little puzzle
pieces like this.
Cut them as closely to the shape as
possible to minimize compression and
gaps. Tuck small fluffed scraps of
insulation into any gaps.
4. Measure and cut the remaining, thicker piece to fit on either side
of the pipe and tuck snugly into place.

5. Replace paper over insulation if

you removed it.
Staple paper to face of studs, taking
care to keep it taut and free of tears.
Rinse and repeat:

Separate the
insulation and tuck
half behind the
obstacles.

Measure and cut

the other half into
pieces which fit
snugly between
studs, pipes, and
ducts.

(Then replace the paper.)

This basic method works on almost
all complicated insulation cavities.

Separate and tuck.

Measure and cut.

(Then replace the paper.)

When you remove the paper for these pieces,
remember when you staple it back up to cut as
tightly as possible around plumbing, HVAC, and
electrical boxes that will face through the drywall.

Forgetting to trim the paper around wall

penetrations now will make it very difficult
to find them when installing drywall!
 Using blueboard inside the home
If there is a tight space with lots of obstacles in the way, consider using
blueboard scrap behind them instead of a thin layer of insulation.

Be sure to seal any large gaps

between pieces with foam or caulk.

This is much easier to install before the pipes

and ducts are in, so communicate with subs
to determine where these obstacles will be
placed and install your blueboard first.
 Insulating between floors

1) Cut pieces of unfaced R19 batt insulation to 2) Tuck two pieces into each bay
the height of the bay (between subfloor and so that they fit snugly without
top plate) and to fit exactly between joists. gaps or compression.

3) Insulate around wires, ducts, and other obstacles

just like within walls: measure, tuck, and fluff.

Note: Use only unfaced

insulation between floors.
Insulating between floors
Where joists run parallel to rimboard, cut batts of R19 into
strips as wide as the height of the cavity and tuck into place.
 Best Practices: Waste and Scraps

To avoid waste, only open bags of

insulation as you need them.
• Opened bags cannot be returned.

Use your scrap! Scrap pieces can be used

to improve quality of life within the home:
• Tuck and fluff insulation behind and around
tub surrounds (to keep hot bath water hot).
• Use scraps to insulate interior walls around
plumbing (especially where pipes are
adjacent to bedroom and living spaces).
 Attic Insulation and Ventilation
In cold weather, insulated and ventilated attic spaces
allow moisture to escape from inside the home to
outside without allowing heat to follow.
• They also keep the attic space (and the roof surface) cold, which
prevents ice damming as snow melts and then re-freezes.

In hot weather, attic ventilation allows solar-heated air

to leave attic space and lower the building cooling load.

Habitat Denver contracts out

the installation of blown attic
insulation.
• We prepare the attic space
for that insulation by
installing foam baffles
before hanging drywall.
 The Importance of Attic Baffles
Three systems intersect above the top plates of our exterior walls:
Our framing, our attic ventilation, and our insulation.

Attic ventilation: The hottest air from the

attic exits through ridge vent at the peak.
This draws cooler air in from
perforated soffit at the eaves.

Insulation: We blow loose

cellulose insulation onto
Framing: We use raised-heel trusses
the top of the ceiling
to ensure that our blown insulation
drywall, in the entire attic
covers the entire ceiling space, including
space, to a depth of 10”.
over the top plates of exterior walls.
Without baffles, or if they are installed
improperly, the blown insulation can
spill over frieze blocking and onto soffit.

This prevents the attic space

from ventilating properly.

Much more commonly, strong air

flow through soffit can blow
insulation away from exterior walls,
piling it up in the middle, and
leaving the perimeter of the attic
completely uninsulated.

These cold pockets transfer

into the living spaces below.
 Properly installed baffles prevent both situations.

Baffles come in single pieces.

• Measure the distance between top plate and bottom
of sheathing and cut the bottom piece to fit.
• This cut should mimic the shape of the baffle’s face
so that there are no gaps between the two pieces.
• Install the larger piece first as the top, extending it a
few inches below where the bottom piece will reach.

Attach with staples, being

careful not to tear the foam.

As long as the top butts snugly into the

top piece with minimal gaps, the bottom
piece can sit high on the top plate.
To be perfectly clear: insulation is good. All insulation is good. More
insulation is better.

All insulation is environmentally friendly, even the rigid foams because

of the sheer quantity of energy (barrels of oil not burned, pounds of
carbon not dumped into the atmosphere) they save over their useful
lives.

The amount of energy used to make all insulation (the embodied

energy, even in the rigid foams) is trivial compared to the energy they
save when used in buildings that last (don’t rot and fall down) at least
one mortgage period.

So the key to environmentally friendly construction is durable building

enclosures that are extremely well insulated.

Builder’s Guide to Cold Climates, p.354