Delaware
Wayne
Single Family

Jeff Price and Avery Rome purchased their two-story home in Wayne,Delaware County in 1992 and have been experiencing uncomfortable issues in their home. To address these issues, Price-Rome reached out to Havertown- based Orange Energy Solutions (OES).

PROJECT DETAILS
Price-Rome decided to have extensive air sealing and insulation done. The initial blower door reading was 0.61 air changes per hour (ach). OES aimed to seal the house down to 0.45 ach with a blower door reading of 2500 CFM50, which would reduce the drafts in the home without making it too stuffy. For reference, 0.80 ach is considered drafty, 0.24 is considered tight and 0.35 ach is considered the healthy level of air flow for a home.
Air Sealing and Insulation
Air sealing and insulation were installed throughout the house, including the attics, garage, basement, den ceiling, and living room. Rigid foam board was installed in the attics over the bedrooms, the knee walls of the front and rear attics above the offices, on the back of the attic panels above the bedrooms, and on the back of the rear and front attic doors. All attic doors were also weather stripped. In the attics above the bedrooms, cellulose was blown in to improve the R-Value from 19 to R-49. Iinsulation was also installed in the attic above the office to increase the R-Value to R-49, in the den to increase the R-value to R-49, and in the garage ceiling. The air sealing package conducted in the living space focused on leaks around windows.
Ventilation and Mold Issues
The Price-Rome home had developed mold issues because moisture was not being properly vented from the bathrooms, and gaps in the duct and HVAC system resulted in warm air meeting cold surfaces, causing condensation and buildup of moisture. OES installed fans and ducts in bathrooms to draw out moisture and humidity, repaired holes and gaps in ducts with duct mastic and clear caulk, and replaced leaky HVAC boots.
In addition to venting the bathrooms, OES installed cardboard wind wash baffles in the attic to ensure insulation did not cover areas where ventilation should be occurring. When air sealing and insulating a home, it is important to ensure proper ventilation so that mold- causing moisture is drawn out of the home.
Other Measures
OES also installed recessed light covers in the attic above the bedrooms, which can help to reduce drafts. They also switched over conventional light bulbs to compact fluorescents in those recessed lights. These bulbs use 90% less energy than the incandescent bulbs they replace and need to be replaced less often.

PROJECT OUTCOME
After these measures were installed, OES conducted a follow up blower door reading to verify the reduction in air flow that was achieved. OES was able to reduce the CFM50 to 2248, a 34% improvement in draftiness in the home.

Estimated Energy and Cost Savings:
Blower Door (Draftiness) Reduction: 34%
Natural Gas Cost Savings/ Year: $248.43/yr
Natural Gas Savings/ Year: 63.94 therms
Natural Gas Use Savings: 6.08%

Cost:
Replaced recessed lights, air seal and insulate attic over bedroom, replace two exhaust fans, hard duct to existing vent locations in attic over bedrooms $2900
Sheath knee walls, remove decking, insulate and air seal doors, draft block under ceiling, insulate garage ceiling in attics around office $3250
Air seal living space, air seal and insulate perimeter of basement duct work $2320
Total: $8500