This post first appeared on the Green Building Advisor website.
Living in a very cold climate where wintertime temperatures colder than -20°F aren’t uncommon, you would think contractors and homeowners in my market would be excited to use continuous insulation (CI) on every new home under constructed along with every existing home having the exterior cladding replaced. In reality, I rarely see either happening. Part of the reasoning, my state and local building codes don’t require CI. Cost is another driving factor. As both homeowners and builders become better educated on the benefits of CI, this should start changing, I’m advocating for its inclusion on projects I’m involved in.
There are many reasons to use continuous insulation. Reduced energy consumption is one benefit, though lowering heating and cooling costs are, in my opinion, less important and a secondary reason to add CI. Improving comfort (thermal and sound) and expanding durability are more important. (I’ll get into durability in detail later in this article.) Building codes have begun to align with building science and we are seeing more areas across the country adopt continuous insulation as part of the energy code. The scary part for most builders is the unfamiliarity of installing insulation on the exterior of a wall. What insulation can be used? What thickness and R-value are required? How do I detail window and door openings? How do I secure the insulation? How do I attach the cladding? Where does the house wrap go? What about other penetrations such as exhaust vents and electrical penetrations? What about the vapor retarder? We will be discussing these topics and more over the next two articles. In this post, we will be discussing the building code requirements along with the building science principles covering CI. Continue reading “What You Need to Know About Continuous Insulation-Part 1”
