aerosol envelope sealing for residential new construction · building america project approach...
TRANSCRIPT
Aerosol Envelope Sealing for Residential New Construction
Ben Schoenbauer, Senior Research Engineer
Energy Design Conference & Expo
February 20,2018
Center for Energy and Environment
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In accordance with the Department of Labor and Industry’s statute 326.0981, Subd. 11, “This educational offering is recognized by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry as satisfying 1 hour of credit toward Building Officials and Residential Contractors continuing education requirements.” For additional continuing education approvals, please see your credit tracking card.
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Presentation Overview
• Air Sealing Benefits • Basic Concept • Development Timeline • Building America Project • Other Efforts • Path Forward
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Energy Benefits • Large fraction of energy use for heating and cooling
• 48% in residential • 35% in commercial
• Reducing envelope leakage could reduce HVAC energy use by 30%
• Envelope tightness standards only recently required in codes
• Cost-effective approaches to sealing envelope leakage would improve adherence to code
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IECC Codes Around U.S. Morestringentcodesareforcingbuilderstochangethewaytheybuildhomes
In2015Minnesotaenergycoderequires6ghtnessnogreaterthan3ACH50forsinglefamilyandlow-rise
mul6familybuildings
Source:DOEEnergyCodesProgram,updatedDecember15,2017
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Single Family Air Tightness • Over the last 10 – 15 years Minnesota builders have
adopted air sealing strategies to build tight single family houses.
• Recently tightness requirements have expanded and tightened
• For many builders townhouses and slab on grade houses have still been a challenge
• air sealing strategies have typically not been applied to multifamily buildings
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Health Benefits • Reduced infiltration of outdoor air and outdoor
pollutants: particulates (PM2.5) and Ozone
• Improves effectiveness of mechanical ventilation • HRV or ERV and filters • Putting HRV/ERV on leaky building doesn’t save energy or
reduce uncontrolled infiltration
• Reduce pollutant transfer between units in multifamily buildings
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Multifamily Noise Transfer Minnesotacoderequirement
10dB~differencebetweenagarbagedisposalanddishwasher
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Benefits for Large Buildings • A tighter envelope makes it possible to pressurize
buildings using HVAC system – reduce infiltration
• Better and more efficient air flow control in sensitive spaces
• Elimination of outdoor chemical infiltration • Contagious disease spaces • Clean rooms • Laboratories • Schools in non-compliance areas (have current CEC project on
HVAC and IAQ in schools)
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How Does It Work? • Blower Door creates and maintains positive
pressure
• Spray “fog” of sealant particles into the house
• Particles carried to leaks by escaping air flow
• Process is tracked and displayed in real time and documented electronically
• Finds and seals leaks missed or inaccessible by manual trial-and-error methods
How does it do that?
No, really? (animation video here)
SealantislowVOC:GREENGuardGoldCer6fiedforuseinCaliforniaschoolandhealthcarefacili6es.
Sealantisasynthe6cacrylic–typicallyrolledorsprayedonformonolithicexteriorairbarrier.Dilutedforaerosolapplica6on.
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Automated AeroBarrier Sealing
Bottom plate/sheathing gap Missing foam Penetrations
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Development Timeline
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Demonstrations with Habitat for Humanity • First demonstration in real building • Determined need for multiple injection point • It worked!
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Honda Smart Home • Implemented temp/humidity control
7
3
4.15
2.61 2.56
0.79 0.6
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
2009IECC 2012IECC PreTest1 PostTest1 PreTest2 PostTest2 Goal(PassiveHouse)
ACH5
0
Manualsealingaccomplishedby3contractorsover8hours
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• Sealedmul6pleapartmentsinaday• Side-by-sideapplica6onhumidityanalysis• Be]ersealqualitywithhigherRH
• Measuredsoundtransmissionreduc6on
• Determinednopreprequired
New York Apartments
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Minnesota Multifamily Sealing Results: 18 New Construction Units
Before = 3.9 ACH50, after = 0.7 ACH50 54% to 95% below code requirement
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Leakage Reduced Over Injection Period
ACH50 pre: 2.0 – 2.9, post: 0.2 – 0.7; 71% to 94% reduction
New construction Floor area: 900 to 1,300sf Needed to meet 0.3 cfm50/sf or about 5 – 7 ACH50
BuildingB
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Sealing Rate
Stop6me?
BuildingB
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Minnesota Multifamily Sealing Results: 9 Existing Units
Average leakage: pre= 14.6 ACH50, post= 4.8 ACH50 6 of 9 within 15% of new construction code requirement
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Leakage Reduced Over Injection Period
ACH50 pre: 12.0 – 17.2, post: 1.4 – 10.5; 39% to 88% reduction
Existing units Floor area: 230 to 250sf Sealed 4 in one day
Largeleakbehindkitchencabinet
BuildingD–AffordableHousing
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Pre-Sheetrock Sealed leaks
Sealformedbetweengapinfoam
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Post-Sheetrock Sealed Leaks
Sealformedbetweengapinfoam
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Aerosol Envelope Air Sealing Technology for New Homes
How to integrate AeroBarrier envelope sealing into home building process:
• Determine appropriate time during construction for application
• Measure performance relative to conventional methods
• Determine existing sealing efforts that could be avoided
• Determine cost-effectiveness
Partners:BuildingKnowledge,UCDavis,UofMColdClimateHousing,Aeroseal
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Project Team
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Building America Project Approach HouseLeakage
Assessment
• Reviewexis6ngsealingprac6ces• Aerosolsealingdemonstra6on
DevelopTwoSealingOp6ons
• Meetwithbuildertogooverop6ons• Picktwopromisingapproaches
PerformAerosolSealing
• Sealatleasttwohomesundereachop6on• Evaluateimpactrela6vetobaseline
RefineSealingOp6ons
• Refinemostpromisingop6on
PerformAerosolSealing
• Seal3-4homesunderrefinedop6on
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Air Sealing Assessment Atticaccesspanels GasketedDoor No Excellent
Dropdownstairs N/A N/A
Whole-housefans N/A N/A
Recessedlightingfixtures N/A Gasketedfixture Yes Excellent
Dropceil ing/soffit InsulationContractor ClosedCell SprayFoam Yes Excellent
ExteriorWalls InsulationContractor Gasket/OSB N/A Excellent
Sil l Plate CarpentryContractor Gasket/OSB Yes Acceptable
TopPlate InsulationContracor Gasket Yes Acceptable
Drywalltotopplate InsulationContracor Gasket Yes Excellent
InteriorpartitionwalltoexteriorwallCarpentryContractor/InsulationContractor SolidBlocking/CanFoam Yes Excellent
Kneewalls CarpentryContractor OSB Excellent
Windows,skylightsanddoors Roughopenings WindowInstallationContractor CanFoam Yes Excellent
Rimjoists InsulationContractor OpenCell SprayFoam Yes Excellent
Ducts InsulationContractorCanFoam/OpenCell SprayFoam No Excellent
Flues InsulationContractorCanFoam/OpenCell SprayFoam No Excellent
Shafts InsulationContractorCanFoam/OpenCell SprayFoam No Excellent
Plumbing InsulationContractorCanFoam/OpenCell SprayFoam Yes Excellent
Piping InsulationContractorCanFoam/OpenCell SprayFoam Yes Excellent
Wiring InsulationContractorCanFoam/OpenCell SprayFoam Yes Excellent
Exhaustfans InsulationContractorCanFoam/OpenCell SprayFoam Yes Excellent
Other N/A
GarageseparationwallsFloorcavitiesalignedwithgarageseparationwalls
CarpentryContractor/InsulationContractor
Blocking/OpenCell SprayFoam No Excellent
Shower/tubonexteriorwallCarpentryContractor/InsulationContractor OSB/OpenCell SprayFoam Yes Excellent
Stairstringeronexteriorwall None Yes N/A
Fireplaceonexteriorwall N/A N/A N/A N/A
Electrial/lowvoltageboxesonexteriorwalls None Yes N/A
HVACregisterbootsthatpenetratebuildingthermalenvelope N/A Yes N/A
Ceiling/Attic
Walls
Shafts,penetrationstounconditionedspaces
Other
Qualityofsealwork
Category Component Whodoessealing? Materialusedforsealing? CanAeroBarrierReplace?
ENERGYSTARRaterFieldChecklist
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Building America Interim Results • California Builder #1 • Homes designed with sealed attics • Using open-cell spray foam
• Under roof deck • At rim joist and other mechanical penetrations
• Fiberglass in wall cavity • HRV integrated into central air handler • Target leakage of 800 CFM50 (2.1-2.4 ACH50)
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Conventional Sealing
Can foam at seams where wood is joined
Canfoamandgasketatsillplate
Foamgaskettosealdrywalltotopplate
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Sealing Options • Sealing options
• Option 1: Seal home after open-cell spray foam insulation • Option 2: Seal home before spray foam insulation
• Advantage of sealing before drywall • Addresses outer wall surface • Seals less prone to damage in wall cavity • Better aerosol distribution
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Option 1
Foam at roof deck
Foamatrimjoist
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Option 1 Results
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
0 20 40 60 80 100
Leakage(cfm
at5
0Pa)
ElapsedMinutes
Stage/Op6on
Lot
Plan
FloorArea(f2)
Volume(f3)
Pre-Seal Post-Seal
CFM50 ACH50 CFM50 ACH50 %Reduc6onAferFoam 7 3 2569 23121 1690 4.39 429 1.11 75%AferFoam 8 1 2032 22215 1286 3.47 351 0.95 73%
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Option 1 Example Seals
Seals formed under trusses
Seal formed at corner of wall assembly
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Option 2
Exposed roof deck
RimjoistpenetraEons
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Option 2 Pre sealing work • Large penetrations needed to be sealed prior to
aerosol sealing • Time/materials for pre-sealing was tracked
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Prepare for unexpected!
Exposed roof deck RimjoistpenetraEons
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Pre-Sealing Time/Materials SealingPenetra?ons SealingGapatEaves
Stage/Op?on Lot TimeforManualSealing
(person-hours) Cansof
FoamUsed
TimeforManualSealing(person-hours)
CansofFoamUsed
BeforeFoam 23 1.5 3 1.5 4
BeforeFoam 24 4.5 6 1 4
*Note:Pre-sealingworkperformedbyinexperiencedstaff
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Option 2 Results
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
0 50 100 150 200
Leakage(cfm
at5
0Pa)
ElapsedMinutes
Stage/Op6on
Lot
Plan
FloorArea(f2)
Volume(f3)
Pre-Seal Post-Seal AferFoam
CFM50 ACH50 CFM50 ACH50 %Reduc6onCFM50 ACH50%Reduc6on
BeforeFoam 23 3 2569 23121 5836 15.14 828 2.15 86% 483 1.25 42%
BeforeFoam 24 2 2223 20007 3005 9.01 477 1.43 84% 352 1.06 26%
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Option 2 Example Seals
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Summary Results
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
Op6on1 Op6on1 Op6on2 Op6on2
ACH5
0
Pre-Seal Post-Seal Op6on2AferFoam
AferSprayFoam BeforeSprayFoam
Tightnessgoalsachievedw/osprayfoam
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California Builders - Path Forward
• Final leakage tests when homes are complete • Work with Builder #2 high performance (sealed) attics
• Owens Corning box netting attic insulation • AeroBarrier produce tighter houses than current sealing?
• Work with Builder #1 vented attic houses • Before drywall in place
• Develop guidelines for future installations
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Minnesota Builders • Minnesota Builder #1 • Homes designed with ventilated attics • Closed-cell spray foam at rim joist • Interior poly wrap • Fiberglass/mineral wool in wall cavity • ERV integrated into central air handler
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Conventional Sealing
Caulk at seams where wood is joined
CanfoamatwirepenetraEons
Caulkatsillplate
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Proposed Sealing Options • Option 1:
• Seal home after spray foam at rim joist • Reinforced poly at ceiling-attic interface • Maintain conventional sealing
• Option 2 (Ultimately not implemented): • Seal home after spray foam at rim joist • Reinforced poly at ceiling-attic interface • Do not install:
• Airtight electrical boxes • Interior poly
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Sealing Results
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Leakage(cfm
at5
0Pa)
ElapsedMinutes
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Reinforced Poly Failure
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MN Builder #1 Results Summary
3.94 3.81 3.78
2.87 2.82
0.64
1.050.67
1.55
0.97
0.35
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
Demo1 Blaine Eagan Plymouth Lakeville Demo2
ACH5
0
Pre-Seal Post-Seal
84%72%82%46%66% 50%
PercentReduc?on
BaOInsula?oninWalls ARerDrywall
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Seals
Seal formed between studs
Seals formed at wire penetrations
Seal formed at electrical box
Seals formed at plumbing penetrations
Initial Results: First Minnesota Builder
Seal before drywall & wall insulation
ControlHouses
Initial Results: First Minnesota Builder
Seal before drywall & wall insulation ControlHouses
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Minnesota Builders - Path Forward • Refine sealing option
• Demonstrate refined option on 2-3 homes
• Start work with Builder #2 • Will seal before drywall
• Possibly recruit another builder that is struggling to achieve 3 ACH50 tightness requirement
• Develop guidelines for future installations
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Research Path Forward • Application in commercial buildings
• Wrapping up project for DoD on non-res retrofits • Commercial buildings present challenges
• Roof-to-wall connection • Supplemental manual sealing sometimes required
• Application in existing homes • Existing homes are leakier • Apply at time of tenant change
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AeroBarrier Update
RecentSuccessesandUpcomingProjects• PassiveHouse:MandalayHomes(Presco],AZ)and9thAve.(Brooklyn,NY)• Mul6-Family(NewBuild):101Apartments(Queens,NY)• Renova6onApplica6on:7renovatedapartmentssealedto1ACH50(Rockford,IL)• ApartmentCompartmentaliza6on:36semi-finishedapartments(Brooklyn,NY)• ApartmentComparison:3unitssealedpredrywall,3unitstobesealedaferdrywallto3ACH50(Dayton,OH)• CenterforEnergyandEnvironmentandDOEproject:34singlefamilyhouses(17inCalifornia,17inMinnesota)• DukeEnergy:45roomsto74CFM50or6ghtertocreate“safespaces”(NorthandSouthCarolina,andIndiana)• SmokeControlCompartmentaliza6on:202roomsinamicro-hotel(SanFrancisco,CA)
MandalayHomesbecamethefirstproduc?onbuildertoincorporateAeroBarrierintoalloftheirhomes
“AeroBarriermaybethemostimportantinnovaEontohitthebuildingcommunityinyears…Theabilitytoconsistentlysealallthesmallleaksthatwouldotherwisetakecountlessmanhourstoseekandhandseal,assumingyouevenfindthemall,injust1automatedapplicaEonissimplyamazing.ThecosteffecEvenessisbeyondimmeasurablewhenyouconsiderthetotalsealingsoluEonAeroBarrierprovidesandallthelaborsavedbyautomaEngtheapplicaEonprocess.Wecouldn'tbehappierwithAeroBarrierandthefinefolksbehindtheproduct.”
-GeoffFerrelChiefTechnologyOfficer,MandalayHomes
Lowairleakagenumberscanbehardtoachieveinrenova6onapplica6onsbecausetheexteriorandframingtypicallystaysinplace.Whenthebuilderislookingtoachieve1ACH50orless,thisbecomessignificantlymoredifficult.
“WithoutAeroBarrierwewouldhavespentcountlesshoursseekingoutandmanuallysealingalltheleakswecouldfind.Theproblemwas,wecouldn’tseemostoftheleaksbecausetheywereinthewallsorframingthatwasstayinginplace.Sotoachieveourgoalof1ACH50withmanualsealingwasaverydaunEng,mostlikelyunachievabletask.AeroBarrierwasabletosealall7apartmentswithintwodays,withoutaproblem.WeevenhadsomeapartmentsstarEngashighas17ACH50thatAeroBarriergotdownto1ACH50.TheEmethatwassavedandtheresultsthatwereachievedwereamazing.Wewouldn’thavebeenabletoachievetheresultswedidwithoutAeroBarrier…”
-JasonLeFleur.President,EcoAchievers
AeroBarrierWorksinRenova?onApplica?onsToo.
AeroBarrier’sversa6lityhasbeenondisplaysealing“safehaven”roomsinacoalpowerplant
Iftherewereevertobeanairborneleakatthepowerplantemployeescanclosethemselvesinoneoftheseroomsandfreshairwillbepumpedintothespace.Becauseoftheeffec6venessofAeroBarrierandtheresultswecanachieve,the“safehavens”willkeepthefreshairintheroomandthechemicalleakout.
Allowingtheemployeestostayintheroomupto2hours.
Results:Pre-Leakage: 10.4ACH50(1,323.2CFM)Post-Leakage: 0.5ACH50(60.4CFM)SealingTime: 2hours20min
AeroBarrierusedtoseal“safehavens”inindustrialbuildings
AeroBarrierisAvailableNowAnywhereintheCountry.
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www.mncee.org/AeroResidential
Ben Schoenbauer: [email protected] Dave Bohac: [email protected]
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MN Builder #1 Results Summary Pre-Seal Post-Seal Stage/Op6on FloorArea(f2) CFM50 ACH50 CFM50 ACH50 %Reduc6onDemo1 3,636 2,200 3.94 358 0.64 84%Blaine 4,470 2,637 3.81 728 1.05 72%Eagan 3,955 2,300 3.78 409 0.67 82%Plymouth 4,248 1,893 2.87 1,023 1.55 46%Lakeville 4,478 1,959 2.82 674 0.97 66%Demo2 4,135 419 0.70 209 0.35 50%
3.94 3.81 3.78
2.87 2.82
0.64
1.050.67
1.55
0.97
0.35
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
Demo1 Blaine Eagan Plymouth Lakeville Demo2
ACH5
0
Pre-Seal Post-Seal
84%72%82%46%66% 50%
PercentReduc?on
BaOInsula?oninWalls ARerDrywall