Mustangman_2000
08-31-2008, 01:48 AM
Our house is a 1994 home built by Richmond American Homes of Texas. Tip: Do NOT ever buy a home from this builder! My attic was below code even for 1994 requirements. It was in need of a complete retrofit.
List of problems found by the auditor:
- Insulation levels were deplorable. Barely qualified to R21 values with some spots having only 2" - 4".
- The garage was not insulated at all
- The air handler/coil was leaking all around the case
- Ducts were leaking
- Main return in the living room was leaking around the ring and there was too much volume inside the wall
- The passive/static vents in the attic were not doing much anything in terms of venting hot air
- The existing eave soffits were covered with insulation and not breathing
- No soffits on the back end of the house
- The house scored poorly on the leak efficiency test
- Recorded attic temps of 132 - 135 degrees
What they did to fix the problems:
- Installed a 850cfm solar attic fan w/thermostat
- Brought the R21 insulation levels up to R38 spec. (14" depth) with white guardian fiberglass
- Insulated the entire garage
- Built two air hocks in the garage to make the garage space breathe
- Sealed all the leaks in the coil and duct work
- Sealed the leaks in the main return and decrease the volume by building up the plenum space and sealing it
- Installed 3 soffit vents on the eave on backside of the house
- House passed the leak efficiency test
Final real world results:
Before: 135 degree attic temp @ 100 degree ambient / 96 degree garage temp @ 100 degree ambient
After: 109 degree attic temp @ 96 degree ambient / 85 degree garage temp @ 96 degree ambient
Our a/c now blows cold and doesn't cycle as often. It stays running for a less amount of time. You actually want a blanket sitting in the living room at night. That's a big change for my house. My house is a lot more comfortable. I knew there was a big problem when a few months back I got a brand new 4 ton 13 seer American Standard A/C and we were still having to sleep above the covers at night.
We got a $200 rebate towards the final bill as a result of the Oncor SOP program. I would recommend ACoolerHouse based on my experience. They did good work and were friendly. That was all the rebates I qualified for given my income, gas heater, and age of home.
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List of problems found by the auditor:
- Insulation levels were deplorable. Barely qualified to R21 values with some spots having only 2" - 4".
- The garage was not insulated at all
- The air handler/coil was leaking all around the case
- Ducts were leaking
- Main return in the living room was leaking around the ring and there was too much volume inside the wall
- The passive/static vents in the attic were not doing much anything in terms of venting hot air
- The existing eave soffits were covered with insulation and not breathing
- No soffits on the back end of the house
- The house scored poorly on the leak efficiency test
- Recorded attic temps of 132 - 135 degrees
What they did to fix the problems:
- Installed a 850cfm solar attic fan w/thermostat
- Brought the R21 insulation levels up to R38 spec. (14" depth) with white guardian fiberglass
- Insulated the entire garage
- Built two air hocks in the garage to make the garage space breathe
- Sealed all the leaks in the coil and duct work
- Sealed the leaks in the main return and decrease the volume by building up the plenum space and sealing it
- Installed 3 soffit vents on the eave on backside of the house
- House passed the leak efficiency test
Final real world results:
Before: 135 degree attic temp @ 100 degree ambient / 96 degree garage temp @ 100 degree ambient
After: 109 degree attic temp @ 96 degree ambient / 85 degree garage temp @ 96 degree ambient
Our a/c now blows cold and doesn't cycle as often. It stays running for a less amount of time. You actually want a blanket sitting in the living room at night. That's a big change for my house. My house is a lot more comfortable. I knew there was a big problem when a few months back I got a brand new 4 ton 13 seer American Standard A/C and we were still having to sleep above the covers at night.
We got a $200 rebate towards the final bill as a result of the Oncor SOP program. I would recommend ACoolerHouse based on my experience. They did good work and were friendly. That was all the rebates I qualified for given my income, gas heater, and age of home.
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