Local Companies Helping Homeowners Keep It Insulated

By John Voket

Whether it is a brand-new home in development, or a century-old fixer-upper, two local businesses are tapping state-of-the art technologies to provide the best attainable levels of insulation.

No matter which scenario a homeowner is in, the pros at Newtown’s Danziger Homes, Inc, and Danbury-based Good Life Energy Savers LLC can help keep warm air from flowing out during the winter, or flowing in during the summer, with maximum energy-savings and the added bonus of improving sound buffering.

According to the US Department of Energy, 80 percent of the homes built prior to 1980 have little or no insulation. The DOE’s number one recommendation to help consumers reduce their energy bills is to add insulation.

And while new homes built to EnergyStar certification can still allow full interior air replacement up to ten times daily, think of the energy that can be saved when recirculation of air is reduced to less than two times per day.

Good Life Energy Savers is the area’s exclusive dealer and certified installer of Tripolymer Injection Wall Foam insulation. Tripolymer was originally developed for the NASA program and has been refined through a grant from the Department of Energy to be used in schools, hospitals, commercial and government buildings, and residences across the country.

Good Life introduced the product to homeowners in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties last year with great success, helping many to save 30–50 percent on their energy costs. The formaldehyde-free foam is environmentally friendly, and because it can be installed from the exterior of the home, making it an excellent solution for older homes, according to company spokesperson Gina Crist.

When is the best time to add insulation? Mark Harris of Good Life Energy Savers says it may be today.

“Don’t wait to insulate,” Mr Harris told The Newtown Bee. “Federal stimulus money provides homeowners with a 2010 tax credit equal to 30 percent of the cost, up to $1,500 for insulation. This tax credit, along with the state-funded Home Energy Solutions [HES] rebate program, makes today a perfect time to properly insulate, be more comfortable in your home, save money, and be energy efficient!”

Minimally Invasive

Because the product is installed from the exterior, the homeowner does not have to undergo a major renovation project to be more energy efficient, according to Scott McLean, Good Life’s operations manager.

“In most cases, our certified installers remove a row or two of exterior siding — including wood shingles, shake, vinyl and aluminum— inject the Tripolymer wall foam, and replace the siding,” he said. “We can even install from brick exteriors. We can complete installation on most homes in one day, and the comfort and savings benefits are immediate.”

With an R-value of 5.1 per inch (R-18 in a typical 2- by 4-inch wall cavity), Tripolymer has the highest rating of any insulation on the market for retrofit applications. It can be used in empty wall cavities or alongside existing, underperforming insulation and has been approved and certified by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.

For those who are building new, the father-son team of Kim and Jake Danziger is applying nearly 20 years of experience with foam insulation, more recently combined with super-efficient air handling, to help make all their new home projects “super insulated.”

As far back as 1990, Kim Danziger was one of the first residential builders in the area to begin strongly recommending and advocating for his clients to use the best, maximum volume of heat saving, noise tempering foam insulation at his project sites.

Natural Ingredients

Mr Danziger said he has experimented with a number of different insulating foams in the new homes he designs, but he has always tried to use the products that feature the most natural ingredients.

“We currently are recommending a water-propellant delivered, castor oil-based component called Agri-balance,” he said. “We find it’s the most environmentally friendly product available right now.”

The Danzigers made a business decision in 2005 to super insulate every home they design.

“We were always concerned about meeting EnergyStar Guidelines,” he said. “But today, we find the biggest distinction where it has the biggest effect — significantly reducing air infiltration — the greatest areas of heat loss.”

He said when heating professionals talk about R-values, it is really all about the resistance for releasing energy in the home that leaks out.

“Old homes will exchange the outdoor air, on average, 14 times a day,” Mr Danziger said. “Under new building codes, we’re hoping to see that standard reduced to ten times a day. But that still means you will reheat every bit of air ten times.”

Unless you are in a Danziger home — where the company’s expertise in the field has knocked that air exchange rate down to one to 1.5 times a day.

“Since that amount of uncirculated air may be unhealthy, we combine a mechanical ventilator with a heat recovery core in it — to exhaust old air and bring in air over the heat exchanger to recover about 60 percent of the energy that otherwise would still be lost,” Mr Danziger explained. “This permits about a four-time exchange rate per day. This is the Danziger Homes definition of super insulated.”

The Danzigers are most proud to help homeowners achieve these efficiencies in a cost-effective manner.

“We model each house and with all current rebates and credits from state and federal sources we essentially can offset the additional costs to employ all these energy standards, so the homeowner pays nothing, or next to nothing, for this super-insulated feature,” Mr Danziger said.

Danziger Homes Inc is at 136 Mt Pleasant Road in Newtown; 203-426-9100 or check the firm’s work online at danzigerhomes.com

Good Life Energy Savers LLC is in Danbury and is licensed and insured in Connecticut, as well as Westchester and Putnam Counties in New York. For a free estimate, call 203-297-6337 or visit www.goodlifeenergysavers.com.