Johns Manville SPIDER™ An Ideal Insulation for Retrofitting Walls in Existing Homes
Dennis Brachfeld started Denver-based All About Saving Heat Co. (www.aboutsavingheat.com) in 1975, a year after graduating from the University of Denver's business school with a degree in real estate finance and construction management. He founded the company two years after the Middle East's oil embargo against the United States when America was experiencing unprecedented gas lines, energy shortages and escalating energy prices. According to former president Jimmy Carter, "Energy conservation is the moral equivalent of war!" This was a war Brachfeld was willing to fight. He became Colorado's first home energy rater and made energy conservation and efficiency a life-long pursuit.
Colorado adopted its first residential energy code in November 1979; therefore, many homes built before 1980 have little or no insulation and many have only single-pane windows. Lack of insulation, or poorly installed insulation, not only results in heat and energy waste, but also causes comfort problems during the summer and winter. Today, an estimated 65 percent of homes in the U.S. are underinsulated, according to the Harvard University School of Public Health.
"This situation led me to focus my business on weatherizing existing homes," said Brachfeld, founder and owner of All About Saving Heat. "I knew that energy conservation wouldn't be possible without energy efficient homes. Since then, I have worked on mostly older homes, but also newer homes with comfort problems. Our primary goal has always been, and still is today, to make homes more comfortable through greater energy efficiency."
For the past 30-plus years, Brachfeld used a drill-and-fill technique to install cellulose insulation when retrofitting underinsulated walls in existing homes. Brachfeld generally preferred cellulose insulation compared to other insulation materials because of its ability to fill wall cavities and seal cracks and seems - qualities that created energy efficient insulation barriers that minimized air infiltration. He also liked cellulose's relatively high percentage of recycled content and its absence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as formaldehyde. But as home energy prices continued to rise, Brachfeld began looking for alternative insulation materials that would allow for drill-and-fill retrofits, while further improving the energy efficiency of existing walls and meeting his stringent environmental standards.
Brachfeld found a superior alternative to cellulose in Johns Manville (JM) Spider™. JM Spider is a Formaldehyde-free™ loose-fill fiber-glass insulation for use in new home applications as well as drill-and-fill retrofits in existing walls, including retrofits in walls with previously installed low-density batt insulation. JM Spider's small bundles or nodules of fiber make for an easier drill-and-fill install than other grades of loose-fill fiber glass as well as cellulose, and the fine fibers of JM Spider allow it to pack the wall cavity and achieve a superior thermal performance when compared to cellulose - an R-value of 4.3 per inch compared to cellulose at 3.7 per inch.
Brachfeld also sought to avoid the irregular density that tends to occur with cellulose, which creates gaps where energy can escape. In addition, rigorous testing at the Johns Manville Technical Center in Littleton, Colo. has shown that JM Spider does not settle over time, allowing the product to maintain its high thermal performance for the life of the home.
Environmental performance was another consideration for Brachfeld. In addition to its energy efficiency attributes, he was pleased that JM Spider is made primarily from recycled glass and sand, a rapidly renewable resource. And the fact that JM Spider does not off-gas formaldehyde or other VOCs made it an attractive alternative to cellulose.
"I'm very pleased with the high R-values that JM Spider delivers and its ability to deliver thermal comfort year-round, and maintain its thermal performance throughout the life of the home," said Brachfeld. "From an outdoor and indoor environmental perspective, JM Spider is an ideal insulation. By making homes more energy efficient with JM Spider, we're reducing home energy demand, which is beneficial to the outdoor environment. And the fact that JM Spider is formaldehyde-free and won't off-gas harmful VOCs means an improved indoor environment for my customers. JM Spider fits perfectly with my company's mission of making homes more comfortable through greater energy efficiency."
Brachfeld's installers were also pleased with JM Spider's ease of install. During the installation process, JM Spider generates only a minimal amount of dust, making installation more comfortable for both the installer and home occupants. In addition, JM Spider can be installed through very small holes, even through brick veneer mortar joints, which gives the installer more flexibility and minimizes the patch-up work after installation.
Since Brachfeld started All About Saving Heat, he's improved the energy efficiency of 30,000 homes throughout Colorado. With JM Spider now in his arsenal, Brachfeld and his team at All About Saving Heat are looking forward to further improving the energy efficiency of Colorado homes during a time of increased public awareness of energy use and its impact on the environment.
