Insulation doesn’t get much attention when people tour a home. Buyers notice kitchens, windows, and views. Insulation usually stays hidden behind drywall and attic hatches. But in Colorado, it quietly does a lot of work every single day.

Below are three common signs your insulation might need an upgrade, and what they usually mean once you own the home.

1. Rooms Feel Cold at Night, Even When the Heat Is On

One of the clearest insulation signs shows up after sunset. The thermostat says the house is warm, but certain rooms still feel chilly. Bedrooms over garages, bonus rooms, and upper floors are common trouble spots.

This happens because insulation slows heat loss. When insulation is thin, missing, or poorly installed, warm air escapes quickly. In Colorado, nighttime temperature drops make this problem more obvious. Heat leaves faster than the system can replace it, so comfort becomes uneven.

Both older and newer homes can have this issue. Older homes may have settled insulation or outdated materials. Newer homes can have gaps or missed areas. Insulation quality matters just as much as its age.

For homeowners, this often means adjusting the thermostat more than expected. It can also lead to space heaters, which add cost and safety concerns. Over time, the house feels harder to keep comfortable, even though the furnace is working.

2. Energy Bills Are Higher Than Expected for the Home Size

Another sign shows up in the monthly budget. If heating bills feel high for the size of the home, insulation may be part of the reason. Poor insulation lets heat escape, so systems run longer and more often.

This matters in Denver, Fort Collins, and Boulder because heating seasons are long. Cold snaps are common, and nights stay cold even after warm days. Insulation helps homes hold onto heat during those swings.

Buyers sometimes assume high bills come from older furnaces or rising utility rates. Those factors matter, but insulation plays a big role. Even an efficient heating system struggles when warm air leaks out.

Insulation issues can also affect summer cooling, though usually to a lesser degree here. Hot daytime air can enter the home through under-insulated attics or walls. That forces air conditioning to work harder during peak hours.

Over time, higher energy use adds up. Insulation upgrades and routine energy checks often reduce heating cycles and improve overall efficiency. That’s why it is closely tied to long-term ownership costs, not just comfort.

3. Drafts, Cold Floors, or Big Temperature Differences Between Levels

Drafts are another common clue. You might feel cold air near baseboards or attic access points. Some rooms may feel fine, while others stay noticeably cooler.

These issues often point to insulation gaps or air leakage. Insulation works best when it forms a continuous barrier. Missing sections allow cold air in and warm air out, especially during wind and overnight temperature drops.

Floors over garages are a frequent problem area. Garages are usually unheated, so cold air rises into rooms above when insulation is lacking. Attics are another key area, because heat naturally rises and escapes upward.

Different types show up in these situations. Fiberglass batts can sag or compress over time. Blown-in insulation can settle and thin out. Spray foam tends to seal well but isn’t used everywhere.

For homeowners, these comfort issues can feel frustrating. You heat the house, but the warmth doesn’t stay where you want it. That experience often traces back to insulation performance, not just equipment.

Why Insulation Matters More in Colorado Homes

Colorado’s climate puts insulation to the test. Sunny afternoons can feel mild, but nights cool off fast. Insulation helps homes bridge that gap without constant thermostat changes.

Good insulation supports consistent indoor temperatures. It also helps protect pipes, reduces condensation risk, and eases wear on heating systems. These benefits matter whether the home is brand new or decades old.

Buyers often focus on visible features, but insulation affects daily life in quieter ways. Comfort, efficiency, and predictability all improve when the material does its job well. That’s why understanding insulation signs matters early in ownership.

What Homebuyers Keep in Mind

Insulation isn’t always easy to evaluate at a glance. Attics, crawl spaces, and walls hide most of the story. That’s why insulation questions often come up during the inspection process.

When you know the signs, surprises are less likely after move-in. That awareness helps expectations match reality, especially during the first winter, so buyers can make sense of what they’ll experience once the keys are in hand.

At the time of this writing, most Colorado counties have adopted the 2018 IECC 0r the 2021 IECC. These energy standards have established that a number of field tests are required to validate the energy performance of a home. This includes blower door testing and duct leakage testing – both are important tests for evaluating residential energy efficiency. In this article, we will take a closer look at duct leakage testing in Colorado.

IECC Duct Leakage Requirements

When it comes to duct leakage testing, the 2018 and 2021 IECC rules are very similar, save for one key difference. In the 2018 IECC, Duct leakage testing is not required on any part of the duct system that is located within the thermal envelope of the building. This rule is consistent with the 2015 IECC. On the other hand, according to section 403.3.6 item #3 of the 2021 IECC, now all ducts must be tested – even if they are within the thermal envelope.

For more information about the 2021 IECC duct leakage code updates, check out our article, Duct Leakage Testing Requirements in 2021 IECC Codes

Testing is required to be performed by an independent third party. The code applies to new home construction and remodels/additions in some municipalities. These rules will vary from county to county, based on what IECC version has been adopted. So its always a good idea to check with the local building department to see what is required.

Purpose of Duct Leakage Testing:

• Studies show that a typical duct installation loses up to 20% of the air before getting to the registers. If that air happens to leak outside the building envelope, the overall comfort of a home can be compromised, and high utility bills will likely ensue.
• When air is blowing through ducts outside the conditioned space of the home, this can cause a change in pressure between the heated and unheated areas. This can lead to more air movement between the two areas which will transfer heat/cool air outside of the home.
• Leaks in ducts can pull in air from these unconditioned areas. High pressure in an attic, for example, can push dirty or dusty air into the home through small gaps in the ceiling.
• Within the home itself, unbalanced air flow caused by duct leakage can pressurize or depressurize zones causing rooms to be stuffy or to have temperature variation.

When is the best time to do a duct leakage test?

Duct leakage testing can be done during various stages of construction and still meet the specifications of the energy code, although we recommend performing it at rough-in when access is easiest. This also gives you the ability to seal sections of the ducts while they are still exposed.

How do we perform the test?

We use the “Duct Blaster” to test the air supply and quantify leakage. We seal off all the registers in the home and run a fan at a return, or at the air handler to depressurize the system. The total amount of leakage in the system is determined by pressurizing or depressurizing the system with the Duct Blaster to 25 pascals.

Click here to view a great article about duct leakage tests from the air leakage pioneers, The Energy Conservatory.

What Comprises a Pass or a Fail?

The threshold for passing the test is determined by a certain number of CFM of leakage per 100 square foot of conditioned space that the system serves. Here are the baseline numbers given in the IECC 2015 codes.

• 3 CFM per 100 SF – Rough-in—with no air handler installed
• 4 CFM per 100 SF – Rough-in—with the air handler installed
• 3 CFM per 100 SF – Post-construction—with no air handler installed
• 4 CFM per 100 Sf – Post-construction—with the air handler installed
• 8 CFM per 100 Sf – Post-construction—with the air handler installed and all ducts within the conditioned envelope (2021 IECC)

Helpful hints to pass your Duct Leakage Test:

• If this is your first test, always have it performed at the rough-in stage so that issues can be easily addressed.
• Liquid Mastic or “pookie” has shown the best results based on our experience.
• Seal every joint. The test is very sensitive, so the HVAC professional may need to seal quite a bit more than normal.
• The furnace or air handler is often overlooked. Seal around the edges and around the back side of the handler where the returns connect.
• Flex duct is popular in attics. However, the zip ties conjoining them to the system have a tendency to leak. Add mastic to these joints as well to create a tight seal.
• Make sure the filter cover is fully installed and sealed before the test.
• Do a once over of the full system before the test to identify weak or unfinished areas.
• It can be helpful for the HVAC installer to be present during the inspection to help identify and repair leaks on the spot.

Scott Home Services

At Scott Energy Services, a division of Scott Home Services, we have a team of highly trained energy efficiency and air leakage specialists. We offer an extensive list energy services including Duct Leakage Testing, Blower Door Testing, HERS Ratings and more! So whatever your building requirements may be, we are here to be of service.

For more information or to schedule a duct leakage test with Team Scott, click here.

If you own a newer home, it is likely equipped with an HRV or an ERV system. That is because these systems are crucial in maintaining in-home air quality. Nowadays, homes are built to meet high energy efficiency standards. They are constructed in an airtight manner, in order to keep conditioned air from leaking out of the house and unconditioned air from making its way into the house.

However, with such an airtight structure, how do we maintain safe, fresh interior air? That’s where HRV/ERV systems come in.

What is an HRV?

HRV stands for Heat Recovery Ventilator. This is a mechanism that expels stale air out of the home and brings fresh air into the home.

What makes this system unique is that it uses the heat from the outgoing exhaust air to heat up the incoming fresh air. By using the already existing heat from exhaust air, the HRV reduces the amount of energy needed to heat incoming air to the desired indoor temp. In other words, an HRV helps you save money on your heating bill!

Along their journeys through the HRV, the two air streams are sent through a ventilator core (labeled as 3 in the picture below). This is where their heat exchange occurs. The stale, outgoing air does not mix with the fresh air. On the contrary, both air streams remain in separate channels, and the heat transfer occurs through conduction.

What is an ERV?

ERV stands for Energy (or Enthalpy) Recovery Ventilator. It functions the same way as an HRV with one key difference. An HRV system only deals with heat transfer, while an ERV transfers both heat and humidity.

ERV units will generally be ideal in more extreme climates – such as tropical, humid climates or very cold, dry climates.

Let’s say you live in a tropical environment. As the energy recovery ventilator draws in the humid fresh air, it will extract the moisture and expel it into the outgoing, exhaust air. That way, when fresh air enters your home, it will not be uncomfortably humid.

Conversely, when it’s cold and dry outside, the ERV will extract the moisture from the stale exhaust air and add it to the incoming air.

Which Unit is Best For Me?

Before you decide on a unit type, you must first determine if you even need a ventilation system. Most all new houses are constructed to have an airtight building envelope and will need some type of ventilator.

However, if you are doing renovations, updating to an HRV system isn’t always necessary. Your new remodel might have a state-of-the-art thermal envelope; but the rest of the residence might still be somewhat “breathable”.

The best way to measure the air leakage of your home is by conducting a blower door test. During this test, a specialist assembles a large fan on an exterior door and seals up all other openings. The fan will then pull air out of the home in order to determine its level of air leakage.

If the blower door results come back at 3 ACH (air changes per hour) or lower, then a ventilation system is recommended.

As stated above, the right unit will generally depend on climate. In some cases, it’s pretty clear-cut. For instance, if you’re living in the deep south with super humid conditions, an ERV is probably the right choice for you. And if you’re up in the cold, dry regions of northern Canada, go with an ERV.

However, in the central parts of the US, climates are a little milder, with less frequent extreme conditions. In these areas, it’s not necessarily crucial to have one or the other. It’s more on a case-to-case basis, and sometimes a matter of personal preference.

For instance, Colorado has a generally dry climate, so a lot of CO homes have humidifiers built into their HVAC systems. This negates the need for the humidifying features of an ERV.

It’s best to consult with your contractor or an HRV/ERV specialist to determine the right unit for you.

OK, I have an HRV. What Now?

How and When To Use It

If your house is equipped with an HRV or ERV, it’s always a great idea to familiarize yourself with the unit. Have a chat with the specialist who installed it and read over the user’s manual.

These systems vary from model to model, but their controls are all fairly similar. There will always be a master control panel like the one pictured below. This is where you can configure all of the operation parameters, such as cycle frequency or maximum relative humidity.

Your system will generally have to run multiple times every day. You can usually set it on an intermittent, recurring schedule. For instance, you may want it to kick on for 20 minutes every hour.

Make sure to get in the habit of running the system each time a shower or bath is used. It is recommended to run the HRV (or ERV) for its maximum time (which is usually 60 minutes) to make sure all moisture has been removed.

Another common setting is the maximum relative humidity (often abbreviated as RH) setting. This is a handy feature when you want to make sure it doesn’t get too humid in your house. Just set the control panel to your preferred relative humidity. When the system detects the indoor relative humidity exceeding this limit, it will automatically start to run in order to expel the interior air and mitigate humidity levels.

How To Maintain It

Routine maintenance is an important way to ensure efficient performance and longevity – plus it’s super easy!

Make sure to reference your user’s manual to find out when and how to clean the unit, as this process varies slightly with each model. But again, they are all fairly similar; so maintenance procedures will generally be along these lines:

• The ventilator’s filters will need to be removed approximately every 2-3 months. Rinse these off with water and allow them to air dry.
• The ventilator core should be rinsed out with clean water. This should occur about every 6 months.
• Make sure to wipe out the HRV unit every time you access it, as significant amounts of dust and debris can build up over time.

Heat (or energy) recovery systems are, indeed, a very important component of the home. So it goes without saying that proper use and maintenance are crucial in ensuring that you have fresh, healthy in-home air year round.

Home Inspections

At Scott Home Inspection, it is our number one mission to help Colorado families live in safe, healthy, and comfortable homes. Being that ventilation systems are such a vital aspect of new homes, HRV and ERV inspections are part of our standard inspections.

Our inspectors will closely examine these units, checking to see that they are in good condition and functioning properly. If an inspector notes any defects or anomalies, they will be sure to call it out in the report for further evaluation.

If you are in need of a Colorado inspection, please don’t hesitate to reach out now for more information or to book your inspection today.

In today’s day and age, with expenses and bills around every corner, we’re all looking for ways to cut costs. If you are a homeowner, you know that your monthly bills to keep the house going have been steadily increasing over time. One of our biggest burdens are those costly heating and cooling bills.

One way to save significantly on these energy costs is to make efforts to increase the energy efficiency of your house. This can be done in many ways including upgrading insulation levels, increasing the efficiency of your mechanical systems (i.e your furnace and water heater), or reducing the air leakage in your home.

However, one of the best ways to do this is by updating your windows to meet higher energy-saving standards. This is especially true when your windows are older.

But in a world with seemingly endless window options, what qualifies a window as energy efficient? There are two main parameters that are measured in order to determine a window’s efficiency – U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient. Having a better knowledge of these concepts can help you choose the windows that are right for your home.

What are U-Factors (U-Value)?

A U-Factor (also referred to as U-value) is a window’s rate of loss of non-solar heat. Similar to insulation R-Values (which we discussed in a past blog), U-Factors indicate the energy efficiency of a window. The lower the U-Factor, the more energy efficient the window is.

Conversely, windows with high U-Factors are less efficient. This form of measurement was created by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) as a way to have one, uniform method when determining window, door, and skylight efficiency.

A window’s U-Value can be determined by assessing three aspects of the window – the frame, the glazing (or glass), and the spacer. Each plays a key role in achieving an optimum window seal.

What is the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient?

The U-Factor works in conjunction with the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). The SHGC is the measurement of how much radiant heat, or heat produced by the sun, comes in through a window. Similar to U-Factor, the lower the SHGC, the lower the radiant heat transmitting through the window.

As indicated in the chart below, the EPA recommends different U-Factors and SHGCs depending on the region of the country. These calculations are based on the approximate number of days spent heating and/or cooling per region.

Generally, lower U-Values will be recommended in heating-dominated regions (i.e. colder climates).  In cooling-dominated regions with warmer climates, it is not as imperative to have windows that will keep the heat trapped in the home, however, better U-Values can help keep mechanically cooled temperatures inside the home.

Note that the SHGC has a direct relationship with the U-Value. For instance, in the southern regions (shown in red), the U-Factor can be less than or equal to 0.40, but their SHGC must not exceed 0.25.

Homes in northern regions (shown in blue) have several options that qualify for Energy Star certification. With each option, as the U-Factor increases, so does the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient. This essentially means that the heat gain caused by the sun must compensate for the heat loss from a window with a higher U-Factor. It is the tradeoff between these two measurements that helps to create the overall performance of a window.

The window orientation in the home is also important when considering U-Factors and SHGCs. For instance, in a cold climate, a window facing south should have a high SHGC. On the contrary, in a warm climate, a south-facing window should have a low SHGC.

The geographic features of your property must also be taken into consideration. For example, you may have a large tree creating significant shade on one side of the house. That may mean those particular windows should have a higher SHGC to allow for more solar heat, or a lower U-Factor to increase window insulation.

All of these factors are important to consider when choosing the right windows.

Energy Star Rated Windows

In efforts to promote sustainability and energy efficiency, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Energy Star program. This program gives certain components of the home Energy Star ratings if these components can meet a number of pre-determined criteria. Windows are a key contributor to energy conservation (or lack thereof), and thus they are one of the components that can receive an Energy Star rating.

Windows must be manufactured to strict specifications in order to meet an Energy Star rated U-Factor and SHGC combination. They are often double or triple paned. And sometimes the panes are even filled with inert gases, such as argon. Because argon is denser than H2O, it helps to stop air from transmitting through the window, which in turn reduces its U-Value.

The window frame is built tightly around the glazing to enhance insulation, and a spacer is installed to further decrease heat flow and prevent condensation. Also, most modern window panes are constructed with film-coated, low emissivity (or “low E”) glass. Such materials help to reduce radiant heat and UV ray penetration.

All of these window characteristics cumulatively help to achieve an Energy Star rating and increase your home’s energy efficiency.

Benefits of Energy Efficient Windows

Even though high performance windows might be costly up front, they have the potential to save you a lot of money over time. In fact, according to the US Department of Energy, equipping your home with the proper Energy Star rated windows can save you from 7% – 15% on annual energy bills. Not to mention, the overall climate control and comfort of your home will be elevated as well.

As incentives to strive for sustainability, some regions offer benefits such as tax credits and rebates to those who install Energy Star rated windows. So in addition to saving money on those monthly energy bills, you may even get paid by the government!

Many Colorado regions have established rigid, residential energy codes for new construction projects. Places like Denver and Boulder County require new builds, remodels and additions to meet certain criteria established by the Home Energy Rating System (HERS).

When we conduct our HERS rating services, we are assessing multiple aspects of the home to give it an overall energy score. As you could probably guess, one of the main aspects we observe are windows. Simply put, a better U-Value and SHGC will get you a better HERS rating.

Similarly, we conduct RESchecks to help builders and contractors comply with IECC energy codes. And as we’ve discussed throughout this blog, when it comes energy conservation, it’s all about those U-Factors. Windows with optimal energy performance can help contractors meet IECC guidelines.

We hope that this excerpt has given you a better understanding of U-Factors, SHGCs, and the overall importance of good quality windows.

If you are interested in assessing the energy efficiency of your home, please feel free to reach out about our Scott Home Inspection Energy Services.

As modern day homeowners, we face so many month-to-month expenses. There are routine maintenance expenses, repairs, utility bills, insurance, mortgage payments and the list goes on. With all these recurring expenses hanging over our heads, there is one thing we all have in common – we want to save money. So how do we do that?

You can, of course, cancel that gym membership, discontinue that Hulu subscription, decrease your daily visits to Starbucks, etc. But how many of us focus on the energy efficiency of our own homes? Air leakage in the home can be a prime source of wasteful energy use and high energy bills.

A bit more knowledge about this topic can go quite a long way. In addition to saving money, decreasing air leakage can also make your living space a much more comfortable and healthy environment.

What Is Air Leakage?

Air leakage occurs when outside air enters the home and conditioned air exits the home in an uncontrollable manner through cracks and openings. When air leakage occurs in excess, it can drastically affect energy efficiency. Furthermore, with air freely transmitting in and out of the home, occupants will have a harder time creating an optimum living space.

Over the years, building methods have advanced to really improve energy efficiency. Various insulation products, house wraps, and building techniques have helped to increase the overall “air tightness” of new builds. It is always recommended to address air leakage throughout the building process, so as to avoid energy efficiency issues down the road.

It is definitely more common for old homes to be drafty, because they were purposely built to have more breathability. But even newer builds can have air leakage issues.

There are a number of common points where air leakage can take place in the home. Windows, doors, recessed lighting fixtures, exterior wall penetrations, ducts, fireplace walls are a few examples of trouble areas (see more examples in the image below).

Some of these trouble areas can be discovered simply through visual inspection. For instance, if you see a large gap between your front door and door frame, there are obviously air leakage issues at that location. And you will want to remedy the defect with the appropriate weather stripping.

However, some of these problematic areas are not so easy to identify with the naked eye. In these cases, you should hire a specialist who can evaluate your home’s energy efficiency with a blower door test.

The Pros and Cons of Low Air Leakage

As we’ve already discussed, reducing air leakage in your home will save you money. During the hot months of the year, a home with bad air leakage means hot air coming into the home, and cool, conditioned air leaving the home.

In this scenario, your AC system will work hard to maintain your ideal temperature, resulting in unnecessarily high electricity bills. And the same (vice versa) thing will happen during cold months – cold air gets in, heated air escapes. This results in a cycle of  year-round energy inefficiency.

On the contrary, an air tight home would improve energy efficiency and help you to save your hard earned cash!

Low air leakage also means a more comfortable, climate-controlled and healthy in-home environment. You will have less fluctuations in your indoor temperature. So when it comes to your thermostat, you can set it and forget it.

Air leakage can allow humid and moist air to enter the home. This can obviously result in an uncomfortable living environment.

But in even worse case scenarios, excessive moisture in the home can lead to chronic mold issues, which can affect occupant health. And if the moisture intrusion is consistent and severe enough, it can lead to interior damage, which may necessitate costly repairs.

The main con of an airtight home is that it creates a potential decrease in overall natural ventilation. Without a natural source of ventilation, airborne particles such as dust, mold spores, germs, and even exhaled carbon dioxide may remain trapped inside the home, creating poor quality air.

This a legitimate concern. We, of course, want to optimize our energy efficiency. But we also don’t want to compromise our access to fresh, healthy air.

Well, this issue has been appropriately addressed by a simple concept: “Build Tight, Ventilate Right.”

When it comes to airtight homes, proper ventilation is key. And two main types of systems are utilized to achieve proper ventilation – Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) and Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV). These systems create a cyclical exchange within the house, which pulls in fresh air from the outside, while expelling stale air to the exterior.

How Do I Know If My Home Has Air Leakage?

Your house likely has air leakage, because pretty much all homes have some degree of air leakage. The real question is how much air leakage does your house have? As we mentioned briefly above, the industry standard for measuring air leakage is a blower door test.

During these tests, a specialized device (shown below) creates a suction to depressurize the home. This depressurized environment allows the blower door technician to measure how much air leakage is occurring in the home, and whether or not further action is needed.

If you are a homeowner in Colorado, we offer a blower door test with our comprehensive Energy Audit. Our energy specialists will evaluate air leakage, but also analyze insulation levels, windows and doors, mechanical devices, and more. An energy audit gives you a full picture of possible upgrades to lower your energy bills.

Most Colorado counties are now requiring newly constructed homes to meet a number of energy efficiency criteria established under the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). This code’s primary goal is to increase sustainability and to regulate energy consumption.

The code makes blower door testing a mandatory step for many construction projects to ensure optimum energy efficiency. Depending on where you live, the rules of the IECC may even apply to you.

But regardless of rules and regulations, assessing the air leakage of your own home is never a bad idea. Because who doesn’t want to optimize their living space and save some cash while doing so?

If you are curious about the energy efficiency of your home or construction project, feel free to reach out and schedule a blower door test today.

Where are the best places to insulate a home to get the most energy savings and best comfort gains?  That question is asked in every energy audit we perform.  While this answer can vary depending on the age and the type of home, there are general solutions that apply across the board.

Improvements in the insulation and air sealing of a home are always the first things you want to do when looking into home energy savings.  Before you even consider the efficiency of the heating and cooling systems, your insulation should be evaluated and addressed accordingly.

Let’s take a look at the best places to insulate a home.

Attic-Ceiling

By far, without any doubt, insulating the attic or ceiling of the home is the number one priority.  The largest amount of heat is gained and lost through the lid of a house.

During the winter, as heat is generated, there is a large difference in interior vs exterior temperature that needs to be maintained.

In cold climates, you may have days that are in the 20s or 30s outside.  If you are trying to maintain a comfortable temperature of 70 degrees inside, that is a 40-50 temperature differential.  And if you remember any science from high school, you know heat tries to move to cold.

Also, that hot air rises.  As the heat produced rises, heat is lost through conduction along the ceiling surfaces. The drywall or ceiling material heats up and conducts that heat through the surface and out of your home.

If the insulation layer at the ceiling is inadequate, there is no resistance to that heat loss, and there goes your cozy house.  The opposite is true in summertime conditions.  As the sun beats down on the home, the roof material heats up, and the attic gets hotter. If the insulation layer is inadequate, the heat can conduct right through the ceiling into the home.

That’s why ceiling insulation is the top priority when upgrading your home’s energy efficiency.  If there is attic space above the ceiling, then you have an opportunity to evaluate the insulation layer and determine if more insulation is needed.

Insulation is rated by its resistance value or R-Value. Along the Front Range of Colorado, it is recommended that homes have at least R-54 insulation value. This recommended level of R-54 is an upgrade from past recommendations, so very few homes in our region currently have this much insulation present.

If you are evaluating your own attic, the most common insulation types used in attics is either fiberglass (blown or batt type) or blown-in cellulose.  Both of these insulation types are similar in their ratings at approximately an average of R3.5/inch.  So to reach a value of R-54 you would need roughly 14-15 inches of insulation present.

When you have an attic space present, adding more insulation isn’t difficult.  An insulating contractor or even a handy home-owner can carefully add more insulation. This is typically done by using a large blower tool that pushes raw insulation material through a tube which is slowly applied throughout the attic. These tools are owned by professionals, but smaller versions can be rented at hardware stores.

There are some important rules to follow while insulating. Maintaining good ventilation in an attic and not blocking off any soffit venting should be considered.  Also, you have to be careful to not fully cover can-lights and other fixtures should not be covered.

There are also considerations with air sealing that should be evaluated prior to insulating that we won’t cover in this article, but we have some great information in this air-sealing post.  We recommend you have a blower door test done as part of an Energy Audit and seal air leaks in the ceiling prior to adding insulation.

Vaulted ceilings represent a bigger challenge. Depending on the size of the wood framing used in the vaulted area, there may be limited space available. Adding insulation may not be possible in these areas if the height is limited and the cavities are already full of insulation.

In that case, air sealing any leaks where heat can escape is the only solution.  Unless you are performing a remodel and removing the drywall or ceiling material in these vaulted areas.  If that happens you have an opportunity to re-insulate and potentially consider higher density insulation that has a greater R-Value per inch, such as spray foam material.

Bottom line, insulating the ceiling and attic areas is by far the number one best way to improve the comfort of your home.  The greatest comfort benefits and energy savings will be seen by adding insulation to the ceiling areas.

Basement-Crawlspace-Slab

Dropping to the bottom of a home, the next best place to insulate is the lowest level of your home.  Once again, if we look at wintertime conditions, the lowest level of the home has a large part to play in reducing heat transfer.

This works in tandem with attic insulation. As heat rises in a home and is lost through the ceiling, the home then pulls in cold air or conducts colder temperatures at the lowest level.  This is what is commonly referred to as the chimney-effect or stack-effect.

As heat rises, if you have poorly insulated areas at the base of the home, cold temperatures will conduct or air leaks will allow cold air into the home.  This effect causes your heating system to run more and comfort imbalances occur in the home.

If the home is over a basement or a crawlspace, the number one place to review the insulation is in an area called the rim-joist.  This is the area where the framing of the home extends below the main floor and connects to the top of the foundation.  That “rim” of the home is where the coldest conduction and air leaks can occur.

Just as in the ceiling, ensure you have air leaks evaluated using a blower door test and potentially infra-red scanning, to find and seal all the air leaks first.  This should be followed up by insulating this area as best as possible.

Today’s building standards along the Front Range call for R-19 minimum along the rim joist area.  Many older homes have no insulation present in the rim-joist areas and we often see lots of air leakage.

In addition to the rim-joist, it is advisable to insulate the concrete foundation walls as well.  As most of us intuitively know, basements can be cold and damp.  Much of this colder feeling in a basement comes from conduction through the concrete, even where much of the wall is below grade.

A steady earthen temperature causes a basement wall to sit much colder than internal temperatures. This cold conduction of the walls moves into the home and further pushes the heat upwards and out of the home.  So insulating the basement walls with an R-19 insulating layer helps tremendously.

We recommend that you treat a crawlspace as a mini-basement.  Insulate the rim-joist and concrete walls to the same recommended levels as the basement. Often plumbing pipes and heat ducting are present within the crawlspace and if you insulate the under-floor only, you now have isolated those items outside the thermal boundary.

By treating the crawlspace as a mini-basement, you encapsulate those items within the boundary and prevent freeze issues.  You also need to be attentive to the floor of the crawlspace. If it is dirt, this needs to be covered with a plastic sheet vapor barrier and sealed to keep moisture levels out of the crawlspace.  Another consideration covered in a separate article is to seal ducting to prevent losses in a basement or crawlspace. These techniques are known as “conditioning” your crawlspace. This makes the area part of the heated envelope of the home and makes for a much more comfortable living environment.

If your home is built over a concrete slab, this gets more challenging to insulation. The best solution that can be considered is to insulate the exterior edge of the slab with foam board insulation.

This can be difficult if the edge is buried and would involve excavating around the slab edge.  But a decent amount of cold conduction occurs on concrete slabs and much of it comes along the exposed edge at the soil.  A 2-inch layer of foam board that is roughly R-10 insulating value can go a long way toward reducing cold conduction along concrete slab edges.

Walls

The third area of consideration is the level of wall insulation in the home.  This is also the most challenging area to insulate on an existing home, but because of the stack effect, and the loss or gain of heat and cold at the ceiling and floors, the walls really are the third priority.

In Colorado, the current recommended insulation level in walls is R-20 insulation value.  On new construction, this is achieved by the use of 2×6 wood framing.  Many older homes only had 2×4 framing which typically had R-11 or R-13 insulation present.  Unfortunately, if the home was built in the 1940s or 1950s, it may have R-0 in the walls, as in NO insulation.  What were we thinking?!

The first step is to find out what you have in your walls. An energy auditor can view into wall cavities by removing electrical outlets or switch covers and carefully trying to see what insulation level and type is present.  The use of infra-red scanning can also give a basic idea of what may be present.  Naturally, if any level of remodeling is done that involves removing the inside wall material, you can get a look at what is present as well.

Adding insulation into walls is limited to a couple of options.  If you are considering a remodel, and you know there is limited insulation in the walls, consider removing the interior drywall or surface material and adding insulation.  The added cost to re-do drywall is small compared to the gains in comfort and energy savings with properly insulated walls.

Another option is to have insulation blown into the walls.  An insulating contractor can inject insulation into wall cavities by drilling holes either on the interior or exterior and blowing insulation into each cavity.  This does involve drilling a lot of holes, one for each 16″ spaced wall cavity.  But the benefit is that the process is much less invasive than removing all interior wall surfaces.  This can be done whether some amount of insulation is present or none.

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Those 3 primary areas represent the best places to insulate a home.  Certainly, there are discussions that need to be had about the quality and performance of the windows, and as we discussed, the air-sealing opportunities.  But insulating in these 3 areas along with proper air sealing can have a dramatic impact on the comfort and energy savings in a home.

A complete energy audit will review insulation levels in all these areas and make recommendations for where upgrades are needed.  Other aspects of an energy audit will address the window performance, heating and cooling system performance, water heating system, and other areas of potential energy savings.

We definitely recommend you take a big picture approach to energy savings and work out a priority list of actions that come from an energy audit.  However, adding insulation where needed is likely going to represent the most cost-effective means of gaining added comfort and improving energy efficiency in a home.

One question that we are asked frequently is when and where is a HERS rating required in Colorado? A HERS rating can be an alternative solution to following the building codes when building a Colorado home. We covered many of the benefits of performing a HERS rating in our earlier blog about performance vs prescriptive pathways.

However, that does not necessarily mean that a HERS rating is required or preferred. It is typically just an alternative solution to meeting the requirements. As energy codes are updated and tightened up, they can phase out specific design options on homes that can only be achieved by using trade-offs, which are easier to achieve with a HERS rating.

A HERS rating can be a great option to meet the energy requirements, but in some cases can be overkill. In an effort to substantiate the HERS rating system, however, and give consumers more insight into how good a home’s energy performance will be, some counties and cities in Colorado have required or “incentivized” the HERS rating system.

In this part of HERS rating guide, we will cover where and when a HERS rating is more than just an alternative.

Where is a HERS Rating Required In Colorado? One place. Boulder.

Boulder has always been a community bullish on energy efficiency. They are continually pushing the boundaries and have emerged as a leader in this area. They have become a role model for the state of Colorado and the nation between their SmartRegs program to their goals of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

Both the City of Boulder and Boulder County building departments require a HERS rating in most instances, but they differ on their specific requirements. In general, the city has more stringent requirements as listed below.

City Of Boulder HERS Rating Requirements:

The city of Boulder requires a HERS rating on most larger projects. A HERS rating will need to be performed on new construction projects over 500 sqft, additions where the floor area of the addition is over 1000 sqft, or interior remodels where the square footage of the project is greater than 50% of the area of the current home. When a HERS rating is required, it must meet the required HERS Score represented in the below table. These requirements are outlined in the cities code documents.

The city has created its own internal building code called the City of Boulder Energy Conservation Code (COBECC). This code is based on the IECC energy code, but with many additions to make homes even more efficient. This code will be updated in 2020 and will include even smaller building projects and remodel projects that do not add additional square footage. More information can be found about this update here.

The HERS score of a home needs to meet a certain level based on the proposed square footage. The larger the home, the more energy efficient it must be, meaning the HERS score needs to be lower as well. The table below represents the HERS scores needed per square footage. As you can see, all homes built over 5000 sqft need to have a HERS score of 0. This means the home is net zero.

Boulder County HERS Rating Requirements:

The county follows a similar path as the city does. However, they are slightly less stringent as to when a HERS rating actually needs to be done vs following the prescriptive tables. Most dramatically, they raise the square footage caps.

Currently, a HERS rating will need to be performed on new construction projects over 3500 sqft or additions where the floor area of the addition is over 1000 sqft. You can see these requirement changes in the county’s easy to use BuildSmart Checklist.

You have many options in the county to defer to an Energy Smart Assessment over a HERS rating when the project is smaller. This consists of an energy audit being performed prior to construction. But the table also shows that you can use a HERS rating instead, which in some cases, can end up being easier in the long run. Read the full set of building energy requirements here.

These codes are always changing, but this gives a brief overview of what Boulder is looking for. If you have questions on HERS ratings or a Boulder code requirement feel free to contact us.

Denver’s Energy Rating Index system

The City of Denver has overhauled its energy requirement system in the last few years. From switching to IECC 2015 building codes, to requiring blower door testing, to creating many code amendments, the city clearly sees the value in energy efficient building.

While a HERS rating is not required in the City of Denver, it is one of the few places that outlines what they want to see when choosing a HERS rating over the traditional prescriptive pathway. A copy of the code requirements can be found here.

Their residential provision documents state that if you do decide to go with a HERS rating for a new construction home, you will need to meet a HERS score of 55 or less.

If you are building an addition, and it is difficult to isolate what section of the home will need to meet the energy codes and what will not, it may be beneficial to use a HERS rating. In this case, the City of Denver has made it very simple. You will need to have a certified HERS rater model the home before construction to get an initial HERS score. Then the post construction HERS score just needs to beat the initial score showing that there was an efficiency improvement. This should be a very easy way to gain compliance on complex additions.

On top of these 2 simple requirements, the city has also added one incentive to use a HERS rating. When submitting your HERS rating for a permit, they offer a $150 discount to offset the cost of the rating. This will help level the cost playing field between prescriptive and performance and give builders more flexibility on the route they choose to take.

Energy Star Certified Homes

One wild card to throw into the mix is when builders are looking to build an Energy Star Certified home. Energy Star has its own set of requirements that a home must meet in order to obtain the familiar blue seal on your project.

These requirements are slightly more difficult than the standard energy codes, which ensures buyers that they are purchasing an efficient and comfortable home.

One of the requirements of Energy Star is to work with a HERS rater that is trained in the Energy Star program to determine a target HERS score. This number will then need to be met during the planning and construction process.

So even if the county does not require an energy rating, if you are planning on building an Energy Star Certified home, you will be needing one anyway. Our HERS raters are certified with the Energy Star program as well and can help with your HERS rating and planning. Learn more about our HERS rating services here.

On The Horizon

Above are the current HERS Rating Requirements in Colorado. However, things are changing rapidly in this state. As the construction boom roars on, we are continuously hearing more information from building officials about upcoming changes.

HERS ratings have been a nationwide success in many states, aiding builders with complex building codes, and bringing energy efficiency into the marketplace. We predict that the demand for these services will continue to rise, and city building departments will begin to adopt the rating system.

Until then, we hope this article helps. If you are interested in talking to us about your next project please visit our HERS rating service page.

You may have heard the term “HERS rating” used regarding home construction and energy efficiency.  You may have even seen and read through a HERS report, or you may have a HERS certificate for your own home. Or you may have read our first blog in this series, What Is A HERS Rating.  Many have heard the term, but might not fully understand how to decipher the final product: The HERS Score.

To review, HERS is an acronym that stands for Home Energy Rating System. The HERS index, also known as the HERS score, is the industry standard that is used to measure a home’s energy efficiency.

A HERS rating can be used to compare a home’s energy efficiency to another home of similar shape and size.  Because the HERS index compares efficiency on a relatively “apples to apples” basis, the HERS score can be used effectively to compare one home’s efficiency against other similar homes.

So what does the HERS Index look like?

The HERS rating process is well defined for the building community as a solution to meet specific building codes. But as a consumer, the HERS score is the official product of the rating that you can use to compare properties. So, how do you interpret the HERS Score Index?

With a HERS score, the lower the score, the more efficient the home is.  The HERS index uses a scale in which a HERS score of 100 indicates a standard new home score, and a HERS score of 0 indicates a home that uses zero energy.

The HERS Score can be useful when purchasing a home or when building a new home, as it can give you an easy-to-understand expectation of what your energy consumption, energy bills, and overall comfort will look like.

Many counties in Colorado are accepting or requiring a HERS Rating on new construction homes. Are you in need of a HERS rating? Learn more here. 

Here are a few examples of HERS scores, and what they mean:

• A home that scores a HERS  130 is 30% less efficient than a standard new home. You could expect that many existing homes older than 20 years old with minimal upgrades would score in this range.
• A home that scores a HERS 70 is 30% more efficient than a standard new home.  This is a big improvement, but is not as difficult to attain as many might think.  Many newer homes or retrofitted homes with good insulation levels, higher efficiency heating and cooling systems, and higher efficiency lighting will score in this range.
• A home that scores a HERS 50 is 50% more efficient than a standard new home.  This is where we’re really starting to see some extra effort put in toward green building.  This home will typically be designed with energy efficiency in mind, and will have above average insulation levels, high efficiency HVAC systems and water heating, and higher quality windows.
• A home that scores a HERS 0 is 100% more efficient than a standard new home, and is a net-zero energy home.  This is typically only attained when the home has an energy efficient design from top to bottom, along with renewable energy such as Photo-Voltaic solar installed on the home, to produce as much energy as the home uses.

These are rough examples, but many factors go into a HERS rating to determine the end score. An improved HERS score can be attained with numerous combinations of energy efficient measures.

RESNET has created an interactive tool to help consumers and builders understand a HERS score at every level. This breaks down the efficiency/health levels of the home, energy cost savings, and carbon emissions.

What construction changes affect a HERS Score?

A certified HERS rater models a home from top to bottom in HERS software. Each energy design change will slightly change the HERS Score as well. The following are some of the key factors that will affect the final HERS score of a home:

• The area and insulation levels of the thermal envelope, meaning all of the floors, walls, and ceilings of the conditioned space
• The windows, including window area,  orientation, shading, and the insulation quality of the windows
• The heating, cooling, and water heating equipment
• The lighting and standard appliances that will use energy in the home, such as all kitchen appliances and the clothes washer and dryer
• The overall air leakage rate of the home.  High air leakage results in more energy needed to keep the home heated or cooled.  Air leakage is measured on the finished home using a blower door test.

Changing one of the above items can have a range of effects on the outputted HERS Score. This is where an experienced HERS rater can help balance the inputs and help find ways to reach the desired HERS score on any type of property. This can also be used to a builder’s advantage as well by making trade-offs.

A trade-off is where a builder adds more of one energy efficient item to offset the lack of another. This is not used to bypass the energy codes, but it does help the builder when there are design issues that make energy compliance in certain areas more difficult to achieve. We will talk more about trade-offs in a later part of this guide.

You can see that having an efficiency score to assign to a home can be a very helpful tool.  We will explain in detail in upcoming posts how many municipalities are using the HERS index as the standard for meeting energy efficiency compliance in their building codes.  We will also show how a HERS rating on your home can be useful for resale or for determining the best ways to improve efficiency.

If you have bought or sold a home with a real estate agent, you likely interacted with the MLS. MLS stands for Multiple Listings Service and is a compilation of all the homes for sale at any particular time. The listings can be accessed through certified brokers, and there are many companies that offer MLS access tools across the country.

The listings within the MLS have a wealth of information about a property that has been carefully filled out by a listing agent and homeowner. There are hundreds of fields to be compiled including property information, broker information, neighborhood and HOA data, financial statistics and much more.

For a very long time, one category was missing…

Energy efficiency.

A home’s energy efficiency has become an increasing topic of interest to home buyers. An energy efficient home can save you a lot of money on energy bills, and can significantly increase the home’s comfort level. It also reduces the cost of home ownership, especially in larger homes.

However, all these savings should be factored into the listing price of the home. A home with a large number of energy efficiency items in place will typically have a higher value than the exact same home without the energy efficiency features.

Until recently, there was no place within the MLS to list energy-saving equipment, energy ratings, or ENERGY STAR certifications.

To address this concern the National Association of Realtors formed a group entitled, The Green REsource Council. This group has helped to “green” the MLS and define the energy efficiency fields and information that should be added to listing service software across the country.  As these additional fields are implemented, buyers will look to these areas to be further informed about the home before purchasing.

What type of info was added to the Green MLS?

So what types of things are actually included in the Green MLS? It can be broken into 3 categories.

1. Updates to existing categories to point out energy-efficient items.
2. New categories specific for energy efficiency
3. Green Verification Programs and any scores or certifications the house has received.

These 3 updates consist of all the changes made. We will break down each of them below. These changes in categories were pulled from the Council of Multiple Listing Services – Quick Start Guide MLS Green Fields.

Updates to existing MLS categories

The Green MLS updated 9 of the existing categories to give the option of highlighting energy efficiency. Further definitions can entice buyers and list features that can help efficiency and determine the selling price. The 9 categories are as follows:

1. Appliances – Options were added in this area to account for Energy Star-rated appliances and high-end equipment such as tankless water heaters and solar hot water systems.
2. Construction Materials – Options are added in this section to highlight insulation and air sealant materials around the home.
3. Cooling – ENERGY STAR equipment and alternative cooling sources are available here.
4. Current Financing – Along with other items currently financed in the home, you can now add leased renewables like solar PV.
5. Door Features – Addition of ENERGY STAR-rated doors and storm doors.
6. Electric – This category can now highlight solar power and wind power, and who they are owned by. Also, you can disclose if the house is pre-wired for renewable energy options.
7. Heating – Similar to cooling, you can point out ENERGY STAR heating systems, geothermal systems, and ductless heat systems.
8. Window Features – Options are added here to feature ENERGY STAR-rated windows, triple pane windows, and shutters.

New Categories Added to the “Green MLS”

The following fields have been added to highlight items which may have an environmental or efficiency impact on the home.

1. Architecture Style – Indicate a home was built with a passive solar design.
2. Interior Features – Smart home devices, solar tubes, and more.
3. Parking Features – Electric Vehicle charging stations present.
4. Pool Features – If a pool is present, is there a solar cover or an ENERGY STAR-rated heating device?
5. Roof – Highlighting any ENERGY STAR-rated roofs which can reduce heat transfer.

These additional categories fill in some of the gaps that the other sections miss. You can see how adding these items can be beneficial for someone with an electric vehicle. Also, if the home is full of smart home devices, these devices should be priced in as well. Now buyers have a lot more information on the home’s energy devices.

Green Building Verification Programs

Arguably the most important addition to the Green MLS is the ability to include the results from a third party energy efficiency verification programs.

Builders are held to extremely high standards when it comes to building a green home. Because of this, many 3rd party programs were created to enforce energy standards during the building process.

Unfortunately, these programs and the scores that the homes achieved are not usually communicated to the buyer of the home, especially if you are not the first owner.

To address this issue, the MLS updates contain sections to input energy scores from the following reports, as well as links to the original documents and further information.

An example of some of the Green Building Verification Types:

1. HERS Rating
2. Home Energy Score
3. ENERGY STAR-Certified Home
4. LEED for Homes

There are many more of these programs that are included in the Green MLS, but the 4 above are some of the most used and recognized.

Breaking down some of the widely used green building verification types.

HERS Ratings:

A HERS rating is one of the most widely used energy compliance methods use by builders. A HERS Rating is generated by having a certified HERS rater input information about the home including insulation levels, the efficiency of appliances and HVAC devices, solar equipment, air leakage tests, and much more.

These components are calculated against the house size and climate zone to generate an energy score index. A HERS score of 0 (zero) means that the house is essentially net zero or energy neutral. As the number increases, the projected energy usage in the home increases as well.

Sound simple? Once the report is finished, it is fairly easy to understand which makes it a great information tool for builders and potential homeowners.

Building a house that is HERS-Zero or close to it can be very difficult. High-quality insulation, building materials, windows, and typically solar power energy will need to be installed to reach this score. Because of this, it makes sense that a home with a low HERS score should be priced higher than one with a higher score.

This is a great addition to the MLS and will help buyers understand these efficiency metrics before they buy.

As Certified HERS Raters, many inspectors on our team have a deep understanding of home efficiency. If you are buying a home or listing a home, consider adding an Energy-Check to your inspection to help determine where a home stands and where energy improvements can be made.

ENERGY STAR-Certified Home

ENERGY STAR is one of the most recognizable energy efficiency names in the nation. You will find the tag on many major appliance brands. However, not a lot of people know that ENERGY STAR also has a home building certification process.

This program is very strict and has many rules around how you can build a home. It is many times more difficult to achieve than the standard energy efficiency codes, but the results are great.

The ENERGY STAR program requires the use of a HERS Rating as part of the certification process. An outline of the requirements can be found here.

However, because the brand is so recognizable, as a broker or agent this is a great piece of information to have on your listing. People generally want to buy energy-efficient homes, and having the ENERGY STAR seal of approval may give you an extra edge when listing.

The Green MLS Is A Great Upgrade

To wrap up, the benefits of having this energy information when listing a home is very high. It is also in the best interest of both the seller and the buyer in many cases.

Home buyers will increasingly demand to see the home performance indicators on listings and as due diligence documents when available.

Scott Home Inspection works in the energy service field and in the real estate market, and it is encouraging to see the cross-over taking place. It is great to see the MLS policymakers update these systems as technologies emerge and market demands change.

Because there are many different providers of the MLS system, (some local and others nationwide) these changes may not have taken place on your MLS system. As a broker, inquire with your current provider to understand if the Green MLS field and data changes have been updated on their systems.

If you have further questions or are interested in our energy services, contact us today.