[MassHistPres] new report on insulation

Thu Oct 27 09:26:54 EDT 2011

Hi David,

I have the advantage in the projects I work on of being able to engage experienced building envelope professionals, use WUFI modeling and seriously consider short and long term impacts for energy consumption and building and occupant health in order to make these decisions. Even so, the conversations and analysis are always complex.   What I like about the BuildingGreen study, which must be purchased, is that it addresses this complexity - to quote "No other building material offers such a diverse range of materials and complexity of considerations - environment, human health, performance and building science. . . The guide explains how insulation works (which helps us understand why certain materials make more sense than others in particular applications); explains how insulation performance is measured and reported; and describes a wide range of environmental considerations that come into play with different insulation materials."

To better understand insulation issues, which vary by building type, I watch for any information published by Bill Rose of the Building Research Council of UI-Urbana, a sometimes speaker at the NESEA conference, whose paper in the APT Bulletin in 2005 suggested other strategies for energy conservation in homes.  UI-Urbana is also the home of the Smart Energy Design Assistance Program,  http://smartenergy.arch.uiuc.edu/ , which works closely with their SHPO and has some great material.

The National Trust tries to keep their resource page up to date.  http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/sustainability/

There have been a number of workshops that others can reference better than I, providing guidance on energy use reduction in historic buildings - hosted by Boston Preservation Alliance, Historic New England and others.  There is an upcoming Winter Weatherization Workshop , November 5th in Bristol, RI.   http://shop.historicnewengland.org/p-7337-winter-weatherization-workshop-for-old-house-owners.aspx

Stewardship of our existing buildings, our own health and the related health of our planet are not simple issues.  I like the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of BuildingGreen's work.  Alex Wilson, the primary author of the current report, has long been a proponent of something entitled "passive survivability", which is the design and operation of buildings so that they can function without complex mechanical systems.  Passive survivability, as Alex acknowledges, is just a fancy name for how many historic buildings were designed and clearly something we need to capitalize on.

I'm sure your cogent observation and question will bring responses from others that may be more helpful.

Best regards,
Jean

Jean Carroon FAIA, LEED
Principal - Design, Sustainability, Preservation
617.850.6651 (direct)
617.285.5936 (cell)
jean.carroon at goodyclancy.com<mailto:jean.carroon at goodyclancy.com>
www.goodyclancy.com<http://www.goodyclancy.com/>

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

From: David Ottinger [mailto:davidottinger at hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 7:43 AM
To: Carroon, Jean; copperandslate at gmail.com
Cc: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: RE: [MassHistPres] new report on insulation

Hi Jean Carroon,
In my opinion, the unequivocal faith in "Building Science" and specifically the new insulation technologies may have unintended and damaging consequences particularly in older structures. In addition to the "holistic and thoughtful" consideration of environmental impacts, can you suggest other resources for more balanced approaches especially for older buildings.
Thanks,
David Ottinger
David Ottinger Antique Buildings & Materials
Arlington, MA.
________________________________
From: Jean.Carroon at goodyclancy.com
To: copperandslate at gmail.com
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:04:23 -0400
CC: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] new report on insulation
Hi Garrett,
I'm always biased towards Building Green over Building Science, because I find Building Green to be more holistic and thoughtful in considering the issues which include all environmental impacts not just reduction of operational energy use.  So, yes for me, the Building Green study is far more useful and informative than the Building Science information.
The Building Green study includes "End-of-life issues with insulation materials", "Chemical byproducts and residuals", "Raw material acquisition" and other health and environmental considerations which are very hard to find and harder still to apply comparatively.

Jean Carroon FAIA, LEED
Principal - Design, Sustainability, Preservation
617.850.6651 (direct)
617.285.5936 (cell)
jean.carroon at goodyclancy.com<mailto:jean.carroon at goodyclancy.com>
www.goodyclancy.com<http://www.goodyclancy.com/>

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

From: Garrett Laws [mailto:copperandslate at gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 3:51 PM
To: Carroon, Jean
Cc: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] new report on insulation

Jean,

Is this dramatically better than http://www.buildingscience.com/index_html which happens to be free?

Cheers,
Garrett

The Copper & Slate Company, Inc.
Fine Roofing and Exterior Finish Carpentry
238B Calvary Street, Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 893-1916

What we do:
http://picasaweb.google.com/copperandslate

Where we've worked over the years:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=206210316541901083869.00049065ef8543e1ef9c3&ll=42.40115,-71.126862&spn=0.125241,0.289421&t=h&z=12<http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=206210316541901083869.00049065ef8543e1ef9c3&ll=42.40115%2c-71.126862&spn=0.125241%2c0.289421&t=h&z=12>
On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 1:36 PM, Carroon, Jean <Jean.Carroon at goodyclancy.com<mailto:Jean.Carroon at goodyclancy.com>> wrote:
All,
There is a very worthwhile and comprehensive report on insulation that has just been released by BuildingGreen.
http://www.buildinggreen.com/landing/insulation/index.cfm

Jean Carroon FAIA, LEED
Principal - Design, Sustainability, Preservation
617.850.6651 (direct)
617.285.5936 (cell)
jean.carroon at goodyclancy.com<mailto:jean.carroon at goodyclancy.com>
www.goodyclancy.com<http://www.goodyclancy.com/>

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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