To save on your electric bill, you don´t want so preciously heated interior air to escape through holes and cracks. Getting the right insulation for your house is an essential element of a passive solar house design or in a zero energy home.

A zero energy home is extremely well insulated, to keep your house warmer in winter and cooler in summer. This will make your air-conditioner run more efficient or you might not need one at all. And it will keep you from turning up your furnace to maintain a comfortable temperature. Insulation materials make that heat movement into and out of a zero energy home are minimized.

There are two main types of insulation frequently used in a zero energy home:

Bulk insulation

Bulk insulation is holding pockets of non-moving air its structure. An air pocket keeps the heat from flowing and therefore avoids in winter that warm air escapes from your house and in summer that warm air enters it. Bulk insulation is primarily used in the form of a ´blanket´ and it´s used in high quantities in a zero energy home.

Reflective insulation

Another form of insulation that is often used in a zero energy home is reflective insulation. In this case the heat is reflected from a polished metal surface. For it to work well, the insulation sheet should have a layer with non-moving air pockets as well, like in bulk isolation.

 

Rule_1: But where to look for areas where heated air is escaping?

 Where we lose most heated and cooled air is through walls, flooring and ceilings (31%), followed by ducts (15%), fire places (14%), plumbing penetrations (13%), doors (11%) and windows (10%). So now you know where to start looking for the low hanging fruits of insulation.

 

Rule_2: Choose the right materials

There are many sorts of isolation, though the most common, cheap and great insulators are the large pink rolls. This often comes with a facing that works as a barrier for vapor (place it with the facing on top!).


According the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, heated or cooled air that escapes through holes and cracks in an average American house values $150 per house per year in average. This is why a correct insulation is so important in a zero energy house and why improving the unsulation of any house a home improvement action with a great payback.