Legacy House before (left) and after (right) spray foam is misted throughout the building to fill in cracks and prevent air leakage
There have been more exciting updates at the Eco3 Legacy House this fall! With our organizational focus on improving the energy efficiency in homes across Duluth, we have taken a few important steps to make Legacy House energy efficient.
In September, we worked with AeroSeal to test their new product, also called AeroSeal, with the goal of finding more efficient ways of reducing air and heat leakage in homes. Our old brick building, with its many cracks and exposed brick throughout the interior of the building, was an ideal candidate for AeroSeal, an aerosol mist containing sealant particles.
During the installation process, AeroSeal was misted throughout Legacy House and pushed into the cracks in the walls with the help of a blower door. As AeroSeal collected inside the building’s cracks, the droplets stuck to one another until all the cracks were filled. This process prevents air from leaking in or out of the building, reducing energy used to heat and cool the house and providing moisture protection.
In preparation, AeroSeal solution is poured into containers, transferred to a machine for the misting process, and building materials are covered with plastic
Later in the fall, we also worked with Northstar Insulating to insulate the entire building using closed cell spray foam. We decided that spray foam was our best approach, after discussing options with several building and insulation experts and taking into account the special considerations for insulating old brick buildings. Thanks to Northstar Insulating, we now have an insulation value of R-21 in our walls and R-50 in our roof. By combining the insulation with AeroSeal, this energy efficient barrier will effectively keep heat and air conditioning inside the building.
The Legacy House project is a great space to experiment with new, climate-conscious tools for Eco’s Energy Team. Eco3’s Community and Energy Projects Manager Adam Kurowski is optimistic about what these updates mean for the future of Legacy House and the Energy Team’s weatherization and air sealing services.
“By testing these products on our own building, we can better understand how they are installed and how they work.” Kurowski said. “When we conduct energy audits with customers across the region, we’ll have this experience and more confidence recommending them to homeowners.”
We are encouraged by the newest updates made on Legacy House and look forward to more renovations to come, anticipating a fully livable and energy efficient home for future Eco3 VISTA members soon.
Check out our previous blog post for other Legacy House fall updates.