Builder Beazley Homes & Developments incorporated green elements in the house such as an ICF basement, a solar domestic hot water system, air to air heat pump, a whole-house continuous ventilation system, and an advanced heating and cooling system.

In working with their builder, the homeowners' were determined to minimize their energy bills and improve the performance of their new home by focusing on energy consumption. Therefore, the first and most effective step in the building design strategy was to target the home's envelope—walls, attic, windows, and doors.

Energy efficient windows and doors were installed. But the key to reducing energy consumption was controlling random air leakage, which can cause up to 40 percent of a building's energy loss. The most effective way to control air leakage is to insulate and air-seal the building envelope completely.

Insulating and Air-Sealing the Building Envelope

Homeowners, Andrew and Patricia Smiley are also the owners of ACS Insulators and they had the perfect solution – a product that has a proven 20-year track record but only recently became available in Nova Scotia – Icynene^®. Icynene^® acts as both an insulation and a continuous air barrier and the Smileys promptly introduced the product to their builder, Craig Beazley of Beazley Homes.

Icynene^® is a qualified air barrier at only one inch thickness . When sprayed, it expands 100 times its original volume to fill all cracks and penetrations to reduce air leakage and energy costs by up to 50%. In the Smiley house, Icynene^® was installed in the 2X6 exterior walls to an average thickness of 5.5”, providing an R-value of R19 and on the floor of the vented attic at 8” thickness, providing an R-value of R29.

In addition to providing an optimal R-value, Icynene^® also significantly lowered the air leakage of the home. A blower door test was conducted in August 2007 which confirmed the air leakage rate of the home at 0.56 ACH @ 50 Pa., which makes this the tightest house built to R-2000 program standards in Nova Scotia in 2007.

“We've experienced many insulating products - from the ones which enjoy major market share to the new innovative ones that are offered in the market today, but we've never been more satisfied with the thermal performance achieved with Icynene^®. We definitely plan to use it in our future projects.” says Craig Beazley of Beazley Homes & Developments.

The Smileys experienced several other benefits by using Icynene^® in their home.

HVAC Rightsizing

By reducing random air leakage, Icynene^® also helps reduce the load on HVAC equipment. This could further translate to a smaller HVAC system – a lower initial cost and lowered monthly heating and cooling bills for the homeowners. 

Home Comfort and Peace of Mind

Icynene^® was installed in the bathroom walls to minimize the airborne sound transfers such as plumbing chases and provides a quieter indoor environment. Icynene^® was also sprayed between the floors to minimize heat transfer from one floor to another and keep the floors warm underfoot.

Durability

The floor of the attic was first covered with a 6 mil poly vapor retarder and Icynene^® was sprayed on top of it to prevent the warm moist interior air from the conditioned space below coming in contact with the cold roof surface therefore minimizing the potential of ice damming in winters and shingle deterioration in summers.

Improving the Environment

Icynene^® is 100% water-blown and does not contain any synthetic blowing agents, CFCs, formaldehyde, HCFCs or PBDEs which can off-gas in the indoor environment. When sprayed in the exterior walls, it also reduces the entry of outdoor allergens, pollutants and airborne moisture resulting in an improved indoor environment.

The average house emits ~11 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. The largest portion of that, about 40 per cent, comes from heating and cooling . By reducing the home's energy requirements, Icynene^® assists in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

“Being in the Icynene^® business, we've been selling the green benefits of Icynene^® for years. Often times, people have appreciated us for helping them in improving their home's indoor air quality and energy performance. So insulating our own home with Icynene^® was a dream. We can now enjoy healthier living while saving energy and the environment.” said Andrew Smiley.

In November 2007, Beazley Homes won 3 awards for this home from the Nova Scotia Homebuilder's Association in categories – The Most Energy Efficient, The Best Air Leakage Test in an R-2000 Home in 2007 and The Most EnerGuide for New Houses Built in 2007 categories.

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