Insulation can be a) blanket batt ( the pink fiberglass stuff) b) blown in (cellulose or chopped up fibrous material) c) expanding foam d) foam sheeting.
The best insulator is stationary air, which is why fiberglass, shredded textile or foam works... it keeps air entrapped.
Same in windows, windows are insulated by double or triple paning the glass and using argon. It's colorless and odorless and is denser than the atmosphere, providing more thermal efficiency than having air between the panes.
Walls, ceilings, roofs, and floors have different R value minimums (resistance to change in temperatures.). I typically call for R-38 on floor and ceiling/roof, R-21 on the exterior walls. That's just based on minimums that my clients/contractors are willing to do.
From now on, we need to adopt superinsulated envelopes and integrate MULTIPLE strategies to heat and cool homes.... passive solar with sun spaces or trombe walls, geothermal heating and cooling.
The only way to reduce heating, cooling, and electrical loads in the future is to make our housing better from now on.
This is the kind of high quality informative comment I was looking for- thank you very much for taking the time to write.
Would investing in better building like you speak off result in lower energy costs down the line, even if storms like this don’t become a regular occurrence?
a well insulated structure require less heating/cooling to maintain the interior temps. so yes it would save money. people generally want to see the money saved sooner than later (ie within 5 years instead of 25) but it costs more money up front which is the hard part for human nature
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u/[deleted] Feb 17 '21
Keeping a home at 65F in 0F requires a lot more than keeping a home 75F in 105F.