Design by Scotty-St.Louis Brick Home Hempcrete Exterior Insulation Retrofit CAD Design
Hempcrete Brick Wall Retrofit Estimated RValues
4 Inch Layer of Hempcrete = R14.2
Multi Wythe St Louis Brick Building= R5
Total Wall RValue=19.2
Hempcrete Brick Wall Retrofit Estimated RValues 4 Inch Layer of Hempcrete = R14.2 Multi Wythe St Louis Brick Building= R5 Total Wall RValue=19.2
My latest quest to Build a Green St.Louis by retrofitting the Brick Buildings located in the St.Louis Region.
Designed by Scotty- Stucco Like Finish Coat for Hempcrete Brick Wall Retrofit
Why Hempcrete and not other forms of insulation?
Brick Wall 2’0 Rebar Reinforcement Detail
Hemp Plant Fibers are a natural product that can be grown and sourced from Missouri Farmers.
Hempcrete is as strong as Concrete with less damaging effects to our climate and provides a High RValue
Adds Structural Reinforcement
The politics of bringing this product hempcrete product to market and grown locally I feel will be an uphill battle...until that time I suggest substituting Kenaf Plant Fibers instead of Hemp Plant Fibers.Stay Tuned for more information. Scotty 12-20-2013 Greg Flavall replied: “Bath Uni in UK have done extensive research across all waste cellulose including knaf and flax etc but hemp is the only hygroscopic cellulose that performs for insulation”
Depending on age of buildings u can ascertain whether lime mortar was used or cement. Older buildings used lime in which case u could add hemp/lime “plaster ” to exterior or interior to increase efficiency as we have done many times in Europe. If cement forget it; you’re asking for problems.
In UK we have had problems in the early days adding hempcrete to cement mortared brick clad buildings bc they do not breathe and the hemp has deteriorated;…
Also u can use an alkali resistant mesh cloth embedded into the Hempcrete for added flexural strength and no need for steel reinforcing unless you are horizontally affixing steel plates to retain brick structure
I’ll have additional details to add soon. Scotty
added: 3/2/14 via: Hemp Technologies: High Thermal Resistance (R-Value = 2.5 – 3.0 per inch)
The Term: Think Locally – Act Globally– that was first introduced to me in Columbia MO way back in 1999 is becoming ever more needed since the last IPCC report and the suggestions to reduce this Global Warming Trend that is affecting and changing the Earth’s Weather Patterns.
The IPCC report shows the Man Made CO2is creating warming temperatures Worldwide.
So what does this mean for the StLouis Region and how do we as a whole: Think Locally-Act Globally?
Since the greatest contributor of the CO2 that is causing Climate Change is from Burning Coal to Produce our Electricity and from Automobile Exhaust- it just makes sense to use less. For this green blog post I’m going to share a few suggestions in order from Least Expensive to Most Expensive tips for your home or office.
For those who did not know the supplier of our Electricity Ameren UE listed as Union Electric [to confuse the public- Ameren UE creates electricity from burning the Dirty Coal supplied by PeaBody Energy] has the 4th Dirtiest Coal Burning Plant in the USA.[Union Electric Co.’s Labadie plant, Missouri (18.5 million metric tons)]
The following listed web links are will direct you to other blog postings on this site. Please Feel Free to Share your tips in the comment section.
Geo Thermal Systems both heat water and warm/cool your home by using the Earth
This is not a complete list just a few simple suggestions of the things I do and plant to add to my home. For additional info on the subject the USA Department of Energy has even more ways to save.
Cost Effective:Energy Conservation for StLouis Brick Buildings
As a provider for Free Green Estimates and Advice in regard to Green Building for St Louis Homes. I get many requests for my opinion on various construction related home and business requests for: improvements, retrofits, rehabbing buildings, energy conservation, and clean energy resources-by the people of StLouis .
Repairing a Stone or Rock Foundation on Typical StLouis Older Home
I strongly urge everyone who is involved in remodeling, retrofitting, weatherizing, or any other construction related project with a StLouis Building review and practice these must do activities when working on the typical StLouis brick or masonry building.
Improper Building or Retrofitting Techniques could lead to: Respiratory Problems, Indoor Pollution, Combustion from Natural Gas Appliances, as well as the further deterioration of your brick building.
In the preceding post on-Less Weight Equals More Horsepower I used the comparison on how the US Automakers figured out how to make our Automobiles use less gas by lightening the vehicles weights which increased horsepower which equates into less Petrol needed for operation and how the same principles can be applied to a Buildings Energy Use and Needs. The principles I will be blogging about applies to any building-Residential or Commercial and can be used to give your Bank Account More Horsepower!
Lets start by going room by room and looking around at all the Gadgets/Appliances that are using electricity. Simple DIY Energy Audits -that anyone can perform on your building. Keep in Mind the Following two bullet points when Inspecting the Gadgets and Appliances.
What Gadgets or Appliances in your building are always on and consuming energy? This is Vampire Power [i].
Rule of Thumb? “ If your appliances are old enough to Vote it needs replaced with a newer Energy Star Appliance. [ii] ”
Here are examples of my energy use for my buildings for my DIY Energy Audit Home Office Location (Home Office).
I performed a Room by Room walk-thru inspecting taking notes of everything that used electricity. (When I’m performing a Computerized Energy Audit using Equest Software I log the information into the program and it does the math for me plus outlines areas for improvement with ROI for all costs involved.) But we’re going Old School on this Energy Audit and you will only need a basic calculator or pen and notepad.
The Benefits of Performing an Old School Energy Audit by hand and figuring things by hand is the A-Hah Moment of Energy Use- you will gain a greater understanding of:
watts of energy, kilo watts, how watts and kilowatts translate into dollars.
Location
Time in UseHrs / day
Electricity UsedMeasured in watts
Vampire PowerYes or No
FORMULA FOR ESTIMATING ENERGY CONSUMPTION
(Wattage × Hours Used Per Day= total watts )
Cost to Operate in St Louis using Ameren UE combined electricity rate plus service fees =.11/w1 kilowatt (kW) = 1,000 Watts (total watts ÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption) x $.11= Amount in $.
Bedroom 1(hours per day spent sleeping 8.7)
Clock Radio
24
10
yes
240
0.26
TV
4
133
yes
532
0.53
VCR DVD
2
20–25
yes
50
0.05
2-Lights- 3 bulbs ave 65 W
4
260
no
1040
1.4
Fan
8.7
65
no
565.5
0.57
Bedroom 2 [which has dual functions in my Residence as Home Office and
Dining Room]
Clock Radio
24
10
yes
240
0.24
Lights-1 overhead with 2 light bulbs-2 desktop lights Ave W of 40×3= 120 w
Personal computer
CPU – awake / asleep = 120 / 30 or less
Monitor – awake / asleep = 150 / 30 or less
Laptop = 50
Radio (stereo) = 70–400
Refrigerator (frost-free, 16 cubic feet) = 725
Televisions (color)
19″ = 65–110
27″ = 113
36″ = 133
53″ – 61″ Projection = 170
Flat screen = 120
Toaster = 800–1400
Toaster oven = 1225
VCR/DVD = 17–21 / 20–25
Vacuum cleaner = 1000–1440
Water heater (40 gallon) = 4500–5500
Water pump (deep well) = 250–1100
Water bed (with heater, no cover) = 120–380
FORMULA FOR ESTIMATING ENERGY CONSUMPTION-Use this formula to estimate an appliance’s energy use:
(Wattage × Hours Used Per Day) ÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption
1 kilowatt (kW) = 1,000 Watts
Multiply this by the number of days you use the appliance during the year for the annual consumption in kWh per year.
ESTIMATING ANNUAL COST TO RUN AN APPLIANCE
Multiply the annual consumption in kWh per year (that you calculated above) by your local utility’s rate per kWh consumed to calculate the annual cost to run an appliance. Note: To estimate the number of hours that a refrigerator actually operates at its maximum wattage, divide the total time the refrigerator is plugged in by three. Refrigerators, although turned “on” all the time, actually cycle on and off as needed to maintain interior temperatures.
What is the Best Defense to fight these upcoming high summertime cooling bills? Energy Conservation is the best defense and will provide the Fastest ROI- Return on Investment for your $Money$.
If you are reading this I’m going to assume that you aren’t a google bot or bing bot and wear clothes in your daily activities. You are an actual human being who wears clothes.
Besides the obvious fact we wear clothes to cover our nakedness.
We humans wear clothes for protection: protection for our bodies: from the heat, from the cold, from rain and snow-summed all up from the Elements.
We protect ourselves with clothes against the Climate and Elements we live in.
Just as you wear clothes to protect yourself from the elements the various parts of a properly constructed energy efficient building are there to protect it from the elements while keeping the inhabitants comfortable.
While it may sound complex in Nature it’s really rather simple in content when talking about a Building.
The simple comparison in how warm and dryan Insulated Wind Breaker is to aSimple T-Shirt.
The Windbreakerstops theCold Airfrom reaching your skin and the Insulationis the stuff that keeps the cold from creeping close to your body.
While a T Shirt lets in both Air and Cold thus failing to keep you warm and dry. (This is the Framing of your Building. )
A Sweatshirt will help seal out a little cold but not for long. (This is the Insulation in your Building. )
But when a Windbreaker is put on over the Sweatshirt and T-Shirt it is such relief to be warm- almost anything is tolerable when in a Cold Windy Environment. (This is the Air Barrier in your Building.)
Caps or Hats (The roof of your Building see upcoming post-seeking sponsors)
Shoes and boots (The Foundation / Basement of your Building see upcoming post-seeking sponsors)
Examples 1 thru 5 when applied to a Building is your Buildings Envelope or Outer Shell.
The buildings we live and work in need protection too. Just as you will add layers against the cold to stay warm in today’s extreme climate. Your Building needs the same protection against the Elements of Heat and Cold.
The best protection against the Elements cold and heat from entering your building is: Insulation.
R 16 Unfaced Wall Insulation as used in Benton Rehab Project
Insulation is your Number One Sourcefor keeping your building’s energy consumption as low as possible while staying comfortable.
Insulation keeps the Heat and Cold from creeping in your Building.
While building Insulation comes in many forms it basically performs the basic action that I mentioned above when talking about wearing a sweatshirt.
Insulation is there to keep out the heat and cold that make life uncomfortable– (to include the uncomfortable feelingyou get when you pay your local monthly Gas and Electric utility bills- for the over priced services they provide your building.)
Just as the Windbreaker stops the Wind from interfering with your body. The Air Barrier does the same for your Home or Office. Normal construction techniques have various Air Barriers All of which are designed to eliminate and reduce the cold or warm air from entering and leaving your Building. This is the second most crucial step in protecting a building against the Elements of heat and cold.
So what is the T-shirt used in this examples place in a building. The T Shirt in this example is the Buildings Walls and Roof. See the bare wall in this photo of the Benton Rehab Project
Bare Wall Stud Framing with No layers of Protection from the Elements
while the crew and I were rehabbing this building in St Louis. This is the framing without layers of Insulation or Air Barrier. It’s obvious that these walls will not keep out any heat or cold. Just as a t-shirt performs.
The Air Barrier and Insulation coupled with a few other areas of your building is your Buildings Envelope.
Scotty, Scotts Contracting St Louis Renewable Energy 4/2/13
Solar PanelsA solar panel (also solar module, photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel) is a packaged, connected assembly of photovoltaic cells. The solar panel can be used as a component of a larger photovoltaic system to generate and supply electricity in commercial and residential applications. Each panel is rated by its DC output power under standard test conditions, and typically ranges from 100 to 320 watts. The efficiency of a panel determines the area of a panel given the same rated output – an 8% efficient 230 watt panel will have twice the area of a 16% efficient 230 watt panel. Because a single solar panel can produce only a limited amount of power, most installations contain multiple panels. A photovoltaic system typically includes an array of solar panels, an inverter, and sometimes abattery and or solar tracker and interconnection wiring.
Smart MeterMonitoring and meteringThe metering must be able to accumulate energy units in both directions or two meters must be used. Many meters accumulate bidirectionally, some systems use two meters, but a unidirectional meter (with detent) will not accumulate energy from any resultant feed into the grid.[13]In some countries, for installations over 30kWp a frequency and a voltage monitor with disconnection of all phases is required. This is done to prevent supplying excess power to the grid, in the unusual case where more solar power is being generated than can be accommodated by the utility, and can not either be exported or stored. Grid operators historically have needed to provide transmission lines and generation capacity. Now they need to also provide storage. This is normally hydro-storage, but other means of storage are used. Initially storage was used so that baseload generators could operate at full output. With variable renewable energy, storage is needed to allow power generation whenever it is available, and consumption whenever it is needed. The two variables a grid operator have are storing electricity for when it is needed, or transmitting it to where it is needed. If both of those fail, installations over 30kWp can automatically shut done, although in practice all inverters maintain voltage regulation and stop supplying power if the load is inadequate. Grid operators have the option of curtailing excess generation from large systems, although this is more commonly done with wind power than solar power, and results in a substantial loss of revenue.[14] Inverters have the unique option of supplying reactive power which can be advantageous in matching load requirements.[15]
Why is there ICE in my Attic and where did it come from?
ICE DAMS ARE CREATED WHEN THE HOT MOIST AIR RISES FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING.
As the Hot Moist Air Rises into the Attic and meets the Roof Framing System. Condensation Occurs on the Cold Framing Members consisting of: Rafters, Roof Trusses, Roof Decking
As the Condensation Cools the Moisture in the Air Freezes on the Roof System.
Example 1 of how Ice Dams Form in the Attic
Example 2 of How Ice Dams Form in the Attic
Read how Ice Dams are Prevented in upcoming Blog Post or
view prior Green Blog Posts on Attic and Attic Insulation
Scotts Contracting is Available to Discuss “Energy Saving Alternatives for your Home in St Louis. Please use the contact form to schedule an appoint for Money Saving Actions for your Home.
The construction industry’s leading researcher explains why what we think is true often isn’t, and how some of our best hunches, based on observation of field performance, have paid off with problem-free attic assemblies. by William B. Rose …
-Attic Insulation-I’ve put a little information to help assist in explaining ‘Attic Insulation for a Home’. I take a whole house approach to improve a Home’s Energy Reduction Needs. The Attic Area and Attic insulation being just …
Attic Insulation. – Proper Insulation Levels in your Attic coupled with Ventilation will save you Money on your Energy Bills. Certified Insulation Installer for: Batt Type, Spray Foam, Loose Fill-. Green and Eco Friendly options are always available.
Lack of Insulation In the Attic; Air Infiltration from the Interior of the House into the Attic Area; Uninsulated Heating Ducts inside the Attic. Scotts Contracting can Inspect your Attic for Proper: Insulation Levels; Adequate Ventilation; Uninsulated …
Attic Insulation-I’ve put a little information to explain Attic Insulation for a Home. It takes a whole house approach to Reduce a Home’s Energy Needs. The Attic Area and Attic insulation being just one area. When Combined with a Green …
Snow on Roof-Opportunity to Check Insulation Level. This last snow we received yesterday is the perfect opportunity to see if your attic is properly insulated. Take a look at the Roof of your Home. -Lack of Snow on your Roof is a sure indication …
With my Preliminary Figures using a Guesstimate ($400) on your current Energy Bill and using the Dept of Energy’s Estimate of 20% Savings for attic retrofits. I’ve determined that by Sealing your Air Leaks and Adding Insulation to the Attic the …
