Insulation Quality and Compliance Assessments—Field Inspections for Insulation PDF

The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requires that insulation products be “…installed in accordance with
the manufacturer’s installation instructions….” In practice, manufacturer’s instructions and industry standards are widely
ignored; insulation is often installed with substantial defects. Insulation installers and others who have a stake in the work (builders,
owners, architects, and code officials) do not understand the performance implications of these defects, so there is little market
push to change or improve.

A mechanism has been introduced into for Home Energy Ratings (HERS) to systematically account for insulation performance
degradation. Based on a repeatable and defensible inspection procedure, the inspections provide a tangible reward for
good performance. The inspection procedures outlined below are used by energy rating performance analysis, which closely
parallels the performance path of the 2004 IECC. Adoption of a similar system by building codes could substantially improve
the effectiveness of performance-based codes and improve the performance of new housing stock.

Presented at Thermal Performance of Exterior Envelopes of Whole Buildings X – December 2007

Units: I-P