Ernie wrote: “Attic
Ernie wrote: “Attic temps can get very hot and can bleed through non insulated sheet rock/drywall between the ceiling spaces.”

In addition to what Allison said…
No, attic will not be hot if roof is properly sealed and insulated. Depending on where you live, maybe 5 to 10 degrees warmer than house at worst, but closer to the house temperature on average.

That said, on the hottest days, an uninsulated ceiling will transfer a bit more heat to the house than with a vented attic and well sealed and insulated ceiling. The trade-off may or may not be positive. It usually depends on whether hvac is the attic, and how well ducts sealed/insulated. In new construction, I’m not a fan of encapsulated attics. I prefer a vented attic with tight ceiling, beyond-code blown-in insulation and all ducts inside conditioned space.

Ernie, what makes you say the
Ernie, what makes you say the spray foam wasn’t the best job? If it’s just that there was no insulation on the attic floor, that’s not related to the quality of the spray foam job. It’s also how you want a sealed attic. You put the insulation at the attic, so that’s where you stop the heat flow. If you put insulation on the attic floor in addition to at the roofline, you can cause moisture problems in the attic in winter by keeping the sealed attic temperature lower. On cold days, the surface of the spray foam may be below the dew point.

Sorry about that, Greg. I
Sorry about that, Greg. I just fixed it so you should be able to get it now.

– It’s a celebration of work done and good results obtained. Bravo! Further, there’s explanation of what projects are driving results.

– I particularly like the spotting of events with time. I also do data tracking but I did not document projects in time and I’ve wished I had on several occasions.

– In our tracking, we keep temperature data and correct for degree days. It looks like Mr. Orlando tracks weather information also.

– The original electric usage of 20,400kwh/yr is substantial. Given it’s Atlanta, a fair amount was probably cooling. It makes me wonder what the house was like: size, age, key features, window area?

– I’m also impressed with the inclusion of air leakage data.

– The investment must have been substantial as well. We’ve been able to lower our electric usage to about 6,600 kwh/yr. I haven’t kept a record of the expenditures for energy reduction,but I’d guess it to be less than $3,000 over a 15 year period (not counting the cost of replacing a refrigerator that failed). Not everyone will opt for replacing windows, as an example.

– My compliments to Mr. Orlando for his inspiring work and to Mr. Bailes for recognizing a good topic to include in his most informative website.

Jonathan – costs between 2011
Jonathan – costs between 2011 and 2012 reduced due to 2011 had 88 days>90F and 2012 had 48 days>90F. I also installed the Black and Decker energy monitor and made an adjustment to the AC setpoint. And finally, my most energy using son moved out.

David – the blue line is days
David – the blue line is days>90F at Allatoona Dam #2 in Cobb County. The Permafrost by Powertron Global gave me a delta T of 2F and the supply temp is < 48F. The top graph is only kWh usage. I have a separate graph for therms.

And finally, does the top graph (kWh) include gas consumption converted to kWh? I noticed that same graph on the poster is labeled Electricity & Gas Usage, however, consumption (especially this year) seems too low to include heat and dwh.