Residential & Commercial Insulation Contractor Blog

Rockwool Is Insulation of Choice on Energy-Efficient Arlington Home

The Green Cocoon is thrilled to be a part of this energy-efficient project in Arlington, Massachusetts. The insulation of choice is ROCKWOOL Comfortboard® 80 (mineral wool/rock board). Comfortboard® thermal insulated sheathing is a rigid stone wool insulation board designed for use as an exterior continuous insulation. And, this home is completely wrapped in it!

Keeps Moisture Out

Comfortboard® does not produce smoke or propagate flames, keeping occupants safe and reducing property damage in the event of a fire. Moreover, this solution allows fast outward drying, keeping moisture out of your wall assembly. That is because it is vapor permeable.

Attention to Detail Is Impressive

Additionally, Rockwool placed over Blueskin is a fantastic air barrier! Blueskin® SA is a self-adhering membrane consisting of an SBS rubberized asphalt compound laminated on a blue polyethylene film.

Also, it is impermeable to air, moisture vapor, and water. Blueskin® SA is designed to install easily on a variety of prepared substrates. These innovative factors ensure the comfort of those living in the home. Moreover, there is an added bonus of reduced energy costs stemming from the improvement of thermal performance.

Recommended by Home Builders

As shown above, this building is going to be air and water tight. Build tight, ventilate right! No wonder home builders love these two products. They make a great team!

In summary, The Green Cocoon specializes in many different types of insulation. Just contact us and we’ll let you know the one that is best for your situation.

Green Cocoon Employees Attend Holiday Social & Toy Drive

Giving Back, News and Awards

On December 1st, two members of The Green Cocoon’s team attended Southern NH Home Builders and Remodelers Association’s (SNHBRA) Silent Auction, Holiday Social & Toy Drive. This annual event is always a year-end celebration.

Candace and Meaghan, from The Green Cocoon, attended the Southern NH Home Builders & Remodelers Association toy drive and social — Candace and Meaghan, from The Green Cocoon sales team, attended the Southern NH Home Builders & Remodelers Association toy drive and holiday social.

Toys for Tots a highlight

At this event, SNHBRA members network with their peers and bid on fabulous silent auction items. Also, attendees are also encouraged to bring a toy or a monetary donation for Toys for Tots. Toys for Tots mission is to collect new, unwrapped toys and distribute those toys to less fortunate children at Christmas.

The Green Cocoon donated games such as Connect 4, and Chutes and Ladders. Additionally, we added a few boxes of Legos to the mix.

Plenty of activities

Attendees enjoyed a delicious Italian buffet as well as raffles and other fun games throughout the night. Moreover, our own Candace Lord played a game called “Heads or Tails,” whoever earned the most beads won. As you can see from the photo above, she won! The prize—a $100 gift card to the Copper Door Restaurant.

Giving back is important

At The Green Cocoon, our team is honored to give back. We love working in our community, but more importantly, we love working with our community. Thus, we not only give back financially, but also physically, by attending many fundraisers. The Green Cocoon helps support women with breast cancer and sponsors events that help children with cancer and their families. Learn more about our efforts.

About SNHBRA

Southern NH Home Builders & Remodelers Association, a local affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the state New Hampshire Home Builders Association (NHHBA), is an association of industry professionals dedicated to providing quality housing opportunities through education, vision, and advocacy for the betterment of our communities.

Thermal Imaging Cameras: Where and Why We Use Them

Home Maintenance Tips

The Green Cocoon has many tools in its arsenal to help you stay warm and save you money. One of those tools is a thermal imaging camera. Where and why do we use it? We use it when we come to your home to evaluate your space. We use the camera to show you where cold air is coming in. Also, the camera comes in handy when we need to discover if there is insulation inside a wall or ceiling. We don’t have to guess. The camera tells us!

What is a thermal imaging camera?

Thermal imaging cameras are devices that translate thermal energy (heat) into visible light. This is done in order to analyze a particular object or scene. Furthermore, the image it produces is known as a thermogram. The analysis of a thermogram is done through a process called thermography. Thermal imaging cameras are sophisticated devices that process the captured image and display it on a screen. The image can be used for immediate diagnosis. Or, they can be processed through specialized software for further evaluation, accuracy, and report output. Consequently, thermal imaging cameras take measuring temperature to the next level. Instead of getting a number for the temperature, you get a picture showing differences in temperature.[i]

green-cocoon-thermal-imaging-1 — Here you can see thermal bridging through ceiling joists and how a lack of air sealing can really spread the cold air

green-cocoon-thermal-imaging-2 — Here we see a completely uninsulated wall bay

green-cocoon-thermal-imaging-3 — This photo illustrates how much cold comes through an outlet switch cover that isn’t properly air sealed and insulated

Thermal imaging camera applications and uses

The first commercial thermal imaging camera sold in 1965 for high voltage power line inspections.[ii] Since then, thermal imaging cameras have been used in many fields. Firefighters use them to see through smoke, find people, and localize hotspots of fires. Additionally, physiological activities can also be monitored with thermographic imaging. Fever in human beings and other warm-blooded animals is just one of many.Building construction technicians can see heat leaks to improve the efficiencies of cooling or heating. Additionally, thermal imaging cameras are a common tool used by home inspectors.

Camera used in our evaluation

When our salesperson comes to evaluate the space you would like to insulate, they will be using a Thermal Imaging Camera. Having a tool that instantly shows a client where and how much insulation is needed, is invaluable.Contact us to schedule an appointment.

[i] Grainger. Thermal Imaging Cameras Explained. Retrieved from grainger.com.[ii] Wikipedia. Thermographic Camera. Retrieved from Wikipedia.org.

The Green Cocoon Attends 2021 PRISM Awards Gala

News and Awards

Several team members from The Green Cocoon attended the 2021 PRISM Awards Gala, held at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf on October 21.

About the event

The PRISM Awards recognize the finest projects and outstanding achievements of builders, remodelers, architects, designers, developers, project owners, land planners, marketing/advertising firms, and other professionals in the home building industry. The event was hosted by the Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston (BRAGB).

We work with winners!

Two builders that The Green Cocoon frequently works with won awards—Howell Custom Builders and Kevin Cradock Builders. It is thrilling to know that we are able to work with builders of such high caliper! Winning a coveted PRISM Award is a sign of excellence in your field and recognition of superior achievement. Winners receive significant regional, state-wide, and national recognition in newspapers, magazines, and on websites and social media.

More women needed in construction industry

Women are a rarity in the construction industry and the women at The Green Cocoon are laying the ground work for other women and young girls to follow in their footsteps.

Meaghan is new to our team and is eager to learn all about building science. Candace has been in the industry for over 10 years. She is a well-respected and highly knowledgeable insulation expert that people call upon regularly for technical questions and problem solving.

About The Green Cocoon

The Green Cocoon, LLC (TGC) delivers energy-efficient, eco-friendly insulation solutions to residences and businesses throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Southern Maine. Our first priority is to provide you with the safest, most effective insulation. This helps keep the heat in your house during the winter, and keeps the cool air in during the summer. After all, that’s why you’re considering an insulation solution in the first place. Great insulation means you’ll use less fossil fuel and electricity, thus leaving a smaller carbon footprint.

Polyurethane Foam Used as a High-Performance Adhesive

Insulation Tips

In the insulation industry, we all know why spray polyurethane foam works so well as an insulation and air barrier for buildings. Most also know that polyurethane is used to make many everyday objects in your automobile and around the house. But, most don’t know that polyurethane foam is used a lot as a high-performance adhesive.

Closed Cell Spray Foam Strongest

If you mix the A and B sides of polyurethane foam together, the curing liquid sticks to everything. This creates a strong bond with most any type of surface. In a foam form, the curing polyurethane adhesive rises to fill small gaps between irregular surfaces. This is closed cell spray foam. It reduces excess waste and energy consumption in buildings by up to 50% while adding strength—R-value (7 per inch).

Used in Construction Industry

This high-performance polyurethane adhesive has found a permanent home in the construction industry. Roofing contractors regularly use polyurethane adhesives to attach various roofing materials to substrates (see SPFA-142).

Polyurethane adhesives are also used to bond gypsum board to framing, especially in manufactured housing applications. Two inches of closed cell spray foam between wall stud framing can provide nearly the same racking strength as a half inch of oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing, according to sprayfoam.com. The same application of closed cell foam below the roof deck, between the rafters and trusses (new construction or retrofit), can increase the wind uplift resistance by a factor of three. It can also provide a secondary water barrier if the roof shingles fail.

The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) recognizes the structural benefits of closed cell foam insulation and polyurethane adhesives in their Fortified Construction Standards program.

Homeowners Save Money

Understanding all of the benefits of closed cell spray foam is key for homeowners. The knowledge helps them make better decisions regarding insulation choice when building or remodeling their home. Moreover, as we strive to construct more resilient and eco-friendly buildings, we encourage the use of spray foam in most of our projects.

Don’t Make These Basement Insulation Mistakes

Insulation Tips

Incorrectly installed basement insulation is a common error. We see this problem not only with do-it-yourself installation, but also with contractor installation. The results can be disastrous as severe mold and mildew may become a problem, not to mention the loss of money on your heating bill. This is why we beg you, “don’t make these basement insulation mistakes.”

Use Treated Lumber

Since most basements are inherently moist, you need to keep all untreated wood away from the concrete surfaces. Moisture below the slab can wick up into the concrete and get to the base plates of the wall. Therefore, you need to make certain the bottom plate of the wall is treated lumber.

Avoid Using Fiberglass Insulation in Basements

As seen in the photo above, putting polyethylene over fiberglass insulation is a no-no as it doesn’t allow the insulation to breathe. Consequently, this homeowner had moisture build-up and ultimately mold growth!

For years contractors have been treating basements much like regular living space. It’s not uncommon to see fiberglass insulation in direct contact with basement foundation walls. Here in the northeast, we see several common mistakes, including:

Plastic vapor barrier against concrete wall, fiberglass insulation inside stud wall, then drywall
Fiberglass insulation inside a “bag” hanging from the rim joist down along the foundation wall
Stud wall filled with fiberglass insulation an inch or two away from the concrete wall^[1]

Those mistakes can increase the chances for mold to grow.

What Causes Mold to Grow in Basements?

Mold can grow on virtually any organic material as long as it has the right moisture level and oxygen. Because mold eats or digests what it is growing on, it can damage a building and its furnishings. If left unchecked, mold eventually can cause structural damage to building materials and can cause health problems. That’s why we don’t want mold in our basements! Specifically, we can prevent damage to buildings and building contents in the basement areas, save money, and avoid these potential health problems by controlling moisture.

According to the EPA, indoor relative humidity in homes should be kept below 60 percent — ideally between 30 and 50 percent. ^[2] In addition to preventing mold formation, maintaining the correct humidity levels may also have a bonus effect. It may discourage pests such as cockroaches, silverfish (bristletails), and dust mites from showing up where you don’t want them!

To measure the humidity of your home or basement, you need to buy a humidity meter and track the relative humidity level. That is the first part of understanding the mold problem in your home or basement.

Education Needed

If contractors are still using fiberglass insulation in basements, it means that we in the industry need to do a better job educating our builders. In order to understand the issues with basement insulation, you first must understand the role of vapor barriers in basements.

Use the Right Insulation

Over the years, we’ve come to rely on two main approaches for basement insulation projects and remodeling, including closed cell spray foam and rigid foam board. When installed in the correct thickness, these two methods result in a proper vapor barrier and superior insulation.

Get Educated – Be the Pro!

Today, the building industry and building science are changing rapidly. In order to stand out in the competition and provide a professional service to your clients, you need to stay educated on the latest methods. You can be sure that the team at The Green Cocoon is up-to-date on the latest insulation practices in order to bring our clients the best product possible.

If you have questions or need a quote on your next insulation project, contact us and we’d be happy to help.

^[1] Be the Pro. Avoiding Basement Insulation Mistakes. Retrieved from bethepro.com.

^[2] United States Environmental Protection Agency. Mold Course Chapter 2. Retrieved from epa.gov.

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