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While it is commonly known that building听insulation is a critical听component听to achieveing optimal energy efficiency in homes and buildings,听many people don鈥檛 realize听that听the听insulation听installation is almost as important as the insulation itself.听Poor installation practices can lead to a host of听performance听problems,听ranging from not meeting听energy efficiency听requirements to creating the听potential听for听vapor drive that leads to condensation.听Beyond that, there is an international push to drastically improve energy efficiency in our homes and buildings, and this push relies听on听correctly installed听insulation as one of the critical lynchpins to听success.听听

As a result, the industry has developed a standard grading method for听insulation听installation practices, with Grade听I听Installations being the best and Grade听III听Installations being the worst.听In many cases, anything less than a Grade听I听installation will not be sufficient to meet energy efficiency requirements set by Energy Star, DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes, utility incentive programs, and Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index.听Additionally, anything less than a Grade听I听installation wastes money听for the contractor and the building owner.听听

With that in mind, it鈥檚 important to understand exactly what differentiates a Grade听I听installation from the other grades, and what installers, inspectors, and homeowners should know about meeting Grade听I听installations.听听

The听installation听grading system is set by RESNET,听the Residential Energy Services Network. The score depends on how well the installation meets the insulation manufacturer鈥檚 installation instructions. It also covers all types of insulation, including听fiberglass,听spray polyurethane foam (spray foam) ,听mineral wool,听and cellulose.听听

A Grade I installation requires听the material to uniformly fill each cavity completely, from side to side and top to bottom. There cannot be听any gaps or voids around obstructions (such as blocking or bridging)听or听around wiring and other services in the cavity. This type of installation will not only improve energy efficiency, but听it听will听also prevent callbacks for the contractor听and听code officials. A Grade I insulation calculates that 100% of the area to be insulated has been filled.听Bear in mind, that in some cases听and depending on the type of insulation being used, the area to be insulated may not include the entire depth of the wall cavity, though it would still include all听four听sides听and听the top and bottom.听听

For example, if the application requires an R-13, installers could achieve this R-value with 2 inches of closed-cell JM听Corbond庐听III or JM听Corbond庐听IV spray foam. Installers would need to听ensure that听the cavity was uniformly filled on听all sides with 2 inches of insulation; however, they would not need to fill the entire depth of the cavity (3.5 inches) with insulation听to achieve the听required听
R-value.听听

The second-best type of installation is a Grade II installation. In Grade II installations, there is some allowance for imperfections, such as gaps around intrusions or an incomplete fill. A Grade II installation identifies that 98% of the area to be insulated has been filled to the required R-value and that 2% of the area remains uninsulated.

Grade III installations are the lowest grade, and they are described as having 鈥渟ubstantial gaps and voids.鈥� In this type of installation, 95% of the area to be insulated is considered filled, while 5% of the area remains uninsulated. This does not mean that the installation delivers 95% of the intended R-value, but rather that only 95% of the area that should be insulated has been insulated. The remaining 5% of the area may have some insulation or no insulation at all, but it has not been sufficiently insulated to the proper R-value.听

The visual difference between a Grade I installation and a Grade III installation is apparent, and inspectors who view installations on a daily basis will easily be able to identify one from the other. Learning to deliver a Grade I installation doesn鈥檛 benefit just the building owner by ensuring optimized energy efficiency; it also saves the contractor money by ensuring that they won鈥檛 be called back to do rework.

That said, it is clear that a Grade I installation requires more technical know-how and a greater emphasis on quality control. If you would like to learn more about how to deliver a Grade I installation, visit , or you can contact JM鈥檚 TechConnect^SM Team听to speak with someone directly.听