The unit on the right was recently retrofitted by Cozy Home. The identical unit on the left has not. Snow melt leads to ice damming and shows that heat is warming the roof deck, when it should be warming the people inside.

A recent attic retrofit project in Amherst achieved 55% air-leakage reduction following advanced airsealing. The attic was insulated to R-60 thermal performance value. As part of the Home Performance Services program with Berkshire Gas, the Mass Save eligible energy efficiency measures received $2,625 in air-sealing and insulation rebates provided by the utility company.

These rebates enabled the homeowners to invest in more advanced energy efficiency measures, or ‘deeper savings’ measures. The results are impressive and speak to the success of leveraging Mass Save rebates to achieve more significant energy savings using the ‘home performance’ approach to increased building performance.

As Mass Save ramps up to achieve 30% more energy savings in 2011 than in 2010 (and then 30% more for 2012). Achieving as many energy savings per project is important.

Before:  Many airleakage pathways in the attic, including large bypasses.

Major bypass is responsible for a lot of airleakage and heat loss

The soffits were particularly bad. Some soffit vents were sealed and most improved to direct air over insulation, not through insulation