Passive design: insulation

On the left is an image of the triple-pane windows at the R.W. Kern Center. On the right is an image, credited to Prosoco, of a person painting an R-Guard air barrier on a wall. A photo of cellulose insulation is overlaid over the second image. A banner at the bottom of the image includes a simple shape of the R.W. Kern Center and reads: 100 Days of Building Solutions.

Another passive design strategy is using insulation to minimize heat transfer in and out of the building.

R-values are the way we measure a material’s resistance to heat transfer over time. A material with a higher r-value is more effective at insulating than a material with a lower r-value.

At the R.W. Kern Center, we used materials with high r-values—like triple-pane glass windows, cellulose insulation, and an r-guard air barrier—to keep heat in or out. Having sufficient insulation in buildings increases energy efficiency by putting less stress on our heating and cooling systems.

Check out this video to learn more about r-values.

Project categories: 100 Days of Building Solutions

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