Products used: FI-FOIL® HY-Fi® Hybrid Insulation System & M-Shield® Reflective Insulation

Project Location: Orlando, FL

The two-story traditional home, located in a picturesque neighborhood near Orlando’s downtown historic district, exemplifies the classic architectural style common to 1930s Florida. The original structural elements remain intact, while the elegance and functionality of the home have been greatly improved.

Farina and Nasrallah’s finished building, meeting with NAHB’s 2018 TNAR high standards, qualifies for the National Green Building Standard’s highest Emerald rating. This prestigious certification signifies maximum achievement in energy, water, and resource efficiency, lot development, operation, maintenance and indoor air quality.

In addition to the Emerald rating, the NAHB’s 2018 TNAR Residential Energy Service Network’s Home Energy Rating System (HERS®) score decreased from 125 to 46. One point in HERS® rating represents a 1% increase or decrease in the use of energy.

In order to maximize energy efficiency and indoor air quality, the 2018 TNAR project specified FI-FOIL®’s HY-Fi® hybrid and M-Shield® , both high-performance reflective insulation. The HY-Fi® was chosen to increase thermal performance by utilizing air cavities within the frame wall assemblies allowing for greater flexibility for any last-minute wiring changes while delivering even better performance using less spray foam. M-Shield® was used on the masonry block wall systems to increase thermal performance and efficiency while reducing the chance of mold growth to improve overall air quality in the 2018 TNAR home.

When multilayered HY-Fi^® hybrid is used together with spray foam as part of the building’s insulation systems, it helps maintain a tight thermal envelope designed to also reduce radiant heat transfer for even better performance—in a sense turbo-charging the insulation system.

An increasing number of residential builders are using hybrid systems like the one demonstrated in the 2018 TNAR home. A HY-Fi^® hybrid with spray foam allows greater flexibility, less waste and callbacks and an opportunity to boost the spray foam performance by up to 10% for the same cost. The HY-Fi^® increases system performance by design with reflective layers that enhance air within the enclosed cavities. When used in conjunction with batt or foam insulation, especially in open attic space, HY-Fi can add a minimum of R-7 to wall and ceiling systems.

In addition to HY-Fi^® FI-FOIL^® M-Shield^® paperless reflective insulation was integrated into the 2018 TNAR walls to improve thermal performance and also reduce the incidence of mold growth for a stronger building envelope and better indoor air quality over time. The composition of M-Shield^® with a synthetic facing resists the growth of harmful mold, mildew and bacteria by depriving these of a food source.

In the Sunshine State, energy efficiency and thermal insulation run hand in hand. The Florida sun is intense, especially in the summer months. To keep living spaces comfortable and maximize the effectiveness of air conditioning systems, builders in the South are increasingly insulating against heat transfer from both conduction and radiation.

The 2018 TNAR project’s primary purpose was to demonstrate that affordable high-performance insulation products can achieve comparable energy efficiency to more expensive products.

Farina & Sons, Mark Nasrallah, and the rest of the NAHB’s 2018 TNAR team chose FI-FOIL^®’s flexible HY-Fi^® hybrid insulation in order to maintain thermal performance while reducing the amount of spray foam and fiberglass insulation they would typically need to achieve their desired R-value.

Additionally, FI-FOIL^®’s M-Shield^® high-performance reflective insulation was chosen to reduce the chance for mold growth behind the walls (a major area of concern for homes built in areas of high humidity, like Florida). M-Shield^®’s material and design eliminated the food source for mold and mildew within the wall systems, thereby improving the air quality of the indoor living environment.

FI-FOIL^®’s products, together with other remodel components, contribute to a symphony of 21st-century high-efficiency building technology. Design of the 2018 TNAR also opened up the living area inside the home adding a spacious great room attached to a modern kitchen, redesigned the interior of the home, and added new energy-efficient windows.

The formerly low-tech house was also given a high-tech revamp involving structured wiring, a CCTV system, automated lights, motorized shades and screens outdoors and a high-performance Wi-Fi network.

Drew Smith of Two Trails, Inc., the performance verifier and green building consultant on the 2018 TNAR project, worked with NAHB’s Leading Suppliers Council to identify the some of the best products and systems available to achieve the highest efficiency ratings possible, including the HERS^® and Emerald ratings. In addition, the 2018 TNAR also met the requirements for the EPA’s Energy Star^® and Indoor airPlus programs, and the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home program.

To learn how HY-Fi^® Hybrid Insulation System can help your next project reach its targeted R-value, visit FiFoil.com.

Photo from NAHB – The New American Remodel