Mike Wilson is receiving a lot of phone calls this time
of year. He is the president and owner of MJW Drywall and Foam
Insulation and he is in the business of energy audits, insulation and
drywall. Since the weather has chilled Wilson has seen a lot of
customers. “After the first frost I handle about ten to twenty clients
a week,” says Wilson. Most buildings could use about 30% less energy if
retrofitted with better insulation. Wilson’s method of insulation can
reduce energy consumption in a household by 65 to 85%.

Fiberglass and cellulose are often the insulations used
in older homes and they are not always properly installed. When
assessing the ability of materials to resist the flow of heat, the term
R-value is used. Fiberglass has an R-value of about three per inch. In
contrast, closed cell spray foam has an R-value of about seven per
inch. Though high performance spray foam is more expensive than other
materials, Mike Wilson swears by it. “I insulated a ranch [house] that
expects to see a savings of about $1600 a year.”