An insulation's performance is of primary concern to the consumer who is considering re-insulating his home. Minnesota Retrofit Insulation In Situ Test Program, published by the Department of Energy in June 1978, details the findings of an in situ study of various thermal insulations installed in 55 residences in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The study, conducted in the summer of 1977, consisted of field observations and laboratory measurements of properties critical to the insulations' performance. Properties studied included density, thermal resistance, moisture content, shrinkage, flammability, friability, and compression strength. This study, Phase I, was extended with a second phase to include further in-situ study of retrofit insulations. Included in this extension work, Phase II, was a further study of the moisture content of insulations, the corrosiveness of retrofit loose-fill cellulose insulation, thermography and field observations of sidewalls for signs of settling of retrofit loose-fill insulations, analysis of fuel consumption data for a number of the retrofitted homes, and density and thermal resistance retests of loose-fill insulations. This report details the field and laboratory findings of Phase II.
