pdxremodels.com

I am always on the look out for new products for my home and I, like many other folks, have begun to realize that choosing environmentally friendly products is not only in my personal best interest, but also benefits the community as a whole. 

In my web wanderings I ran across a type of home insulation I haven’t seen before. It’s called Retrofoam. Unlike the polyurethane or icynene foams (which I HAVE seen before), Retrofoam is a tri-polymer resin that is supposedly non-toxic and environmentally friendly.  It is a dry powder that is activated with water and then installed with a type of air compressor. And, like some other insulations, it can be installed through holes made on the outside of the home, either through the existing siding, or by taking off a row of siding, making no mess on the interior of the home. The holes are then patched and painted and, if done well, it is very hard to tell where the holes are. (In our previous home, a 1904 Portland four-square, we had cellulose blown-in and we had to search for the patched holes to see them).

As I read more about the product, I decided to find out if there was a dealer in the pdx area. To my surprise, there is not one…YET. They are looking for new dealers (hey, is anyone interested in a business opportunity?) and I will be keeping tabs to see if they come this way.  Until then, here is a youtube link showing how it works (sorry I was not allowed to embed it in my post).

In addition, here is a link to The Natural Handyman, who does a great job of explaining the different types of insulations that are out there (these types ARE in Portland), the benefits of insulating your home, how much you need, and do-it-yourself tips. 

In addition, the Energy Trust of Oregon has incentives for you to insulate your home:

• Electrically heated homes: Up to $750 for floor, wall, and attic (or ceiling)–$250 per area 
• Gas heated homes:  Up to $600, floor, wall, and attic (or ceiling)–$200 per area

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 9th, 2007 at 11:19 am and is filed under Cool Products, Going Green, How to, Insulation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.