Nicely written! I’m looking forward to the book.

I agree that increasing insulation in our buildings is a huge step to saving resources and reducing the environmental impact of excessive burning of fossil fuels. But I think as an industry we need to emphasize that the solution is not only about increasing the amount of insulation in the building envelope.

I am frequently confronted by clients that insist on R40 or better roofs and walls, but then they want to plaster their northern elevation with glass to capture the view, or they are looking for the cheapest installer for their highly insulated wall and roof systems. While the high r-value walls and roofs do have a significant impact on the performance of these buildings, I suggest their first dollars are better spent on energy efficient windows, better design, and a tighter envelope.

I would suggest that the lowest hanging easily accessible “fruit” is air infiltration. No matter how well insulated your wall or roof, what good is it if the cold air is simply making an end run and infiltrating your envelope through poorly sealed walls, roofs, windows, doors and other penetrations. Until we get a house well sealed and partner it with an adquately designed energy recovery ventilations system I think money is wasted on additional insulation.

As you say in your foreword “Understanding insulation and using it effectively are key to achieving passive comfort and energy independence.” Using it effectively means spending the time necessary to tighten up a home, to take advantage of site condtions, southerly exposure, overhangs and thermal mass and to make intelligent choices on heating and cooling equipment and capacities.

The title of the book uses today’s sexy energy words “green” and “insulation” which will help sell the book, and that is good. I suspect Alex Wilson emphasizes the importance of insulating effectively, and as builders of energy efficient homes we need to emphasize that energy sexiness isn’t quantified by simply in inches. 36-24-36 is not the all encompassing measurement of sexiness any more than my 12 inches of blown cellulose is the ultimate measurement of energy efficiency.

I am quite certain that production building is responsible in large measure for the degradation of expectations of all concerned.

We desperately need master craftsmen/women if we are to design and build climate neutral (which is to say aggressively energy efficient buildings which do not have a carbon footprint. As a Passivhaus designer I am absolutely dependent on the skills and knowledge of master builders. Without them, my work is just a fantasy.

Thank you so much for your commitment to mindfulness of our collective impacts as a collaborative industry.

Also your point is well taken that our society has lost the traditional relationship of apprenticeship to masters in many skills. I would like to add that with research you can find a great many very skilled carpenters and tradesmen whose work is held in high regard. However they have had to develop their mastery through their own research and discovery. Clearly the transition of apprentice to master is the missing thread in this country. Unfortunately it is not the norm and as a result of “compound ignorance” (love that, thank you!) both the contractors themselves and their clients fail to realize that there are better options.

Thanks for this blog, I look forward to each new entry, and am grateful for your leadership in our industry.

Paul