Heat flows naturally from a warmer to a cooler space. In winter, the heat moves directly from all heated living spaces to the outdoors and to adjacent unheated attics, garages, and basements. During the summer, heat moves from outdoors to the house interior. To maintain comfort, the heat lost in winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in summer must be removed by your air conditioner.

Insulating ceilings, walls, and floors decreases the heating or cooling needed by providing an effective resistance to the flow of heat. Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes. Insulation saves money and makes your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the house.

Insulation is rated in terms of thermal resistance, called R-value, which indicates the resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness. The R-value of thermal insulation depends on the type of material, its thickness, and its density.

Quail Homes' Earth Advantage Platinum Certified homes, insulate with R-24 blown-in fiberglass at the exterior walls, R-38 at the subfloor, and R-49 at the attic. To achieve R-24 at the exterior walls, we use an advanced framing system with staggered studs to create a thermal break. This reduced thermal bridging caused by the lack of thermal break in framing lumber to reduce heat lost. Raised heel trusses to allow Quail Homes to increase the attic insulation to R-49. Download a more readable "Quail High Performance - Insulation drawing" above and hear what Jeff Steffl of Probuid has to say about raised heel roof truss to right.

What is the "R" value of your home? What is the "R" value of the houses that other builders are building?

Besides adding insulation to increase the "R" value of the homes we build, Quail Homes applies Owens Corning Energy Complete Sealing System to prevent the air leakage in the home. To read about how Quail homes stop air infiltration, please go to "Air Infiltration".