Welcome Back!
We would like to welcome both Kristi Fry-Jewett and Austin Fleet! Kristi, Builder Energy Rater’s Operations Administrator, has been working remotely in Arizona for the past year and a half and we are glad to say that she is now back in Texas and in the office with us!
Austin Fleet, our Sales Representative in Austin, briefly left Key Insulation earlier this year, but we couldn’t be more excited to announce that he has since come back and is working out of the Austin office again. If you need a quote, you can contact him at 512-818-7901 or via email at afleet@keyinsulation.com.
HBA Austin Mid-Year Housing Forecast
by HBA Austin
The Benefit Home is the annual construction of a home built mostly – if not entirely – through donations of construction management, materials, supplies, labor and monies of the members of the Home Builder Association (HBA) of Greater Austin. The majority of net proceeds from the sale of the home on the open market benefit local charities as designated by HBA.
The Benefit Home offers the HBA a unique opportunity to give something back to the larger community, specifically to designated beneficiaries who are significantly and positively impacting the Greater Austin community. What’s more, it’s a perfect example of how the 750+ members of the HBA contribute to the economic impact of the communities in which they build and make a direct impact on worthy causes within those communities.
This year’s Benefit Home is in the Santa Rita Ranch (North) community, located at 116 Strata Drive, Liberty Hill, TX 78642 and will have an estimated market value $350,000 to $430,000. The lot was generously donated by the developer, SRKC, LLC!
Key Insulation is proud to have been a part of this project. It has continued to be a great experience every year and so incredible to see so many members come together for a great cause!
Welcome Little One- New Key Team Member
We are excited to announce the birth of Miss Kamdyn! Jenny Owen and her husband, Matt, welcomed their first baby on September 9th at 4:40pm!
Truckin’ Along
We strive to pursue practices that can help us become more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible. That is why we LOVE our Kias! From green insulation to energy efficient homes, Key Insulation has every- one from Superintendents to Sales equipped with a more eco-friendly vehicle!
Key backs the blue! We wanted to send out a special message to allof our law enforcement to let them know how much we appreciate what they do every single day!
Key keeps growing! We have now expanded our fleet with two new insulation trucks, one in San Antonio and one in Austin! Look for us in our updated “What’s In Your Walls?” design.
What’s In Your Walls?
One of the critical areas where homes lose energy efficiency is at the attic access hatch. Regardless of the insulation product type used, air leaks from a poorly insulated attic access will result in higher heating and cooling bills. This is often an item missed by DIY homeowners. But even some professional installers can fail to get it right, particularly when it comes to cellulose insulation.
With blown in cellulose, dams can be added to build up insulation around the opening while also prevent the product from falling through the attic access hatch when opening. These should be high enough to reach above the required depth of insulation around all sides of the opening. Dams must be secured to the attic joists or flooring so they are stable and resist movement as people access the attic.
The attic hatch itself can be insulated with a ridged foam piece cut to the same size as the hatch. This will work with the dams to make the access highly insulated while also keeping the hatch light enough to open and close. Air seal gaskets can also be added for even more sealing around the hatch.
Check your attic to make sure it’s properly insulated and be sure that includes the access hatch. If either are not up to par you are wasting energy and spending too much each month to on heating and cooling the home.
Words of Wisdom- Change
by David Eaton
Change – often that is treated like a “four letter word”. Just when you get your patterns (habits) down, something comes along to mess it up, to change it. Thus, when corporate or the boss or a spouse says something about needing changes, we probably cringe, groan, or both, sometimes even out loud. And a out loud cringe is something to hear! As a chaplain, I am learning a new computer program to facilitate change with our chaplain ranks. My first response was “If it ain’t broken, why fix it”? Yet already I am convinced that things will go better with the changes.
When we think about it, change is neither good or bad in an of itself. Change often means growth or progress. We change to accommodate the new opportunities that come our way. A promotion is a change. A raise is a change. Marriage is a change. A new child is definitely a change (with lots of changings to go with it, yes?). These are all life processes.
The Scriptures speak of change as well in many areas, but in 2 Corinthians 5:17, we read “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! (NIV)” There may come a time in your life where you may say “I need a change in direction”. We have someone who is willing to bring change in life. As we go to Him, He takes the old and removes it for the new…a new creation.
Is it time for a change in your life? Check it out with your chaplain.
David Eaton, Area Team Leader
2015 IECC Code Changes
Daniel Carpenter, Builders Energy Rater’s
General Manager, recently taught a class at the Hill Country Builders Association on the 2015 IECC code. The recent implementation of the 2015 IECC by the State of Texas has been received with mixed results, mainly from the confusion of the differences between the new and the old code. The goal of the class was to educate builders and contractors on the different pathways that can be used to comply with the code along with all of the air sealing and insulation details that are now mandatory. The new 2015 IECC went in effect statewide on September 1st of this year, with only a few exceptions. The new 2015 IECC is not significantly different than the 2012 IECC but is roughly 15 percent more efficient than the previous State adopted 2009 IECC. It aims to be more user-friendly, in order to give the builders more options on how to meet the targeted energy savings.
New Employee
We would like to welcome Ashley Tidwell to Key Insulation as our new Accounting Assistant!
Upcoming Events
November 4th HCBA Golf Tournament
November 5th SolarFest
