Insulate Exterior Concrete Block Wall

Your only option is to cover the inside of the exterior walls with a continuous layer of insulation as though you were insulating a basement wall.

Insulate exterior concrete block wall.

As the federal energy star program and international energy conservation code continue to push the envelope for effectively insulating exterior walls against thermal loss to boost a home s energy efficiency builders of block walls are being forced to adjust their practices to comply with the more stringent standards. The process is similar to framing a standard. Exterior insulated masonry walls are walls that have insulation on the exterior side of the thermal mass. In fact your walls will absorb up to 95 less moisture than an untreated wall.

In your climate zone zone 5 code requires you to insulate concrete block and other mass walls to at least r 13 if all of the insulation is on the exterior. Adding extra insulation to the exterior walls of an older home when renovating or remodeling is a great way of improving a home s walls thermal performance and reducing energy use while reducing heating bills carbon footprint and improving a building s comfort level. Before insulating coat the exterior of the walls with fluid applied water control and air control layers. Consult your local building authority before having eifs applied to the exterior of your house or building.

When it comes to how to insulate a concrete block house with solid walls applying the insulation material is a bit like waterproofing your home leaving your wall completely dry and resolutely resistant to moisture. As long as at least half the continuous insulation is on the exterior r15 is fine. This places the thermal mass inside the insulation layer. That is why insulating your basements walls is necessary especially when you live in areas that have very cold climate.

The contractor applies a layer of adhesive over the surface of the concrete blocks and then installs a. In these walls continuous exterior insulation envelopes the masonry minimizing the effect of thermal bridges. To hit irc code min on a mass wall such as cmu in vt zone 6 takes r15 or 4 of continuous rock wool which could be trapped behind exterior grade 1 5 steel studs to hang the siding onto. And there is no effective way to fill the voids in an existing concrete block wall.

Basement walls made out of concrete stone concrete bloc and other masonry foundation materials have very minimal insulating properties and cause approximately 20 of heat loss in a home. It may look easy to go buy some packs of rigid insulation panels down at the local hardware store and screw them to your walls but unless you understand how your existing walls are built and how they work in terms of keeping.