Majority of the classrooms have no wall insulation resulting in unnecessarily high heating and

cooling energy costs. While retrofitting exterior wall insulation can be difficult, it can yield
significant energy savings as well as enhanced comfort. It might as well be useful installing in a
classroom that has no fan and air conditioner installed.
Before installing the wall insulator, we need to identify first the temperature condition of our
location. We take sunny weather as our temperature condition. Therefore, we need to use the wall
insulator so that the heat will not pass through our system and maintain the room temperature of
our system. In addition to the exterior walls, we should also insulate any walls between the living
space and unconditioned areas like garages or attic storage spaces.
For newly added walls or renovations where the wall cavities are exposed, the simplest material
to use is fiberglass batts. Be sure to use the correct thickness - compressing a six-inch batt to fit a
two by four wall cavity will actually result in a lower R-value than a standard three-and-one-half
inch batt. Be sure the coverage is complete - cut the batts carefully to fit around pipes or wires and
narrow gaps around windows and doors. You should also install a vapor retarder directly behind
the drywall or interior finish material to prevent any moisture migration into the wall cavity.
Blown-in insulation is typically used when the walls are fully enclosed. Materials include loose
fiberglass, cellulose and several types of foam-in-place insulation. Some contractors use a "dense-
pack" installation (usually with cellulose) that can provide better thermal performance and reduce
the likelihood of the insulation settling and leaving voids. The foam-in-place method often results
in the highest R-value and also seals many of the small gaps that can increase infiltration or drafts.
During hot weather, the air outside your home contains more moisture than the inside air. This
moisture will try to migrate toward the inside through any small cracks or openings, and can even

permeate through materials like drywall. If the moisture is allowed to contact a cold surface,
condensation will occur.
This movement of moisture can be reduced by making the wall as air tight as possible (through
caulking and other air-sealing measures) and by installing a vapor retarder. Batt insulation
typically comes with a treated paper or foil facing that acts as a vapor retarder. Be sure the vapor
retarder faces the "cool in summer" side (directly the drywall). With blown-in insulation, consider
a low-permeability paint or wall covering for the interior of the wall.
The primary benefit of exterior wall insulation is obviously reduced energy costs. Insulating your
walls can also improve comfort by keeping the interior wall surfaces closer to room temperature.
During hot weather, an uninsulated wall literally puts heat into your body, causing you to feel
warm (and often prompting you to raise your air-condition thermostat setting). Some methods of
insulating walls can also reduce air leakage or drafts, saving even more energy and further
enhancing comfort.
Other benefits include reduced noise from outdoors (insulation acts like sound-proofing) and
potentially enhanced resale value.
While retrofitting exterior wall insulation can be difficult and costly, it can often pay for itself in
reduced energy bills. The more you spend on annual space heating and cooling energy costs, the
more you'll save and the faster you'll recover the cost of installing the insulation.