ARLINGTON - The massive project started with a small water stain on the dining room ceiling that nagged at Alex Cheimets.
He took the leak repair to the extreme.
Four years later, his two-family condo in Arlington is encased in so much insulation, the builders switched to extra-long 10-inch screws just to attach it to the roof.
His unique "super insulation" project has cost $100,000, though half of it is being picked up by sponsors including
The project is being closely watched by state officials who are hoping such super-insulated homes become more common.
"Right now, that home is highly unusual," said Ian Bowles, the state's secretary of energy and environmental affairs. "That type of investment is going to need to become much more commonplace."
Bowles acknowledges the cost of super insulation is still prohibitive for most. But he thinks prices will fall as various state mandates, including an 80 percent greenhouse gas emission reduction by 2050, force residents to seek ways to be more energy efficient. More demand for super-insulated houses will mean more competition for the work, pushing down labor and material costs, he said.
Cheimets said he knows it will take years before the job's cost equals the investment in his 80-year-old, oil-heated house. But he believes as super insulation costs fall, and oil prices inevitably rise, the condo can be an example of how an average person can be more energy efficient.
"Not everybody is going to make oil out of algae," Cheimets said. "I think this is [an area] where everybody, everybody can do something, because this is not high tech."
There's no industry-standard definition of "super insulated," according to the state, which generally considers a home super insulated if its insulation far exceeds building code requirements.
Such homes popped around the United States when fuel prices soared during the energy crisis in the 1970s and early 1980s. But interest dropped with the price of oil.
Carlos Martin of the National Association of Home Builders said some of those early homes were plagued by mold caused by improper air flow, but he added those problems have been largely solved. With price by far the biggest obstacle, Martin said it is important to figure out ways to get money to people who want to be super insulated, such as with mortgages that fund energy efficient homes, or special financing for "green" projects.
