2010 tax credit question

[Dave Sidlow]

I am in the process of finishing my shop, which is in a detached garage on my property. Is the insulation eligible for any energy tax credit? I am thinking closed cell spray foam for the walls, but the cost is huge vs. batts.

[Mitchell Andrus]

I might be wrong but I'll bet if it's not a 'dwelling' or a commercial establishment its excluded. Likely because the credit encourages energy saving up-fits for heated space only.

It's worth checking out though.
.

[Brett Clark]

The insulation may eligible for a tax credit. More info at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?...edits.tx_index.

[Eric McCune]

Yes. From the EnergyStar website:

Question
Do detached garages, barns, or other structures on your property, but not connected to your main house, count for the tax credit?
Answer

The law states that products are covered if "such component is installed in or on a dwelling unit located in the United States..."

Detached structures may be considered part of the "dwelling unit" if you use them as part of your living space, for example, as a workshop, or an extra bedroom.


http://tinyurl.com/yzjvftw

[Rick Moyer]

I am in the process of finishing my DEN, which is in AN ATTACHED WING on my property. Is the insulation eligible for any energy tax credit? I am thinking closed cell spray foam for the walls, but the cost is huge vs. batts.

There, now it shouldn't be any problem

[Chuck Isaacson]

Think about blown cellulose as an alternative. More than batts, less that foam. Very efficient.

[Logan William]

I would recommend either the blown in or the rake in insulation for ceiling, for walls its just hard to beat kraft faced batts/rolls if you can access the wall cavity. If the walls are finished already and you don't want to tear off the covering you can blow in insulation by cutting holes into the osb/drywall

The spray foam stuff is great, but very expensive however it does give the added benefit of sealing off air leaks. Several people in this area have done 1" thick spray foam then finishing it off with cellulose/fiberglass, get the benefits of sealing the air leaks but don't have to spend as much to spray the full structure.

[Rob Fisher]

The air sealing benefits cannot be over looked when dealing with sprayed in insulation. More heat is typically lost due to air leakage than thermal transfer. That said you may have already air sealed and would not need these benefits. My personal opinion is that closed cell spray insulation (the stuff that blocks air) is the best stuff going and should be used if you can afford it. It usually has a better r-value per inch as well

Rob

[Mike Hicks]

You might look into blown in cellulose also. If the cavity is open you can blow the cellulose in and it fills the whole cavity. You can also get it with boric acid in it to repel insects. When I built my house I had this done to all the outside walls. Then had loose fill blown in the attic.

Mike

[Micheal Roth]

You might look into blown in cellulose also. If the cavity is open you can blow the cellulose in and it fills the whole cavity. You can also get it with boric acid in it to repel insects. When I built my house I had this done to all the outside walls. Then had loose fill blown in the attic.

Mike

This is what did in my shop. I originally started to use fiberglass batts in the walls and ceiling but looking at the large amount of wiring in the walls it was going to be very difficult to install batts in the walls and be able to get the proper R value. I checked on foam insulation and about had a heart attack when i got the quote. Cellulose was alittle less than double the cost of fiberglass but the air infiltration stoppage quality was well worth the added cost.