Does Low-E Insulation Work
Low-E Insulation and the Mattoon Pride Den

A lot of people ask, "Can you reduce your energy bill by adding Low-E insulation to your house or building?" I believe the answer is Yes.

I now have a customer, Mattoon Pride, that is willing to share their energy data.

The Mattoon Pride "Den", softball practice facility, was constructed in 2005. We began utilizing it for softball practice in November 2005. The Mattoon Pride is a girls fast pitch softball organization which is entering our 15th season in 2008. Over the years, we have several high finishes in Illinois State Tournaments (5 State ASA & NSA State titles) and NSA World Series (three top 4 finished); here is a link to our website, http://www.mattoonpride.com/. In addition to softball, we have utilized the facility for basketball practice utilizing swing-out backboards on the back wall.

Here is a view of the main entrance of the building.

Low-E Insulation and the Mattoon Pride Den

Below is the data before installing Low-E insulation.

Time Period
Days
Avg.
Temp
KwHr
Avg.
KwHr
3/19/07 - 4/16/07
28
51
1710
61.1
2/15/07 - 3/19/07
32
36
5650
176.6
1/17/07 - 2/15/07
29
20
8684
299.4
12/13/06 - 1/17/07
35
39
4590
131.1
11/15/06 - 12/13/06
28
37
3210
114.6

Here is the data after installing Low-E insulation.

Time Period
Days
Avg.
Temp
KwHr
Avg.
KwHr
3/18/08 - 4/17/08
30
46
1914
63.8
2/19/08 - 3/18/08
28
33
3241
115.8
1/16/08 - 2/19/08
34
25
6959
204.7
12/14/07 - 1/16/08
33
32
4594
139.2
11/13/07 - 12/14/07
31
36
2470
79.7

When comparing the 2 years, this is our conclusions.

Time Period
+/-
KwHr

+/-
Temp
March - April
-2.7
5
February - March
60.8
3
January - February
94.8
-5
December - January
-8.1
7
November - December
35.0
1

Although usage went up in Dec/Jan, the temperature was on average 7 degrees colder, but KwHr only increased by 8 per day.

Usage in Mar/Apr also increased by the temperature was 5 degrees colder per day, but KwHr usage only increased by 2.7.

This data does show a major reduction in their energy bill. Based on the amount of money spend and the amount of money saved, they will have a six year return on investment. They were looking for a 5 to 10 year return on their investment.

To see the project that was undertakeny by this customer, click here to visit the Mattoon Pride story.