Innovative Off-the-Grid Home with Super Insulation

William “Bill” Cirone, president of the Federal Company, one of the private companies that move, storage and logistics companies in the country, wants to build a dream house on a beautiful piece of land far from the city. He chose a quiet rural Farmington, IL, a rural community 25 miles west of Peoria. There was one small problem: His land has no electricity.


Cirone make the best of the situation by planning what is now called the supporters of the green “off-the-grid, or” off-grid “homes – houses completely or partially, from a public utility – a trend harkening back to the pioneer and rural communities Amish. This self-sufficient style of the building has experienced a resurgence thanks to celebrities like Ed Begley Jr., and Darryl Hannah who live off-grid in Colorado. USA Today said in 2006 there were approximately 180,000 families living off-grid, in the U.S., and according to Home Power magazine that number has jumped 33% during the last decade.

For most homeowners, because the off-grid by the state, not a choice, would be a big problem, but Cirone unlike most homeowners, and the house he wants to build would not be like most of the houses.

Cirone choose expert builder, Steve Callear of C and L Homes, Peoria, to build a 3000 plus square foot, ranch-style house. Callear immediately recognized that the problem is not going to create energy with solar, geo-thermal, wind and two wood-burning fireplace, but with the efficiency of its use. In other words, he and Cirone had to figure out how to use the energy created with the highest efficiency level. And in areas where the average overnight temperature in January is 14 ° F that would require isolation unlike most isolation – it will require a super insulation.

Isolation Callear called experts Home Comfort Insulation, a Peoria company was founded in 1948, to recommend a solution isolation. Home Comfort LaFont Steve said, “This is a real challenge. Source of energy he chose would have enough energy to create, but if the heat in the winter, or cool in the summer lost to air infiltration, he has a hard time creating enough energy to keep comfortable home. We need a very high value of R, so we chose a high performance spray foam insulation InsulStar by NCFI. ”

Home Comfort spayed two inches on the exterior wall InsulStar home Cirone, then add R-15 fiberglass batt into the inside wall. “This unique blend makes the exterior walls R-29 value,” said LaFont. “We also sprayed the basement 3”dari in the box InsulStar threshold region, 2”pada exterior basement walls, and ceilings 1”di covered with blow-in cellulose insulation that creates value R-60 . It’s a true high performance insulation envelope. ”

LaFont believe changes in the building industry is driven by economic and cultural values, “Sometimes it takes something like the energy crisis or recession causes people to look at these products differently, when maybe we should be using them all together. Homeowners building now need to be aware of spray foam insulation is money well spent – this is a wise investment that pays you back to domestic life. In fact it was really the only thing that can be incorporated into your home that will pay you that kind of dividend. ”

Callear agrees, “home owners to return the window, the kitchen, the floor, but rarely think about insulation. They put money in front-end and then lost money for domestic life. Ironically, the things they have never seen is one of the most important thing to enter the house. ”

Bill Cirone and his family are ready to reap the rewards of work Callear and LaFont. They are quiet, country retreat in Farmington is now a model, innovative, off-grid, energy efficient homes. Thanks to Home Comfort Insulation, and InsulStar, this is an investment she and her family may never see, but certainly will enjoy for years to come.

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