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NorthernSTAR Project Overcoat: Exterior Insulation Strategies for 1.5-Story Roof Applications in Cold Climates

Published by University of Minnesota - NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership | Department of Energy | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2023-11-01T16:42:05Z
This is a repository for all NorthernSTAR Overcoat insulation retrofit projects. Both houses received Overcoat insulation retrofit on roof only, performed by Cocoon Insulation. 1 - St. Louis Park house - St. Louis Park, MN 2 - Edina house - Edina, MN In this second study, the team wished to analyze the before and after air-tightness data from roof only ETMMS retrofits on 1.5-story homes in cold and very cold climates. To identify homes to analyze, we reached out to our national network of energy professionals, home performance contractors, and general contractors who had expressed interest in promoting roof-only External Thermal Moisture Management System (ETMMS) to clients. Five projects by three contractors were submitted for consideration as they were being done to mitigate severe ice dams for homeowners. Only two of the five projects followed a roof only ETMMS protocol. Data from the other three projects, however, were reviewed with the air-tightness data of 250 roof-only, interior-applied energy retrofits on 1.5-story homes provided by three NorthernSTAR industry partners. These data represent homes in the general market as well as homes that were part of the state of Minnesota weatherization program.

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