'Snowing in my house': Halifax woman says dust started to fall after insulation upgrade

A Halifax woman is speaking out about what she describes as constantly falling dust that began to appear after an insulation upgrade through Efficiency Nova Scotia.

The work was done on Stacie Pennell's home in February 2020 at no charge through the organization's HomeWarming program.

Pennell hoped it would make her home more comfortable, but said since that time, she's found she has been spending a lot of time cleaning dust.

"I can't keep up with the dust. My eyes are killing me, my throat is sore and I really don't know what I'm breathing in," Pennell said.

"I won't eat in here because in the sunshine you can see it all flying around, and so it terrifies me."

Spray foam applied

The program she qualified for is aimed at improving the energy efficiency of homes and resulted in the application of spray foam insulation in the unfinished basement, which was covered by a thermal barrier.

Efficiency Nova Scotia, which runs the program, was created by the provincial government to help Nova Scotians improve their energy use. The organization is an independent non-profit regulated by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.

Pennell had to leave the house while the work was done, but said she flagged the problem to Efficiency Nova Scotia when she noticed the excess dust.

"I was cleaning and I noticed I can't keep up with this, so I called that April or May and I said, 'I have a problem. There is something wrong with the barrier.'"

Pennell has lived in her north-end home for 42 years and said no dust of this kind was present before the installation.

"It seems to be snowing in my house," she said. "I vacuum and five minutes later, I come in and have a look and it's like I didn't even do anything."

The dust, she said, accumulates throughout the home showing as tiny particles on surfaces and floors that she believes are being blown around through heating vents. Her floors have become slippery as a result, causing her to fall on one occasion, she said.

Not comfortable eating in her kitchen anymore, Pennell said she often gets takeout and eats it in her car.

'We've never seen anything like this'

Efficiency Nova Scotia said it has been to Pennell's home to investigate the issue a number of times and cannot explain what is happening.

It said tests of both the air quality and dust particles from inside the home show the material Pennell is worried about is not connected to any of the organization's work.

"It's extremely unfortunate," said Janet Tobin, the communications lead for Efficiency Nova Scotia. "We've never seen anything like this before. We're super concerned that this is the situation in her home."

After completing nearly 21,000 upgrades through its HomeWarming program since 2007, the organization said it has not seen any issues like the one in Pennell's home.

Testing has ascertained the dust particles are household ones such as fabric and paper, Tobin said.

"So far, those tests have come back not being able to connect the dust itself to any of the actual upgrade materials that were installed in her home," she said, adding Efficiency Nova Scotia has a high level of confidence in the contractors it used.

Homeowner wants insulation removed

Steps were taken by Efficiency Nova Scotia to take out the initial thermal barrier of insulation and replace it with an alternative in January 2021. Pennell said that has made no difference and she still needs to clean dust all the time.

"I constantly have to keep wiping off my glasses and my lips, and it disgusts me," she said.

Her daughter, Tammie Beazley, said she never saw this kind of dust while growing up in the home. 

"My mother cleaned every day; she didn't leave her house until it was clean," said Beazley. "This is not normal household dust."

Beazley said she and her mom simply want the insulation removed from the basement for good.

"I know that they [Efficiency Nova Scotia] know that something is wrong, and I want them to fix it," Pennell said. "I want to be in my own home, I want to eat in my own home, I want to cook my own meals."

Removal could be 'pretty messy'

Efficiency Nova Scotia said it has offered to remove the insulation for Pennell, but cautioned her that getting rid of the material could come with its own issues.

"It can be pretty messy and a pretty big and arduous process, so we wanted to make sure that she was fully aware of all of the levels and pieces that entails," said Tobin.

In the meantime, Efficiency Nova Scotia will continue with further tests in the home to try to figure out the root cause of the excess dust.

If you have experienced problems following installation of spray foam insulation, please contact us to share your story at gareth.hampshire@cbc.ca