If you have a home with a crawl space or you are building one, there are several options on what to do with that particular foundation type to handle air movement. (more…)
You’ve spent a lot of time and resources making your home into the wonderful place that it is. Protect your investment by preventing the havoc that water damage can do your home! (more…)
Exerpt from: DOE Building America Best Practices Series: Volume 4 – Builders and Buyers Handbook for Improving New Home Efficiency, Comfort, and Durability in the Mixed-Humid Climate
Mixed-Humid Design Features
A. Efficient Windows: help to control and reduce ultraviolet light that can fade carpets and furniture, helping to keep your belongings looking like new and keeping window areas cooler and more comfortable to sit near. Window flashing protects against water leaks.
B. Compact and Tightly Sealed Duct Runs: shorter runs mean less to go wrong and fewer air leaks to put air where it is intended to go, with fewer contaminants like humidity and dust from attics or crawlspaces. Leaky ducts are a major contributor to mold problems. Return air paths ensure balanced air pressure for less drafts and more balanced temperatures throughout the house. Put ducts in conditioned space,
if possible.
C. Right-Sized and High-Efficiency HVAC Equipment: costs less to install than bigger equipment, saves energy, and is designed to comfortably handle heating and cooling loads. (more…)
Version 3 extends national program qualifications to ensure tighter building envelopes, require more efficient HVAC equipment, and improve indoor air quality and occupant health through water management and provision of fresh air. (more…)
EPA began offering the ENERGY STAR® label in 1995. After remaining unchanged for the first 10 years, EPA has revised the thresholds for ENERGY STAR-labeled new homes twice in the last 6 years, raising the bar against a background of improving building technology and evolving energy codes.
Initially the program guidelines focused on improvements in several key areas-reduced energy loss through higher-efficiency windows and doors, tighter overall building shell, tighter HVAC ductwork and more efficient heating and cooling equipment, and independent third-party verification from certified home energy raters. (more…)
Value engineering is defined as an analysis of the functions of a program or project, directed at improving performance, reliability, quality, safety, and life cycle costs. (more…)
Pre-qualified home plans are blueprints designed to earn the ENERGY STAR® name, and incorporate energy-efficient practices and 
specifications to meet the rigorous ENERGY STAR guidelines set by the EPA.
To qualify, a plan is independently reviewed and verified by a team of professionals, an architect or engineer and a HERS rater, to include energy-saving features and construction practices that will result in a home that is at least 20–30 percent more energy efficient than a standard home. (more…)
Most of us spend much of our time indoors. The air that we breathe in our homes, in schools, and in offices and other buildings can put us at risk for health problems. Indoor pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air are the primary cause of indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in buildings. Air pollutants can be emitted from office equipment, furniture, carpeting, common chemicals like cleaning supplies and pesticides, and gases from fireplaces, stoves, and furnaces. Other indoor air problems can come from living organisms like mold, pet dander, and dust mites. High temperature and humidity levels can increase concentrations of some pollutants. (more…)
IECC 2009: Did you know that the new International Energy Conservation Code® (IECC 2009) requires increased inspections and testing for energy efficiency for all new construction?
The Department of Energy (DOE) is committed to moving to net zero energy homes by 2020. The first major step toward those goals is embodied in the 2009 IECC, which by various estimates is 12% to 15% more energy efficient than its 2006 predecessor. (more…)
Part of the reason we head indoors is to shelter us from nature. Unfortunately, nature sometimes finds its way inside our homes in the form of contaminants – negatively affecting our air quality and posing a danger to our health in the form of these common contaminants.
