Energy Smart Custom Homes

Saving Money with Whole House Fans

2011-09-13T20:19:00.013-05:00

Whole House Fan A whole house fan can be a great way to reduce the energy cost associated with cooling your home. And depending on the time of year and where you live, a whole house fan can be used in lieu of an air conditioning unit. All this is pretty good when you are looking for energy efficiency in homes. Of course as with most other energy efficient products and methods, there are

Are Attic Fans a Good Idea?

2011-08-22T18:10:00.012-05:00

Sealed Envelope and the Attic Here is the theory on attic fans: "The intended purpose of an attic fan is to move hot air out of the attic replacing it with the cooler outside air which in turn reduces your cooling load saving you money. The fan does this by creating a negative pressure in the attic space as it "pulls" the hot air out. This pressure drop in the attic then "pulls" in the

3 Questions to Ask Before You Buy Your Next New Home

2011-07-30T20:37:00.006-05:00

Buying a new home can be exciting as well as challenging as you try to get the most value out of every dollar you spend. Obviously, some things we can easily attach value to like solid surface counter tops, nice lighting fixtures or crown moulding. But what about the items of value you can't "see" that greatly affect your ongoing cost of home ownership like utilities bills and

What is an Energy Star® Home? - Part 2 of 2

2011-06-07T20:30:00.002-05:00

This is the second article on "What is an Energy Star® Home?" and if you haven't read the first article I encourage you to do so. As pointed out in the first article an Energy Star® rated new home can mean a savings of 30% or more on energy use over a new home that is not Energy Star® rated. If you consider that most house in the mid-south area have a HERS Score in the 150's then an Energy

What is an Energy Star® Home? - Part 1 of 2

2011-05-10T22:38:00.004-05:00

We have all heard of Energy Star® and have seen their logo on just about everything that uses electricity. And with that, we have come to recognize that the blue Energy Star® badge represents an energy efficiency product. But did you know that now you can have an Energy Star® house? Now you can, because the EPA has expanded it's Energy Star® initiative to new homes. This means if you buy an

Going Green and Getting Appraisals

2011-05-02T08:24:00.005-05:00

EnergySmartCustomHomes.com If you where to ask home builders what is the single biggest challenge to "Going Green" they would probably say, "Getting the appraisal needed to cover the extra cost." I personally understand this challenge as a builder of green energy efficient homes. There are a lot of reasons for this appraisal challenge as it seems the industry as a whole has a preception that

Flashing: Siding to Roof Line

2011-04-16T21:10:00.007-05:00

EmergySmartCustomHomes.com When it comes to the flashing of siding to a roof line, it gets a little difficult to convince someone to change "what is working." Why? Well, if we define flashing as the materials and methods used to keep and direct water away from the house, then the prevalent technique to accomplish this typically works. Said another way, the roof doesn't leak. And this is

Flashing: Siding to Stone or Brick

2011-04-11T20:40:00.011-05:00

EnergySmartCustomHomes.com I have seen a lot of houses where siding comes down and meets a brick wainscoting where the flashing job is so poor that it leaves me asking, "Why did they even bother?" The question is rhetorical but I still find myself asking it. The methods I've seen used do little or nothing to stop water from getting behind the veneer, which in this context, is the main

How Ceiling Fans Can Reduce Cooling Cost

2011-04-01T19:00:00.006-05:00

We all have experienced the cooling effect of ceiling fans and in many cases this is why we put ceiling fans in our houses. We like to have the air gently blowing around and making us cooler. And this is exactly what ceiling fans can do. With that said you may not be aware of a few things that can make a big difference in saving money when it comes to using ceiling fans. For instance, did you

Do Programmable Thermostats Save Money?

2011-03-24T21:15:00.013-05:00

I've heard this question a lot and you may have asked this question yourself or a least thought about it; "Do programmable thermostats save money?" Well the short answer is "yes" if the thermostats are used correctly and the thermal envelope of the house has been properly sealed. If the thermal envelope has not been properly sealed there still are benefits but just not as many. Let's assume you

CFLs and Incandescent Lighting

2011-03-08T11:24:00.008-06:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com There are a lot of opinions about compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) and their Edison counterparts, the incandescent light bulb. And you have probably heard a few opinions yourself and probably have some opinions. Well, in this article I'm going to stir clear of opinions by simply taking a look at the differences in energy consumption, lighting ability,

Waterproofing the Shower

2011-02-25T16:14:00.010-06:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com A lot of homes built today have a tiled shower separate from the tub especially in a master suite where jetted tubs are common. Even showers/tub combinations a lot of times have tile on the walls to provide a surface to help protect the under structure from the damage that water can cause. With that said, have you ever seen a shower where

The Cost of Going Green - No Rot Exteriors

2011-02-21T17:23:00.006-06:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com If you owned a house long enough you have probably dealt with rotting wood on the exterior. Where I live and build, the most common areas where you see this rot is around the windows, the fascia board behind the gutters, 2x8 trim boards around the garage, edge trim board where siding meets in a corner...you can continue the list I'm sure. Oh, and when

2x4 or 2x6 Walls?

2011-02-19T09:35:00.012-06:00

EnergySmartCustomHomes.com The question is whether to frame your house with 2x4 or 2x6 walls. The idea is that you will get a much improved insulation package with a 2x6 wall. With a better insulation value you get a payback with a lower utility bill. You may be surprised by this anecdotal information. In the preparing stages of building a house for a client, the question he brought up

Winter House too Dry? Don't blame it on the Furnace.

2011-02-09T21:15:00.017-06:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com We have all experienced the "dry winter house" at sometime in our lives. Along with this you have probably heard someone blame it on the furnace or at least insinuate the furnace was some how involved. Well the furnace is involved but only as an innocent bystander. The real culprit for the "dry winter house" is leaky HVAC ducts and/or a leaky

What is a HERS Score?

2011-01-17T16:15:00.023-06:00

Have you every heard someone talking about the energy efficiency of a home and say something like, "What's the HERS Score..." or "The HERS Score is...."? If you haven't, you will. As we become more and more energy conscious, terms likes this will become common place. Let's take a few minutes to give a brief overview of what a HERS Score is and how it is used. RESNET and HERS Score HERS stands

STRUCTUAL INSULATED PANELS - SIP

2010-07-14T16:16:00.020-05:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com I'm very interested in methods of construction that improves the thermal envelop of a house so when I had the opportunity to build a SIP panel house I was very eager to do so. This particular house's HERS rating is 60. This is an excellent score. If you are interested in some of the specifics that went into the house send me a note and I give you

COOL ROOF SYSTEMS - THE OUTSIDE

2010-07-12T15:11:00.025-05:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com We have looked at the advantages of a radiant roof barrier on the inside of the attic in a previous article on Radiant Roof Decking. Now we will turn our attention to the outside of the roofing system, specifically the roof covering. Before we do that, you may be asking "Why does all this matter?" Well it really comes down to saving money

COOL ROOF SYSTEMS - SHINGLES

2010-06-25T08:37:00.002-05:00

I've been doing some research on cool roofing systems with regards to shingles. I am pulling some information together from DOE Energy Star, EPA and the Oak Ridge National Labratory and will share soon. If there is any specific info you are interested in about cool roof shingles, please ask and I will try to work it into the article. In the mean time try this link from the DOE and check back

RADIANT ROOFING: EMISSIVITY and REFLECTIVITY

2010-06-16T15:36:00.051-05:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com What are the advantages of using radiant roof decking? Does it really make a difference in the attic and home overall? To help answer this, I dusted of my heat transfer book from my engineering college studies in energy systems to find the science behind why and how emissivity and reflectivity of the roofing system really do make a difference.

SEALING THE THERMAL ENVELOPE

2010-06-11T16:55:00.023-05:00

One of the simplest ways to improve the energy efficiency of a home is to seal the thermal envelope. If the air you are paying money to heat or cool stays in the house, then the less you will be paying to heat and cool your house. "Duh" right? But how often does this simple step get left out of the building process? Here are a few items that you should know and expect from your builder

RADIANT ROOF BARRIERS

2010-06-08T18:34:00.043-05:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com How does a shiny roof decking help with energy efficiency? Note the picture to the left of LP TechShield, a product Ruch Builders, LLC uses on their homes. Does this make a difference in the home's comfort? To get to the answer on this we need to know a few things about how thermal energy is transferred. Energy is transferred in three different ways:

HOUSE WRAP

2010-06-04T16:15:00.020-05:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com House wrap is very important in the battle against air and water infiltration and the damage water can cause to your home's structure and indoor air quality. House wrap or an equivalent moisture barrier must be installed over the structural sheathing to provide protection to the wood underneath. Whether your you have siding, brick, stucco, stone, etc.,

TRIVIA QUESTION: FIBERGLASS AS INSULATION

2010-06-04T11:25:00.006-05:00

Does fiberglass serve as a good insulation in regards to sealing up the thermal envelope on a house? I would like your thoughts and feedback as to why or why not.

Installing The Right Windows Correctly

2010-06-04T09:48:00.010-05:00

EnergyEfficientCustomHomes.blogspot.com Windows and Green Building Ruch Builders, LLC As a general rule windows are the most expensive per square foot component in a exterior wall system. Not only because of the cost for the window itself but also for extra labor, proper flashing, and framing and finishing materials required. Add to that the residual energy loss due to the lower