A plethora of new reports indicate that coronavirus is shaping home design trends in the U.S. and globally. Among them, the American Institute of Architects Home Design Trends Survey shows that more outdoor features and flexible spaces are highly desirable. The survey also shows products that improve indoor air quality, thermal moisture control, and energy-efficient homes are growing in popularity.
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Noise levels are one of the top concerns for home shoppers today, according to Realtor.com. While insulation is one of the best ways to reduce unwanted noise in new homes, building codes mostly require that exterior walls be insulated, and it’s not customary for the interior walls of homes to be insulated. Yet, there are compelling advantages for doing so, as anyone who has ever occupied a room next to a bathroom can tell you. With homeowners spending more time indoors, the need for noise mitigation strategies like interior wall insulation is more evident than ever before. Here are two reasons to insulate interior walls.
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The infectious disease and HVAC engineering communities have been grappling with the complexities of COVID-19 transmission for the past nine months. Increased HVAC fresh air has the potential to dilute and remove the aerosol droplet particles of COVID-19 that many experts believe is one of the main sources of transmission. Now the building science community is starting to contribute to the discussion. Insulation Institute talks this week with Paul Grahovac, LEED AP, about the ventilation solution to COVID-19.
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Personal finance website WalletHub just published a new report ranking the 48 contiguous states on home energy efficiency. This report comes during a year when American households have seen energy use soar during the pandemic, with many individuals staying home to avoid infection. WalletHub found that on average, U.S households historically spent at least $2,000 per year on utilities, costs that will likely increase for 2020. Some states fare better in terms of energy efficiency than others. Among the top five states in home energy efficiency: Utah, Minnesota, New York, Colorado, and Wisconsin. The five states at the bottom of the list in terms of energy efficiency are Alabama (44), Georgia (45), Tennessee (46), Louisiana (47), and South Carolina (48).
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Today marks the 5th Annual Energy Efficiency Day (#EEDay2020), established by advocate groups around the United States to highlight the benefits of energy efficiency (for a full list, see here). Hundreds of companies, organizations, utilities, and governments representing tens of millions of people will take part in #EEDay2020 by encouraging Americans to support energy efficiency efforts, which save money, cut pollution, create jobs, and much more. Among the most important activities to undertake to increase energy efficiency is to insulate. Here are three facts about insulation and energy efficiency:
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RESNET announced this week that its analysis of the top 200 U.S. home builders in 2019 shows more builders are constructing HERS homes, and of all homes built by the top 200 builders, 39 percent received a HERS rating last year. Other impressive numbers from the analysis show:
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As lumber costs skyrocket across the country, driven by strong homebuilding numbers and residential and commercial renovation projects, cost containment measures become more important for home builders. One effective way to reduce lumber use is advanced framing and it comes with the added benefits of optimized energy efficiency and structural integrity. Yet the shift from traditional to advanced framing can be daunting for some because change is hard. Getting started with online training that focuses on incremental shifts in construction practices that are part of advanced framing techniques may ease the learning curve.
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Taking Performance to a Whole New Level
North American Passive House Network last month named Ken Levenson, co-founder of 475 Performance, as its new Executive Director. Levenson, an architect by trade, is a longtime advocate of building science and an
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star program is set to conduct its annual “Rule Your Attic” promotional campaign beginning next month. The campaign educates consumers about the importance of air sealing and insulation by encouraging homeowners to measure their attic insulation and add more if needed.
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Would it surprise you to learn that among the top 10 reasons cited for a failing a final new residential home inspection is missing insulation in the attic access or floor? Improperly installed insulation is an inconvenient problem that can be fixed relatively easily, but insulation that’s completely missing on a final inspection can cost additional time and money for the builder. There’s a simple solution to avoiding this: a checklist and quality control review before final inspection.
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