Insulation Institute Blog

Posts By: Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd

Incremental Steps to Advanced Framing

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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Incremental Steps to Advanced Framing

Rule Your Attic to Begin Sept. 14

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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Rule Your Attic to Begin Sept. 14

Two Really Avoidable Insulation Gaffes

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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Two Really Avoidable Insulation Gaffes

Home Energy Efficiency Data Can Sway Buyers

In real estate, the mantra of top sales professionals is “location, location, location.” While location is of course key, a new report from the American Council on an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) provides a proof point that increasingly, home energy efficiency can also drive home buying decisions. ACEEE’s research shows that including home energy efficiency scores online in real estate listings would lead buyers to choose a more energy-efficient home with lower energy costs. Home builders and sellers who don’t leverage this information could be missing a key opportunity to demonstrate their value proposition.

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Home Energy Efficiency Data Can Sway Buyers

Pandemic Could Drive Net Zero Construction

Pandemic May Drive Zero Energy Construction

iStock-916028432-1-1An increasing number of states and municipal governments are considering more stringent energy efficiency goals into their updated building codes. For example, new residential construction in several locales within Colorado must comply with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home program. While Colorado may be on the leading edge, states that have targeted carbon reduction are ramping up efforts to move to more stringent building codes. The pandemic may accelerate that activity.

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Pandemic Could Drive Net Zero Construction

How to Nurture Workforce Development

Even as the home building industry sees a record surge in sales, it still faces a tough challenge with labor for the foreseeable future. Novel approaches to attracting young people into the trades and efforts like North Carolina Building Performance Association (NCBPA’s) workforce development initiative may ultimately be the catalyst to solving significant workforce challenges. In this third and final of a three-part blog series, we look at why and how state and national organizations can get involved with these initiatives.

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How to Nurture Workforce Development

Seeds for Workforce Success

While the terms sustainable, energy-efficient, and green building are broadly used to describe construction that centers on Building Performance, there’s no national program that focuses on career development in Building Performance. That’s why North Carolina Building Performance Association (NCBPA) Founder and CEO Ryan Miller is investing heavily in developing the Building Performance workforce in the state.

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Seeds for Workforce Success

Developing Careers in Building Performance

Eighteen months ago, Insulation Institute spoke with North Carolina Building Performance Association (NCBPA) Founder & CEO, Ryan Miller, about a comprehensive Building Performance workforce development initiative that could serve as a model for other states and organizations in recruiting workers into the Building Performance trades. The initiative

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Developing Careers in Building Performance