Which is the more cost-effective method of reaching energy code requirements, saving energy or generating it with solar panels on-site? According to a new report, the answer is clear.
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Fixr.com recently published its 2019 Energy-Efficient Home Design Trends Report. The study’s authors interviewed 25 experts in the home design industry to peg upcoming trends in energy-efficient home features, design, and building trends. These experts have a pulse on what consumers want in design but are also savvy about energy efficiency and its importance to home buyers.
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Building professionals across the country acknowledge one of the central challenges facing construction today is recruiting talented tradespeople. Ryan Miller, Founder and Executive Director of North Carolina Building Performance Association (NCBPA), a five-year-old not-for-profit association, is working on a solution: a toolkit of career resources for individuals interested in joining the high-performance building industry as a tradesperson. The resources will help guide students and others interested in the trades on the various career pathways in high-performance residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.
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With 27 years’ experience as an insulation contractor in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area, Cardice Howard’s knowledge base about energy-efficient home construction is extensive. She’s seen that builders who work collaboratively with all trades achieve the best results, a better HERS score, and the desired home energy efficiency or air tightness targets. Leveraging her experience as an insulation contractor will be vital as she steps into her role as the Acting Deputy Director of Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET®), where she will work with raters to help builders construct more high-performance, energy-efficient homes.
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With 2018 coming to a close, we reviewed the most read blog posts of the year. Air sealing was our most popular topic. With more states adopting stronger energy codes, readers were very interested in how to use high-performance building practices and proper air sealing to achieve new air tightness targets.
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If technology is a bullet train, home building is a bicycle. Technological changes occur at a dizzying pace, but the main design of the bicycle – like that of a home, has changed very little in centuries. However, while home design principles haven’t changed much, architects and builders have more knowledge than ever before of building science and how it can improve building durability and performance.
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While only two U.S. states currently have a mandated goal of zero net energy (ZNE) home construction after 2020, Oregon and California, it’s becoming increasingly clear that ZNE homes will be much more prevalent in the not-too-distant future as states and municipalities look for ways to reduce carbon emissions and ultimately mitigate the impact of climate change. In fact, 280 U.S. cities and counties, 10 states and 2,717 signatories have committed to support climate action with the We are Still In agreement, which aims to reduce climate impact by among other things, lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
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An average of 22 subcontractors are involved in the construction of a new home.[1] With dozens of people involved, there can be a lot of confusion about whose job air sealing is, particularly if details aren’t spelled out within the scope of work or aren’t communicated effectively.
Ensuring that new construction homes are properly air sealed often means communicating with all trades so that they understand their respective roles in achieving airtightness targets. How you communicate the requirements may differ, but there are some commonalities that top builders have when it comes to assuring air sealing success.
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Fiberglass insulations received a ringing endorsement in a recent report by Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) that examines the health impacts of materials used in weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades for low-income multifamily housing stock.
The report reviews the materials used in these retrofits and ranks products – including various types of insulation – from least to most hazardous. According to the report, fiberglass insulations are among “the best insulation materials from a health perspective….and we recommend their use whenever possible.”
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What was a lofty philanthropic effort by actor Brad Pitt has morphed into a disastrous example of how poor construction of affordable, energy-efficient housing can negatively impact homeowners and put the builder and building designer in a precarious position.
NOLA.COM reported this week that in 2007, two years after Hurricane Katrina, Make it Right Foundation, organized by Pitt, set a goal of constructing 150 energy efficient, sustainable and affordable homes for residents of Louisiana’s devastated Lower Ninth Ward. The foundation constructed 109 homes, but just 11 years after the start of construction, reports say that some homes have issues including rotting wood, mold growth, dangerous air quality, and rusty sockets. The majority of the homes are currently unoccupied and some have been demolished.
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