tag: energy efficiency

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The Professor's House

RYagid, senior editor | March 28th, 2012

A University of Oregon professor designed her family home to respect its steep, natural setting.

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How to Live with Radiant-Floor Heat

ScottG, contributing writer | March 26th, 20122 comments

Radiant-floor heating systems often include concrete slab floors, a combination that should produce steady temperatures without the frequent ups and downs of forced-air systems. But there's a catch: because the slab is slower to respond to changes in temperature, whether to turn down the thermostat at night becomes more than a simple question.

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A New Roof is an Opportunity to Add More Insulation

ScottG, contributing writer | March 20th, 2012

A homeowner in Baltimore needs to replace the built-up asphalt roof on his house, and wonders how to insulate it effectively at the same time

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What's the Best Way to Install Rainscreen Siding?

ScottG, contributing writer | March 9th, 20121 comment

A builder planning a new house plans to include a rainscreen, an exterior detail that separates the sheathing from the finish cladding with furring strips. He'd like to install the furring horizontally instead of in the more typical vertical orientation. Is that a problem?

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How to Store Solar Energy Under a Concrete Slab

ScottG, contributing writer | March 6th, 20121 comment

Some builders have successfully experimented with storing heat in a thick layer of sand under a slab and using the insulated thermal mass for heat. But skeptics still think the idea is mostly hot air.

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Pier & Beam vs Slab Foundations

Matt Risinger, Blogger | February 16th, 2012

In the South there are two main foundation types. Concrete Piers with Wooden beams that elevate the house above the ground, and concrete slab foundations that sit on the ground. In this video I'm discussion the merits of these two options with Building Science expert Mark LaLiberte.

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Protecting a SIPs Roof From Decay

ScottG, contributing writer | February 7th, 20122 comments

Structural insulated panels do an excellent job of keeping energy losses to a minimum, but they're also susceptible to moisture damage unless detailed correctly

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Midwestern Modern

RYagid, senior editor | February 6th, 2012

An efficient, modern home sits lightly on its steeply sloping lot

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Should Rafters be Encapsulated by Spray-Foam?

ScottG, contributing writer | January 30th, 20122 comments

Even experts continue to be confused about the permissible thickness of foam insulation sprayed onto the underside of a roof deck

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CT Zero Energy Challenge Announces 2010-11 Winners

FHB_Building_News, contributor | January 25th, 20121 comment

Prizes honor projects for energy efficiency, affordability, and low projected operating costs

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Weighing the Merits of Spray-Foam Insulation

ScottG, contributing writer | January 23rd, 20121 comment

A homeowner looking to upgrade the insulation in his 90-year-old Cape is thinking about contracting for spray-in foam. But he's got conflicting advice from installers and wonders whether closed-cell or open-cell foam is the way to go.

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CT Zero Energy Challenge Announces 2010-11 Winners

FHB_Building_News, contributor | January 19th, 20122 comments

ZEC prizes honor projects for energy efficiency, affordability, and low projected operating costs

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House Crashers and EnvironmentalLights.com Transform Fourth Home Renovation Together

environmentallights, member | January 17th, 2012

EnvironmentalLights.com featured in its fourth episode of House Crashers, a hit TV show on the DIY Network EnvironmentalLights.com, a leading source for high-quality, energy-efficient LED lighting...

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The Smart Meter's Contentious Opponents

FHB_Building_News, contributor | January 12th, 20125 comments

They still remain very much in the minority, but anti-smart-meter groups are prompting investigations and continue to voice concerns about security and safety

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Does Super-Insulation Make Sense in New Orleans?

ScottG, contributing writer | January 9th, 20123 comments

A winning design for an energy-efficient house in the Deep South sparks a conversation on whether high R-values can make a house harder to cool.

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Canada's Solar and NZE Power Play

FHB_Building_News, contributor | January 8th, 2012

A solar simulator and a research initiative at Concordia University in Montreal focus on solar energy applications and strategies for bringing building performance to net zero energy

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Opportunity Accompanies Objections to Green Habitat Project

FHB_Building_News, contributor | January 7th, 20122 comments

Neighbors have stalled a 35-unit subdivision of energy efficient dwellings, but the delay gives a Habitat chapter time to refine its green building technique

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Seattle Homeowners Build an Affordable Net-Zero-Energy House

FHB_Building_News, contributor | January 4th, 20124 comments

One couple’s quest for energy efficiency leads them to a relatively low-cost approach to design and construction

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The PV/Solar-Thermal Switch-up

FHB_Building_News, contributor | December 30th, 2011

As the cost of photovoltaic panels has declined, some developers of utility-scale renewable-energy power projects originally designed for solar thermal have been shifting to PV

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Weatherization's Home-Stretch Recovery

FHB_Building_News, contributor | December 27th, 20111 comment

Even though the expanded Weatherization Assistance Program struggled out of the gate – and can always be improved – it has produced encouraging, credible results

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