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tag: energy efficiency
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Home Energy-Efficiency Upgrades for Beginners
Advice for homeowners: Inspect your house for these common energy problems to get a better idea on where your money is best spent
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Ventilation Strategies for Houses in the Hot-Humid South: Good/Better/Best
Build tight, ventilate right. I learned that from building science guru Mark LaLiberte. But what is the right way to ventilate a house in Texas (or anywhere in the hot/humid South)? I'll give you my recommendations for three strategies.
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Flashing A Recessed Window using Liquid Tyvek
1 commentFlashing a recessed window is tricky, this new product from DuPont Tyvek called Fluid Applied (Liquid Tyvek!) makes the process much simpler. In this jobsite video we will take you through the steps to form a water tight, air tight, and vapor permeable window install.
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How to Air-Seal Doors and Windows with a Spray-Foam Gun
4 commentsRemodeling contractor Mike Sloggatt demonstrates how to use a professional spray-sealant gun to make this patio door (or any door) more energy efficient
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Using Polyethylene as an Air Barrier
2 commentsAlthough polyethylene sheeting has fallen out of favor as a vapor retarder in most wall and ceiling assemblies, opinion is mixed on whether it can be used as an air barrier
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Insulating an Old House from the Outside
4 commentsA 50-year-old house is about to get an overhaul that will include new sheathing, siding and wall insulation, but the owner is sweating the details
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Framing with Energy in Mind - We're Still Missing the Boat!
10 commentsThere's a raised ranch house going up next door to my house in Plainville, CT. The 7-man framing crew finished their work today, so I snuck over after work to peek at the quality of their work. I...
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Ice Dams, Can Lights, Wet Walls, and Water Damage
23 commentsIt's the time of year that I watch my neighbor across the street pulls out her roof rake and begin raking her roof. Now it you all knew my neighbor, you might think nothing of it. This is the lady...
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Finally, a foam gun that will last (I hope)
10 commentsYears ago, I grew tired of spending money on disposable cans of spray foam. With the exception of some of the newer multi-use throw-away cans (see a video here), I knew the reusable spray foam guns...
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Does Rigid Foam Insulation Trap Moisture in the Walls?
9 commentsYou can seriously cut your home's demand for energy by adding rigid insulation, but will wrapping your home with foam cause the walls to rot?
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Zero-Energy Homes Start With Air-sealing, Insulation, and Weatherproofing
16 commentsBasements, walls, and roofs that keep weather out and heat in are the foundation of a durable, energy-efficient home. Read this introduction to how heat, air, and water move and how to control them.
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What a damp basement can do to brick
Some science-savy builders help an editor understand what's causing the base of an old chimney to deteriorate.
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Flashing Windows in Walls with Exterior XPS Insulating Sheathing
2 commentsThe exterior insulation adds thermal efficiency. Perhaps even more important, in our marine climate, our code (Portland, OR) then allows us to omit the interior vapor barrier, and we can build...
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Gas Fireplaces: Direct Vent vs. Vent-Free
7 commentsIf you don't have a chimney through which to route the flue for a gas fireplace, you have two options: direct vent, and vent-free. But the choice is more fiercely debated than it seems.
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On stimulus handouts and bargain-seeking brides
3 commentsSome builders argue with Marc Rosenbaum when he reports the results of a blower-door test. He tells them the air changes per hour at 50 pascals, and they roll their eyes and say...
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Greenest siding on the planet, among other things
2 commentsYesterday started at 6:00 am with a 3-mile run on the Vegas Strip, and it ended around 1:00 am this morning when my computer froze up as I was trying to post this blog. I lost what I had written and...
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How to Paint Fiber-Cement Siding
Painter Jim Lacey shares some tips for caulking and painting fiber-cement siding. read more
