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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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Indoor-Air Quality and Ventilation for Homes in Hot-Humid Climates
2 commentsThe weather in the Southern United States poses a unique challenge to the issues of ventilation and indoor-air quality. Here are my opinions and suggestions on how to address these issues if you are building or remodeling in the South.
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How to Do Everything: The Energy Nerd's Greatest Hits
1 commentIf you plan to design, build, or remodel an energy efficient house, Energy Nerd Martin Holladay's collection of how-to articles is a must-read
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High-Performance Homes Dos & Don'ts: Mark LaLiberte Seminar Notes
2 commentsMark LaLiberte is an amazing building-science teacher. Read my blogging notes from his seminar titled "Building High-Performance Homes Dos & Don'ts," which I attended in Austin, Texas. Remember that this is focused on Texas construction, but there is plenty to learn here for anyone in the U.S.
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Airtight Wall and Roof Sheathing
13 commentsIn the early 1970s, residential builders knew almost nothing about air tightness. Nowadays, there's plenty of data showing why it's so important to air-seal houses.
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Insulating an Advanced-Framed House - A Hybrid Approach
10 commentsInsulation advertisements would lead you to believe there products are perfect for every situation. In fact a hybrid approach is more likely to yield the high performance home I'm after. See this video to see how I used three types of insulation on this new Advanced Framed House I'm building in Austin Texas. -Matt Risinger
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Advanced vs Traditional Framing
6 commentsAdvanced Framing isn't all that difficult and the benefits can be tremendous. In this video I'll show you a traditionally framed house and compare that to an Advanced Framed house.
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Texas Deep-Energy Retrofit Remodel
When you hear about a deep energy retrofit project most people think of the snowy North Eastern US. I can tell you that the strategy for a Northern remodel with energy efficiency in mind is very different that our strategy for Hot/Humid Texas. In this video I'll show you 6 things we are doing to making a dramatic difference in this 1950's slab on grade house's energy bills.
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Smart Design Advice for Hot & Humid Climates (i.e. The South)
Architect Peter Pfeiffer talks about how to utilize smart design for a house in a hot climate zone. His green building advice is practical and following his advice will result in a house that's well designed for the rigors of a hot climate. If you want a comfortable, efficient, durable house and you live in the South then this video will give you tons to think about.
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The Downside of Using Structural Steel
2 commentsA Seattle homeowner worries that steel I-beams used to support cantilevered floors in this modernist design will wick in cold temperatures from the outside
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Russia's First "Active House" Gets a Test Drive
A Danish solar-panel company teams up with a Russian developer to build a home designed to showcase net-zero-energy performance
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Best Attic for Hot/Humid Climates
Most houses in Hot/Humid climates don't have basements so that means that most ductwork in Southern house runs through super hot attic spaces. In this video I'll show you a rather civilized attic space that really makes for a comfortable & efficient house!
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PODCAST: Five Big Holes in your House That Suck Energy Out
4 commentsAn 1/8th inch crack along a window doesn't seem like much to worry about, but a 1/8th in. crack running the length of your house amounts to a hole bigger than a half sheet of plywood. If...
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One view of the net-zero energy frontier
A white paper explores how builders, manufacturers, and government entities can develop the market for projects designed for net-zero-energy performance
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Building a radon-resistant home.
1 commentWhat is deadly and might be lurking in your basement? No, not a Ninja (well probably not), in most cases it is Radon. And it is important to know what Radon is and how to ensure it isn't a threat to your household. From building to testing, I will share what I learned about Radon while building my house.
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Creating an Urban Oasis: A Green Live-Work Space Blooms on a Gritty City Lot
4 commentsRecycled shipping containers, energy-scrimping details and a sophisticated design sense create a handsome urban compound in a transitional neighborhood.
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Radiant Barriers for Exterior Walls
4 commentsYou always hear about radiant barriers for roofs but why not treat your walls the same way? In this video you'll see how we're using a foil facing on our South & West facing unshaded masonry walls.
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How to Make a 1930s Bungalow Cozy
A bungalow in northern Massachusetts has been renovated twice in the last 10 years but still has a major weakness when it comes to energy efficiency: an uninsulated field stone basement and a furnace and air handler located in an unconditioned attic.
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What's Worse: Air Leaks or Not Enough Insulation
3 commentsAl Cobb's goal is simple: Build better houses and help consumers make better choices. To do that more effectively, he wants to understand the root causes of heat loss a little better. Are air leaks or low insulation levels the real culprit?
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Can You Add Rigid-Foam Insulation On the Inside of a Wall?
8 commentsLeaving exterior walls intact during a kitchen remodel, a builder has a plan for boosting the insulation and getting a good air seal by applying rigid foam on the inside.
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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
