Last week we talked about winter maintenance, and these frigid temperatures (and rolling power blackouts) made me start thinking about energy efficiency, especially when it comes to heating and cooling your home.
Most of us think about ‘air conditioning’ as what keeps our homes cool during the hot summer months – but conditioned air involves heating, cooling, humidity, ventilation and any modification that affects the condition of the air. We’ve seen a lot of improvements over the past ten years or so in appliances, insulation, and building techniques that give you the ability to make your home well conditioned and energy efficient at the same time.
Remember your grandmother’s Dearborn heater? Dearborn heaters are 99% fuel-efficient, using radiant and convection heat to warm up a single room without the need for a venting system. Today, we have learned a great deal about how to keep your entire home comfortable while saving both money and energy.
The evolution of building science is very exciting! One of the greatest breakthroughs we have seen in residential construction is the ability to create an envelope of tight, conditioned air – one of the best ways to maximize efficiency.
Before your new home is bricked and insulated, we can actually test the entire structure for leaks and weak spots. Once the doors and windows are installed, we set up a blower door in the front of the house – a special door with a pressurized fan that test the tightness of the home and exposes any holes or drafts that aren’t visible by a sight inspection.
By sealing leaks before the home is even finished, we prevent problems that might be hard to spot after you move in. Leaks and poorly vented openings cause fluctuations in temperature and air pressure and make your appliances and systems work harder to stabilize the air.
The next step – insulation – is critical, and deciding which type of insulation best suits your budget and lifestyle will be one of the most important decisions you’ll make in the building process.
Many homes still use batt insulation, also called blanket insulation. Batt insulation is made of up of ‘blankets’ or rolls of fiber, usually fiberglass. Batt insulation can work well, as long as it is installed properly; and we’ve found that it’s hard to install batt insulation perfectly. Cellulose insulation that is blown into open cavities is the next step up - it works a little more effectively than batt, but still relies on dead air space to work efficiently.
The top of the line insulation – in both price and efficiency – is spray polyurethane foam. An expanding foam is sprayed directly on slabs, wall cavities and through holes drilled into completed walls. The foam expands to fill in tight spaces and can also increase the stability of the structure and help with sound insulation.
We’ve used spray foam in several houses now, and I really recommend taking a good look at how this technique can work for you. I like to think of it as building a Styrofoam ice chest around your home that creates perfect indoor conditioning once the process is finished and the lid is sealed shut. Foam insulation conditions the entire living space and keeps it at a stable, moderate temperature throughout, giving you the most energy efficient and affordable conditioning available.
If you have looked into spray foam as an option, and stopped short because of the price, consider a few key points:
· You’ll eliminate the need for radiant barriers
· Your investment provides a higher performing home than any other
· Your monthly gas and electric bills will decrease
· You may be able to install a lower ton, less expensive HVAC unit
· You’ll recoup your initial cost and then some if you plan to stay more than five years
Spray foam is expensive, but it is a superb product that will pay you back in five to seven years.
Keeping your home completely sealed and conditioned is one of the top green building techniques you and your builder can integrate into your new home’s design, offering great value and comfort for an investment that is good for the environment and will continue to save you money year over year.
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