Unlike traditional stick-frame houses, houses constructed using structural insulated panels, insulating concrete forms, and concrete block insulation literally have the insulation built into their walls. Therefore, these houses usually have superior insulating qualities and levels. If you’d prefer to build a stick-frame house, you should consider using advanced wall framing techniques. These techniques improve the [...]
Posts Tagged ‘insulation’
Cathedral Ceiling Insulation
Properly insulating your cathedral ceilings will help reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. Insulated ceilings allow ceiling temperatures to remain closer to room temperatures, providing an even temperature distribution throughout the house. Before insulating or deciding whether to add insulation to your cathedral ceilings, first see our information about [...]
Duct Insulation
Properly insulating air ducts located in unconditioned spaces such as attics, crawl spaces, garages, or unfinished basements can help improve your home’s energy efficiency. Air ducts supply conditioned air from your space heating and cooling equipment to your living spaces. They also return an equal volume of air back to the equipment to be conditioned [...]
Attic Insulation
Properly insulating and air sealing your attic will help reduce your energy bills. Attics are often one of the easiest places in a house to insulate, especially if you’d like to add insulation. Before insulating or deciding whether to add insulation to your attic, first see our information about adding insulation to an existing house [...]
Where to Insulate in a Home
For energy efficiency, your home should be properly insulated from the roof down to its foundation. This includes the following areas: * Attic spaces o Attic access doors to unfinished attics o Knee walls in finished attics * Ducts in unconditioned spaces * Cathedral ceilings * Exterior walls * Floors above unheated garages * Foundations [...]
Selecting Insulation for New Home Construction
Your state and local building codes probably include minimum insulation requirements, but to build an energy-efficient home, you may need or want to exceed them. For maximum energy efficiency, you should also consider the interaction between the insulation and other building components. This is called the whole-house systems design approach. To properly insulate a new [...]
Purpose of Ventilation
Your home needs ventilation—the exchange of indoor air with outdoor air—to reduce indoor pollutants, moisture, and odors. Contaminants such as formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, and radon can accumulate in poorly ventilated homes, causing health problems. Excess moisture in a home can generate high humidity levels. High humidity levels can lead to mold growth and structural [...]
Detecting Air Leaks
You may already know where some air leakage occurs in your home, such as an under-the-door draft, but you’ll need to find the less obvious gaps to properly air seal your home. For a thorough and accurate measurement of air leakage in your home, hire a qualified technician to conduct an energy audit, particularly a [...]
Attic Energy Savers
* If you’re in the market for new windows, consider high-efficiency alternatives. Look for the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) label, an independent industry rating system for the energy performance of windows, doors, and skylights. * Look for windows made of low emissivity—or “low-E”—glass. Low-E glass has a special thin coating that lets in light, [...]