In our on-going series of posts on the home construction methods I used in my current home, we finally discuss probably the most important strategy I used — spraying foam insulation instead of using fiberglass or cellulose insulation.
First, why choose foam insulation? Compared to standard fiberglass insulation, both cellulose and foam insulation provide superior performance. [...]
I’m sure most of you, like me, have climbed into your attic on a hot day. Here in Arkansas on a hot August day, temperatures in a normal attic can reach 130 degrees. I know — several years ago, we had our HVAC system replaced in August. The workers were understandably miserable in the stagnant [...]
Continuing our discussion on the energy-saving features we put into our house, today I’ll talk about the windows we used.
In the first installment of this series, I discussed the framing techniques we used. For a full list of the energy saving techniques we used, read the overview post.
Windows
For all the windows in our home, we [...]
In my research on insulation for our new home, I stumbled upon the concept of “California T’s & Corners”. The concept refers to framing techniques that allow for exterior walls to be better insulated than with common framing methods. Here’s how it works:
Wood is a poor insulator. In your walls, studs are located every 16″. [...]
I mentioned in a previous post that we built a house 2 years ago utilizing several construction techniques that have helped us save 40% - 50% on our energy bills over other, traditionally built homes in our area. The methods we used were easy to implement and provided a quick payback. In an ongoing series [...]
Almost three years ago, my wife and I began designing our current home. As we started the process, energy prices started rising. I started researching ways to build our home in a way that would lower our energy bills. I became frustrated because the articles I read seemed to talk about methods that were too expensive or “over [...]
With more people making the decision to invest in energy efficient homes, I’ve been reading more about energy efficient mortgages. Also called Green Mortgages, home owners are able to finance energy saving upgrades and pay for them over the life of the loan while enjoying lower utility bills.
Why would a bank want to make a [...]