Conservation Comes With Comfort
A couple of months ago, I visited an early adopter of green remodeling in the Bay Area. She has been making changes to her home since over a decade ago, before energy efficiency gets on the minds of most people. Starting in the late 1990’s, she had windows changed to dual pane units, installed attic […]
19 Plants That Can Clean Air In Your Home
A research program in the 1980’s by NASA to keep air fresh in space stations helped discover the role of house plants on indoor air quality. It is well known that plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen through the photosynthesis process. The research showed that many house plants which require low light, also absorb […]
Fun with Holiday LED Lights
A few weeks ago I blogged about LED lights will be more generally accepted because the prices are coming down fast (Click here). In this holiday season, consider having some fun with LED lights. We know that LED lights are 5 times more efficient than incandescent lights and will last 25,000 to 50,000 hours. The […]
The Terry Project: Sustainability Measures
The final step in air sealing the house was to take care of the old flooring in the kitchen area. It turns out that there are gaps between the old floorboard slats. These gaps will be completely taped up to prevent air or moisture moving from the crawlspace into the living space. A new floor […]
Is LED Ready for Prime Time in the Home
Recently, I gave a presentation at Green Business Network about the benefits of green homes. The topic on energy efficient light bulbs came up. CFL’s have been in use for quite a few years and LED is the emerging product. CFL’s can save you 75% of energy compared to incandescent bulb and the bulbs are […]
An Integrated Approach to Home Energy Improvement
As a general contractor and energy assessor, I believe understanding both the local and global impacts of energy consumption are important. As a traditional home builder I have always built with quality craftsmanship. While this served me well for many years, it was not until three years ago that I began to really explore in-depth […]
The Terry Project: Cellulose Insulation and Energy Modeling
The latest work done on Cathy’s house is the application of insulation. They have decided to use blown cellulose to fill the exterior walls and the cathedral ceiling. The cellulose insulation is expected to yield R-13 for the walls and R-38 for the ceiling. The
The Terry Project: Air Sealing, Insulation, Windows
The family room with a vaulted ceiling requires particular attention for insulation. The roof sheathing material is foil faced oriented strand boards (OSB). The foils act as a radiant barrier which will cut down the heat from the hot roof from getting into the living space. Under the radiant barriers, sheet rocks were installed leaving […]