Archive of posts tagged insulation
Want A Warm Floor?
A friend of mine recently had some renovation done for her one-story house, including replacing the flooring. The energy-conscious contractor sealed the perimeter of the concrete slab to cut off any air from infiltrating. Next he placed a layer of water barrier over the concrete to stop moisture from rising. He then placed a layer […]
Selecting High Performance Windows
There are over 100 million homes and approximately 20 billion square feet of clear glass residential windows in the U.S. Most of these homes are more than 30 years old, and as a result, the market is growing for replacement windows with energy efficient insulating glass units (IGUs). High performance options are now readily available […]
Easy Steps to Reduce Energy Use before Renewables
Distributed renewable generation systems such as solar electric and solar hot water systems are great ways to get clean energy. The price of these systems, in particular solar electric systems, has come down in prices so much in recent years that homeowners may want to consider installing them. While the energy generated is clean, the […]
What to Look For When Greening Your Bathroom Remodel
For a green bathroom remodel, you may want to consider the following: Replace
Air Sealing
The pictures here show very clearly the common spots where warm air from inside the house can leak outside and cold air from outside can leak inside. Leaks from ducts will not only waste money in heating or cooling, but will also introduce undesirable air into the living spaces from attics and crawlspaces which are […]
Das Haus Is Coming, Das Haus Is Coming
Germany has been advocating a “passive house” standard for super energy efficient homes. The Germans are well known for their striving toward advanced technologies and manufacturing perfection. Building durable homes is no exception. In a nutshell, a passive home is tightly sealed, well-insulated, and equipped with high efficiency windows and doors. A 1500 square feet […]
Energy Efficiency Rises from the Ashes
My story started six years ago in Moraga, California. All was well. The kids were out of the house, two on their own and one in college. Work was good. All the saving and planning was paying off. We had saved enough to do the kitchen remodel that we planned years for. With me doing […]
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 […]