Home Page link

Looking for Energy Efficiency Information

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Building Construction - Building Construction Industry Discussions. 

Page 1 of 3       1 2 3 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Looking for Energy Efficiency Information Frank Taco 01-26-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by Frank Taco on January 26, 2007, 1:03 am
I'm considering building a new home on an empty lot next to my existing
home. It would be my new residence and I would sell the home I am in
now. Since the existing home is old and very inefficient, I am
particularly interested in building a very energy efficient home. I am
just beginning to research energy efficient construction methods and
and hoping that some of you can steer me toward some websites that will
help educate me on energy efficient construction methods and materials.

Thanks in advance for your help.


Posted by DAC on January 26, 2007, 9:38 am
Frank,

You don't mention where you live, and what types of thing specifically
you have to work through. For example, I'm in Iowa and the house I
just built is out in the middle of a field. The wind is horrible, so
it's important to me to have a house that's very tight, and control the
air exchange with a air-to-air unit. I built with ICF, considerd SIPS
but choose not to, the dealer ended up being an a$$, his loss.

What kind of heating load will you have? Is the radiant barrier in the
attic an option for you? Do you have room for geo thermal? If so, is
it really the way you want to go? I didn't use geo since the payoff
with ICF is almost at the expected life of the geo unit. Do you want
radiant heat in the floor, if so, there's some very specific things to
do that will help with efficency.

Check out the Building Sciences and Oak Ridge National Labs research
work. Is there a university close, check with their Extension office
on the latest research driven methods. Go to the home shows with your
eyes wide open...lots of ideas...but also lots of crap and everyone has
the best product. Vinyl window/sidning salesmen are great...but I
wouldn't have either. It's a choice.

My point here is many will have answers, and it's your job to pick an
choose what will work for you. I think there's many quality products
out there, and you just have to be diligent and start googling your way
around.

I'm still working on our house that my wife and I are building, and we
started with many of the same questions you have...so I've been where
you are not long ago. We'll be drywalling next Tuesday...so that's a
great milestone to hit. We've done ALL the work ourselves, including
the ICF's. Wouldn't have it anyother way.

Reply back with additional information or off line and I'll be happy to
share what I've picked up along the way.

Good luck,

DAC


> I'm considering building a new home on an empty lot next to my existing
> home. It would be my new residence and I would sell the home I am in
> now. Since the existing home is old and very inefficient, I am
> particularly interested in building a very energy efficient home. I am
> just beginning to research energy efficient construction methods and
> and hoping that some of you can steer me toward some websites that will
> help educate me on energy efficient construction methods and materials.
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.


Posted by Bill on January 27, 2007, 12:04 pm
Good idea since energy prices seem to keep going up, up, up!

Of course you would want thicker walls and more insulation. The higher the
R-Value the better. And windows can be double or triple pane.

An electric water heater can be 30% of an electric bill. Might want to check
out solar water heating systems. Search google.com for solar water heating.

Then new Energy Star heating systems can be so efficient, the flue is PVC
plastic and not metal!

Here is a good site for saving energy in general (Energy Star)...
http://www.energystar.gov

Then searching google.com for Energy Star homes gets a ton of web sites...
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Energy+Star+homes

A search for Energy Star windows gets a lot of sites as well...
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Energy+Star+windows&btnG=Google+Search

Energy Star appliances...
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Energy+Star+appliances&btnG=Google+Search

Energy Star heating...
http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&safe=off&q=Energy+Star+heating&btnG=Search


"Frank Taco" wrote in message
> I'm considering building a new home on an empty lot next to my existing
> home. It would be my new residence and I would sell the home I am in
> now. Since the existing home is old and very inefficient, I am
> particularly interested in building a very energy efficient home. I am
> just beginning to research energy efficient construction methods and
> and hoping that some of you can steer me toward some websites that will
> help educate me on energy efficient construction methods and materials.
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>



Posted by RickR on January 28, 2007, 4:13 pm
Also look at your utilities, at least for links and ideas.
I have delt with:

http://www.avistautilities.com/
http://www.energycodes.gov/
http://www.energy.wsu.edu/
http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/index.html
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/
http://www.newbuildings.org/
http://hes.lbl.gov/
http://advisor.lbl.gov/
http://www.eebestpractices.com/

Those will get you a long way. Of course they have more links...

Richard Reid, LC


> Good idea since energy prices seem to keep going up, up, up!
>
> Of course you would want thicker walls and more insulation. The higher the
> R-Value the better. And windows can be double or triple pane.
>
> An electric water heater can be 30% of an electric bill. Might want to check
> out solar water heating systems. Search google.com for solar water heating.
>
> Then new Energy Star heating systems can be so efficient, the flue is PVC
> plastic and not metal!
>
> Here is a good site for saving energy in general (Energy
Star)...http://www.energystar.gov
>
> Then searching google.com for Energy Star homes gets a ton of web
sites...http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Energy+Star+homes
>
> A search for Energy Star windows gets a lot of sites as
well...http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Energy+Star+windows&btnG=Google+...
>
> Energy Star
appliances...http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Energy+Star+appliances&btnG=Goog...
>
> Energy Star
heating...http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&safe=off&q=Energy+Star+heat...
>
>
>
> "Frank Taco" wrote in message
> > I'm considering building a new home on an empty lot next to my existing
> > home. It would be my new residence and I would sell the home I am in
> > now. Since the existing home is old and very inefficient, I am
> > particularly interested in building a very energy efficient home. I am
> > just beginning to research energy efficient construction methods and
> > and hoping that some of you can steer me toward some websites that will
> > help educate me on energy efficient construction methods and materials.
>
> > Thanks in advance for your help.- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -


Posted by StLouisMike on January 28, 2007, 11:07 am

Frank Taco wrote:
> I'm considering building a new home on an empty lot next to my existing
> home. It would be my new residence and I would sell the home I am in
> now. Since the existing home is old and very inefficient, I am
> particularly interested in building a very energy efficient home. I am
> just beginning to research energy efficient construction methods and
> and hoping that some of you can steer me toward some websites that will
> help educate me on energy efficient construction methods and materials.
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.

We're just finishing our first full year in our SIP home and I am=20
very, very impressed with it's efficiency. We used 4" exterior walls=20
(urethane, not styrofoam; better R value and nicer esthetics I=20
believe) and 6" roof panels (rather than 8" which the polylstyrene=20
would require for similar R value). We have a 110,000 BTU 90+ Energy=20
Star furnace (RUUD), and only a single zone 3 Ton AC for 3,800+ sq ft.=20
We are on track for paying $350-$400 in total heating costs this=20
winter (at $1.667/gal). When it's partly sunny and at least 50=B0 and=20
no cooler than 38-40=B0 at night, the house gets up to 75 - 77=B0 and we=20
can usually go without the furnace all night due to the incredibly low=20
heat loss even though we have an abundance of glass on one wall. The=20
windows are low E, argon filled. The balance of the house is electric=20
including 80 gal hot water energy star Kenmore, well pump, etc. etc.=20
Electric runs $65 (Oct) - $210 (July) per month.

Link for more details and photos of construction (not elaborate;=20
single page to give you an overall idea of the construction):

http://home.earthlink.net/~mikefrandson/NewHouseRelease.htm

One other suggestion is to research everything and leave no question=20
unasked. Good luck!

StLousMike


Page 1 of 3       1 2 3 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
Re: New WTC Information September 8, 2006, 3:54 pm
High-Energy Mixing Concrete January 23, 2007, 9:29 pm
Water Heater Energy Factor December 28, 2007, 9:30 am
Important Information November 14, 2006, 8:02 am
Infrared Thermometer for finding energy leaks October 23, 2007, 8:22 pm
Free Information website October 4, 2007, 3:24 pm
Free Window Treatment Information. November 16, 2007, 1:54 pm
GEF Renewable Energy Market Transformation Project in South Africa June 30, 2007, 12:33 pm
Information On Any Subject FREE From the Green Machine September 24, 2006, 3:52 pm
Information required about the Sound Masking industry June 6, 2007, 5:02 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap