To learn why we use Roxul Insulation (Stone Wool Insulation), here is the brief history and benefits/features of stone wool.
Origin & Properties of Stone Wool
Thermal insulation |  |
Monday, July 23, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Existing Home Energy Tip # 5
Existing Home Energy Tip # 5 - Sealing Leaks
Many air leaks and drafts are easy to find because they are easy to feel — like those around windows and doors. But holes hidden in attics, basements, and crawlspaces are usually bigger problems. Sealing these leaks with caulk, spray foam, or weather stripping will have a great impact on improving your comfort and reducing utility bills. Click on the house diagram to see common air leak locations that you should aim to seal.
Homeowners are often concerned about sealing their house too tightly; however, this is very unlikely in most older homes. A certain amount of fresh air is needed for good indoor air quality and there are specifications that set the minimum amount of fresh air needed for a house. If you are concerned about how tight your home is, hire a contractor, such as a Home Energy Rater, who can use diagnostic tools to measure your home's actual leakage. If your home is too tight, a fresh air ventilation system may be recommended.
After any home sealing project, have a heating and cooling technician check to make sure that your combustion appliances (gas- or oil-fired furnace, water heater, and dryer) are venting properly. For additional information on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues related to homes, such as combustion safety, visit EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Web site.
Source of Information: www.energystar.gov , http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_sealing.hm_improvement_sealing
www.CharisHomes.com
Monday, May 7, 2012
Existing Home Energy Efficiency Tip # 4
Existing Home Energy Efficiency Tip # 4 - Schedule a Maintenance Check on your heating and cooling systems.
Maintain your equipment to prevent future problems and unwanted costs. Keep your cooling and heating system at peak performance by having a contractor do annual pre-season check-ups. Contractors get busy once summer and winter come, so it's best to check the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. To remember, you might plan the check-ups around the time changes in the spring and fall.
A typical maintenance check-up should include the following.
- Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away.
- Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system and reduce the life of major components.
- Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increases the amount of electricity you use.
- Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.
- Check controls of the system to ensure proper and safe operation. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to assure the system starts, operates, and shuts off properly.
- Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils reduce the system's ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
- Check your central air conditioner's refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
- Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system's efficiency by up to 15 percent.
- Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problems. A dirty burner or cracked heat exchanger causes improper burner operation. Either can cause the equipment to operate less safely and efficiently.
- Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. Your contractor can show you how to do this. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure
www.CharisHomes.com
Monday, April 30, 2012
Existing Home and New Home Energy Efficient Tip #3
Existing Home and New Home Energy Efficient Tip #3 - Install a Programmable Thermostat
Simple Steps to Energy Savings with Programmable Thermostats
Achieve significant energy and money savings that are possible through the proper use of your programmable thermostat. Learn how to:
- Have your thermostat properly installed - Here's what you need to know about proper and safe installation of your programmable thermostat, as well as when you should call a certified HVAC contractor to handle the installation for you.
- Properly set and use your thermostat - Follow these guidelines to achieve savings.
- Save with your manual thermostat - If you choose to keep your manual thermostat, here are recommendations to help you save, too.
What else should I look for when buying a programmable thermostat?
Choose the right programmable thermostat - There are three types of programmable thermostats designed to best fit your daily schedule. Learn more about the energy saving features that each model offers.Information Source: www.energystar.gov
www.CharisHomes.com
Friday, April 20, 2012
Existing Home Energy Efficient Tip #2 - Add Insulation
Existing Home Energy Efficient Tip #2 - Add Insulation
When correctly installed with air sealing, each type of insulation can deliver comfort and lower energy bills during the hottest and coldest times of the year.
Insulation performance is measured by R-value — its ability to resist heat flow. Higher R-values mean more insulating power. Different R-values are recommended for walls, attics, basements and crawlspaces, depending on your area of the country. Insulation works best when air is not moving through or around it. So it is very important to seal air leaks before installing insulation to ensure that you get the best performance from the insulation.
To get the biggest savings, the easiest place to add insulation is usually in the attic. A quick way to see if you need more insulation is to look across your uncovered attic floor. If your insulation is level with or below the attic floor joists, you probably need to add more insulation. The recommended insulation level for most attics is R-38 (or about 12–15 inches, depending on the insulation type). In the coldest climates, insulating up to R-49 is recommended.
Building new and thinking this information doesn't apply? Well good news, it does! Insulation is just as important when building new. The greatest thing about building new is you can start with the right foundation. We recommend using an ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) foundation because the number one source of energy loss in your home is through the basement. Which is why starting with the correct foundation is one the most important decisions you can make when building a new home. To learn more about ICF foundation and walls read our first blog post.
Don't just stop at the foundation! You can use ICF's all the way to the trusses to provide even more insulation and energy efficiency. Don't want to spend the extra money on a full ICF home? Then use a higher R-Value of insulation of at least R-23. This combined with an ICF foundation will create an energy efficient home sealing the "envelope" or "shell" of your home — its outer walls, ceiling, windows, doors, and floors. This often the most cost effective way to improve energy efficiency and comfort. ENERGY STAR estimates that a knowledgeable homeowner or skilled contractor can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs (or up to 10% on their total annual energy bill) by sealing and insulating.
Sources of Information: www.energystar.gov
www.CharisHomes.com
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Resnet is a great website to learn about energy efficiency. This is a fun tool available on their website to learn about the HERS score of your home. Once you choose the HERS score of your home it will explain to you the energy efficient benefits of your home or areas where you can improve. 50 is the average HERS score that a Charis Homes scores with just an ICF foundation (not sure what an ICF is? Read our last post). The last few full ICF homes Charis has built have scored between a 38 and 40 HERS score!! Very impressive! Charis just keeps improving their energy efficiency, helping new home owners save even more on their utilities.
Not thinking of building and your home isn't very energy efficient? Don't get discouraged! There are many small changes that you can make in your home that will help your HERS score and best of all save you money!!!
Existing Home Energy Efficient Tip #1 - Seal your heating and cooling ducts
Ducts that move air to-and-from a forced air furnace, central air conditioner, or heat pump are often big energy wasters. Sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent — and sometimes much more.
Focus first on sealing ducts that run through the attic, crawlspace, unheated basement, or garage. Use duct sealant (mastic) or metal-backed (foil) tape to seal the seams and connections of ducts. After sealing the ducts in those spaces, wrap them in insulation to keep them from getting hot in the summer or cold in the winter. Next, look to seal any other ducts that you can access in the heated or cooled part of the house. Click here for a Duct Sealing Brochure from the Energy Star website.
Sources of Information: http://www.resnet.us/ and www.energystar.gov
www.CharisHomes.com
Sources of Information: http://www.resnet.us/ and www.energystar.gov
www.CharisHomes.com
Monday, April 16, 2012
ICF Facts
ICF Facts
www.CharisHomes.com
What are Insulating Concrete
Forms (ICFs)?
Insulated Concrete Forms (or ICFs) are forms or
molds that have built-in insulation for accepting reinforced concrete. The first patent application for an ICF was
registered in the late 1960’s. Since
then, and particularly in the last 4 years, ICFs have been fast-becoming the
mainstream preferred building product worldwide for all of the right reasons.
These large, hollow blocks are stacked right off of the truck and filled with
reinforcing bar and concrete. The end
result leaves you with a high-performing wall that is structurally sound,
insulated, strapped, has a vapor barrier and is ready to accept final exterior
and interior finishes.
Why should you build with
ICFs?
A better question would be, “Why would you consider building
with anything else?” Here are a few of
the best reasons to build with ICFs:
Comfort – Nothing blows through reinforced
concrete. There will be absolutely no
drafts or cold spots. ICF homeowners
have commented on how constant temperatures stay within their homes. Because of the tremendous thermal mass of the
exterior wall envelope, temperature peaks are smoothed, and therefore homes are
noticeably warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
Safe & Healthy – There are no CFCs, HCFCs, or
formaldehydes, and also no wood to rot and mold. ICFs are the answer for allergy and asthma
sufferers. They have a two-hour fire
rating and are termite and pest resistant.
But most importantly, these structures can withstand a severe storm
hit. Have you considered climate change
into your future structure’s design?
Flexibility in Design – Reinforced concrete has
tremendous proven design capabilities.
For example, how many bridges do you travel over every day? ICF wall systems can support concrete floor
and roof systems and give you the ultimate in innovative design.
Quiet – Your outside noises are eliminated. Is your future building site near train
tracks, airports, highways or recreational vehicle trails? Maybe you simply do not wish to hear the
neighbor mowing his lawn.
Energy Efficiency – Homes built with ICF exterior
walls require an estimated 44% less energy to heat and 32% less energy to cool
than comparable frame houses.
Consequently, your HVAC systems can be downsized. Since floor systems are hung on the inside of
the wall, real energy savings come when you design above-grade, thereby
eliminating a huge heat loss area in conventional housing.
Build Green with ICFs - Protect our
Children's Future!
Our world’s number one challenge is to reduce the amount of
carbon dioxide that is being discharged into our atmosphere. The earth’s relatively sudden warming and
consequent dramatic effects of climate change are directly related to these
carbon dioxide emissions.
· Landfilling
construction waste is reduced to less than 1% when you build with AMVIC. For every one tone of methane produced by
landfilling practices, 20 tones of CO2 are produced.
· Every ICF home saves
approximately 8.5 trees and effectively preserve nature’s air filters. Ask yourself the question, “How much oxygen
does sand and gravel produce?”
· If we can reduce our
energy bills by as high as 40%, we can reduce CO2 emissions by the same
amount. The world’s international Kyoto
agreement insists on a reduction of emissions by 50% just to slow down the
effects of global warming. ICFs are a
part of the answer to CO2 reductions.
Storm Warning!
Most importantly, ICF walls provide safe shelter from severe
storms, whose occurrence is increasing in frequency as well as severity. Provinces and states with no past history of
tornadoes are now experiencing them. As
a result of the recent number of hurricanes in their areas, building codes are
being upgraded along the seashores of the Caribbean, Florida and the
Carolinas. Since 1983, insurance claims
due to a majority of severe storm events have been doubling every five
years. Protect your investment, protect
your family, and protect yourself. Build
with Insulated Concrete Forms.
Insulating Concrete Forms are the
Right Choice!
-
Environmentally Friendly
No CFC's
Replaces Timber
Non-Toxic
-
Builder Friendly
Reduced Construction Time
Any Architectural Design
Replaces Insulation Material
-
Home Owner Friendly
Source of information: www.icfhomes.com
Reduces Energy Costs
Increases Resale Value
No Structural Deterioration
www.CharisHomes.com
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