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Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
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Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty
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Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
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Howard LaFranchi: US bracing for more Russian blowback after taking action against 18 more human rights violators
April 12, 2013
Mark Clayton: New cybersecurity bill: Privacy threat or crucial band-aid?
Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jackie Robinson's Friend, Hank Greenberg; CNN's Jake Tapper; Texas County in the News is named for 19thC. Jewish soldier and Congressman
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April 8, 2013
Jonathan Tobin: What Part of No Preconditions Do American Jews Not Get?
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Jewish World Review
Property sealing your home's envelope
By
Angie Hicks
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Homeowners who want to get the most out of their energy dollars have only to focus on two areas of the home. Unfortunately for homeowners with issues in either, they're big areas.
"The main problem with most homes is the envelope," says Corbett Lunsford, of Green Dream Group, LLC; a home performance analysis firm in Chicago, which offers energy auditing services to pinpoint issues throughout the house.
The "envelope" is just what it sounds like -- the shell of the house that if properly sealed, can keep your hot and cold air where you want it. The heating, ventilation and cooling system (HVAC) is the producer of the temperature control.
Lunsford uses scientific testing to tell homeowners exactly where their homes are losing energy and then offers advice on the best steps to make them more efficient. A common issue, he says, is homeowners who try to make improvements on their own without first having an energy audit done by a professional who is certified as such by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or is a certified Home Energy Rater (HERS) by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET).
"A contractor that really checks their work would first do a blower door test before they start anything," Lunsford said. "That's the main test for home performance. It tests the air tightness in the house."
Lunsford said he often gets calls from homeowners who have already spent thousands of dollars insulating their homes or upgrading their windows, only to still be dissatisfied with their comfort level and/or energy bills. Homeowners should first air seal the attic, then air seal the basement or lowest level of the house before addressing windows, doors or the middle floors of the home, he said.
"Windows do not make a big difference in homes where there are envelope and HVAC problems," Lunsford said. "Once you've (addressed) the envelope and HVAC systems, then windows can make a big difference. The most common mistake people make is prescribing their own solutions for things. Most people think they need to insulate their attic, but that's not (entirely) the case. If you insulate the attic without air sealing it, you're actually wasting thousands of dollars. Air sealing is the No. 1 secret almost no one understands. It's the main opportunity for improvement in every house, period. I see people wasting thousands of dollars every single year. It gets me really annoyed because it's so easily solvable."
Additional insulation is only as good as the person doing the insulation, added Buddy Edwards, of AC Lynn Homes in Charlotte, N.C., which focuses on green building and remodeling practices.
"We highly encourage all of our customers to put their money (towards insulating the home) first," Edwards said. "That's where they're going to get the most bang for their buck when it comes to home performance and energy efficiency. It can be as simple as just installing a traditional batt insulation product properly. A lot of companies install batt insulation and it will pass inspection with a building inspector, but it's not installed properly. If it's not over compacted and not face stapled on the studs (instead of the sides), then you're really not getting the efficiency out of the insulation as it was designed to be implemented."
Homeowners who are interested in making energy efficient improvements should meet with a designer and contractor who have the expertise and training to meet the homeowner's needs and desires.
"What we like to do is team up with bringing the designer to the table and sit down and talk about everything (regarding) the homeowner's lifestyle, interests and needs over the next five years and how that changes over time," Edwards said. "We'll look at budgets to make sure all those sorts of things are being considered when the projects are being designed. When it comes to implementing green building techniques, that's especially important. You have to have the designer and builder both on board with those concepts and understand how to implement them and what they cost."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
To comment or ask a question, please click here. Since 1995, Angie Hicks has been dedicated to helping consumers get the real scoop on local service companies and health providers. Inspired by the frustrations her co-founder had trying to find reliable contractors in suburban Columbus, Ohio, she started Angie’s List to help homeowners find who they should hire and who they should avoid.
Previously:
New thermostats can 'learn' home's routine
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© 2013, http://www.angieslist.com/ Distributed by MCT Information Services
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