by Charles Hendricks | Dec 8, 2014 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building, green term defined
Infiltration – The uncontrolled inward air leakage through cracks and holes in the building envelope and around windows and doors of a building. Its typically caused by the pressure effects of wind and/or the effect of differences in the indoor and outdoor air density. This can be a garage door opening or even a light breeze against a garage door, a forced air heating and cooling system, or unbalanced pressures room to room in a home.
This time of year, comfort issues in your home are highlighted while we all try to stay warm. A breeze running down a wall, under a door, or from an attic access makes it really hard to be comfortable. This comfort issue is a big signal that you have energy-efficiency issues in your home. Finding the leaks and plugging the leaks will not only make your home more comfortable, it will reduce your monthly electric bills. The best way to find the leaks is doing a blower door test and using thermal imaging technology. However, a smoke stick or even a candle can identify the big leaks.
by Charles Hendricks | Dec 8, 2014 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building, green term defined
Air Infiltration – The uncontrolled inward air leakage through cracks and holes in the building envelope and around windows and doors of a building. Its typically caused by the pressure effects of wind and/or the effect of differences in the indoor and outdoor air density. This can be a garage door opening or even a light breeze against a garage door, a forced air heating and cooling system, or unbalanced pressures room to room in a home.
This time of year, comfort issues in your home are highlighted while we all try to stay warm. A breeze running down a wall, under a door, or from an attic access makes it really hard to be comfortable. This comfort issue is a big signal that you have energy-efficiency issues in your home. Finding the leaks and plugging the leaks will not only make your home more comfortable, it will reduce your monthly electric bills. The best way to find the leaks is doing a blower door test and using thermal imaging technology. However, a smoke stick or even a candle can identify the big leaks.
by Charles Hendricks | Nov 28, 2014 | architecture, Green Building, green term defined, Indoor Air Quality
While some are fighting over a $100 saving on a television, there are better deals to be found on this Friday and really everyday.
Energy Efficient appliances – When replacing appliances look for the energy star logo. Replacing a 1980’s model refrigerator with an energy star labeled appliance can save you $100 a year. Since these appliances can last 15+ years, a total savings of $1,500.
Water Efficient Fixtures – Installing water sense shower heads, efficient faucets, and native landscaping can cut your annual water bills by more than $100 a year. Since these fixtures will last 20+ years, a total savings of $2,000.
Air Sealing – Getting your home air tight not only improves comfort, but also reduces your monthly energy bills. This can result in savings of more than $120 a year. Since a home built for a lifetime can last, well a lifetime, lets say 30 years – this can result in savings of $3,600.
Insulation – You can always add a second blanket to your bed in the cold weather, but what about adding a second blanket to your home. Insulating the attic and crawl space can improve energy efficiency by more than 50%. Based on the average monthly electric bills in our area being $110 per month, this can result in annual savings of $660 or a 30 years savings of $19,800.
Efficient Lighting – The savings for lighting can be substantial depending on the amount you leave the bulbs burning. Selecting LED bulbs can reduce energy used by $50 annually. Since these bulbs will last on average 15+ years, this could result in $750 in savings.
So instead of looking for those minor black Friday savings of a couple of hundred dollars in savings, look at energy-efficiency savings that could result in $25,000+ in savings.
by Charles Hendricks | Nov 17, 2014 | architecture, Building Science, Construction Specifications Institute, Green Building, green term defined
Since I entered the construction profession I have known CSI (Construction Specifications Institute). I was fortunate to start my career in a firm deeply involved with CSI. I give credit to this involvement to my learning the importance of the 4 C’s to a successful construction project. However, this may in fact be the most difficult part of creating a green project. You have to be able to effectively convey the information from design to construction in a Clear, Concise, Correct, and Complete method.
Changing a simple word in a project manual can change the intent of the design. Placing a note that does not effectively convey the design intent on the drawings may cause the performance of the building to suffer upon completion. Missing a note that should have been on the drawings could cause the contractor to install in inferior product that does not meet the goals for the project. It sounds simple, but making sure you follow the 4 C’s in construction document creation may be the most critical aspect of creating a green project.
The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), is a national professional association that provides format standards to meet the construction industry’s need for a common system of organizing and presenting documents. CSI also provides technical information and publications, continuing education, professional conferences, and product shows to assist the professions involved in creating and sustaining the built environment. Founded in 1948, CSI is the only organization that serves all the major disciplines involved in facility design and construction.
by Charles Hendricks | Nov 3, 2014 | Building Science, Green Building, green term defined
High efficiency water heating can save you a considerable amount of energy each day. There are several systems used to efficiently heat water for usage inside a building. The most common is either an on-demand water heater or a heat pump water heater. Here are several options to consider, with any also insulating supply piping will increase your overall efficiency.
indirect water heater
Water heater that draws heat from a boiler used for space heating; a separate zone from the boiler heats potable water in a separate, insulated tank via a water-to-water heat exchanger.
heat-pump water heater
An fixture that uses an air-source heat pump to heat water. Most heat-pump water heaters include an insulated tank equipped with an electric resistance element to provide backup heat whenever hot water demand exceeds the capacity of the heat pump. Since heat-pump water heaters extract heat from the air, they lower the temperature and humidity of the room in which they are installed.
on-demand water
System used to deliver hot water either at point of use or in a traditional one fixture supplied whole house system. The advantage is water is only heated on demand instead of through the day as with a traditional tank water heater.
Solar Thermal Water Heating
System comprised of a storage tank and solar collector on the roof. Solar collectors absorb heat and transfer it into the water either directly or through the use of a heat transport fluid. They can be flat plate collectors, evacuated tubes, or dark storage tanks.
A continuing series to help understand green building terms by Harrisonburg Architect. More terms defined here: http://harrisonburgarchitect.wordpress.com/?s=green+term+defined
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by Charles Hendricks | Sep 22, 2014 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building, green term defined, Harrisonburg Architect, Indoor Air Quality
It all started so innocently, we became a car based society and wanted to protect our investments. So we went from parking our cars in a driveway to parking them in the carriage house at the end of the driveway. Then came the carport – an attached to your home open air structure that protected the car from rain and snow. Then someone, probably an architect, said, lets build walls around this structure and make it part of the house. That is where our troubles started.
Yes, the attached garage is a convenience that most people in our area enjoy on cold and wet days, but there are problems lurking. It is impossible to completely separate them from your living spaces. This leads to indoor-air-quality issues in your home. As wind blows against your garage door, the space become pressurized pushing fumes and chemicals into your house. After all, where do you keep all those pesticides, gas cans, old paints if not in your attached garage?
So what is the solution? A detached garage not directly connected to your home. It can be connected via a covered walkway or screen porch. This detached structure is completely separated from your living space protecting your indoor-air-quality. Interesting that the google web definition is a garage not attached to a home, usually found in older homes. We have found that many of our clients want a healthy home. To create this you have to make the thermal envelope very tight which makes the indoor-air-quality contaminant prevention even more important.
