by Charles Hendricks | Feb 25, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, Harrisonburg Architect
Help, my house is cold! This time of year, with weather like we have been having, the electric meter gets a strong workout. Yet, often our homes are not comfortable, cold even. So what can you do to make your electric bills lower and your home more comfortable?
I am now working for Harrisonburg Electric Commission providing their clients with free energy audits. It really is a air leakage test and identification of easy to correct high energy usage issues – but energy audit sounds better. In the test we use a blower door to depressurize the house. This allows us to find areas where air is moving from outside to inside of the home. These air leaks are a huge part of the discomfort and high energy use for your home. The typical heating and cooling system in an average home accounts for 60-70% of the monthly electric usage. The typical home could easily reduce this portion of the electric bill by 10-30% by plugging up these leaks. Air leaking through the walls, from the crawl space or attic, around electrical outlets are the same as leaving a window open on a cold winter day.
Here are 10 spots that are almost always air leaks in a home and how to fix it.
- Attic access or pull down stair – Seal it up like a door, add weather-stripping and glue rigid insulation to the top of the access or create a hinged door over a pull down stair
- Electrical outlets / light switches – These holes in your drywall / plaster allows for an easy air path. Caulk the plastic box tight to the drywall and add insulation made for behind the electrical cover
- Wall / Floor intersection – Remove the 1/2 round and caulk the drywall tight to the floor
- Drywall corners – The only good way to fix this is to stop the air moving from above and below the corner. This can be done well in new construction but is really hard to fix in an existing home
- Wood floor over crawl space – In our climate the crawl space should be sealed and conditioned space. This eliminate air leaking from outside.
- Recessed lights – These are always a big leak, unless they are air tight cans sealed tight to the drywall. The best way to eliminate this problem is to stop air movement on the backside of the drywall (between floor joist or in the attic).
- Rim board between basement and first floor and first floor to second floor – This is probably the biggest air leak in your home. It is hard to fix in an existing finished space. If you can easily access these spaces, get it filled with open cell spray foam. If it is finished space, you can fix it, but it will require drilling lots of holes or removing drywall.
- Chimney / Bath Vents / Kitchen Hood Vent – Use the damper in the fireplace to reduce air leakage, install vents with dampers for all exhaust vents
- HVAC ducts – A surprise to many that this is a source of outside air coming into your home. The average duct system installed in your home uses tape to seal the joints’ leaks and leaks big time. If the joints are sealed with Mastic, then you will certainly have less leaks. I know one HVAC company in town that prides themselves on duct tightness, but that is one out of 12+ in town serving the residential market. If you can access the ducts, you can seal them, but this is often not the case. The only solution that I have found for a finished house is sealing from the inside of the duct using a product similar to Aeroseal. I have not seen a before and after, but I have heard of good performance.
- Doors and Windows – Make sure they have the proper weather-stripping. We also use air stopper socks at the bottoms of all our doors. These are holes that open and close, really hard to seal them tight, do your best.
If you ever have to think to yourself “Help, my house is cold!” then fix these air leaks to see a reduction in your monthly electric bills. If you live in Harrisonburg give HEC a call to schedule your free energy audit to verify the leaks so you can get them fixed. If you want a complete energy audit or don’t live in Harrisonburg, Building Knowledge – Benjamin is an expert and does a great job.
by Charles Hendricks | Feb 23, 2015 | architecture, green term defined, Harrisonburg Architect
No matter what you have heard, size matters (when it comes to energy-efficiency). The larger your home the more you have to do and spend to make it energy-efficient and to keep up with maintenance. As a result, the tiny house movement has found a market and is growing in popularity.
So what is a tiny home? It is a popular term used to define a home designed to be less than 1,000 sf. They range in scale from a one room living area as small as 80 sf up to a 2 -3 bedroom living space closing in on 1,000 sf. Often these homes go hand-in-hand with the living simple movement as there is not room for much stuff.
A tiny home has a lot in common with boat construction. You look for opportunities to create flexible living spaces – bed in a loft, shelves built into walls, kitchen tables that fold down from the wall, and lots of windows and access to the outside space. These homes are sometimes built on wheels and have both water and energy sources built into the envelope. However, these homes could look like a shed in the backyard or a typical home on a city lot. They are simply just smaller than the average american home which has grown to be more than 2,500 sf.
by Charles Hendricks | Feb 16, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, green term defined, Harrisonburg Architect
WaterSense is a label program created by the Environmental Protection Agency for consumers to easily identify water efficient products. It is similar to Energy Star in that it identifies products that are more efficient. In order to qualify a WaterSense labeled product meets the following criteria:
- performs as well or better than their less efficient counterparts
- are 20% more water efficient than average products in that category
- realize water savings on a national level
- provide measurable water savings results
- achieve water efficiency through several technology options
- obtain independent, third-party certification
For companies to use the WaterSense logo, they must sign a WaterSense partnership agreement with the EPA. This agreement defines the roles and responsibilities of EPA and the partnering organization, as well as proper use of the label on packaging and in marketing.
The label can be found on products for the home including bathroom sink faucets, showerheads, toilets, urinals, wather-based irrigation controllers, and even new homes. Using products with the WaterSense label reduces water consumption lowering utility bills.
Projected websites from the WaterSense website:
Replacing Old Faucets – 700 gallons of water annually
Replacing old toilets – 20-60% savings = 13,000 gallons of water annually
Replacing old shower heads = 2,900 gallons annually
As you can see, this could result in some nice annual reductions in your utility bill.
by Charles Hendricks | Feb 13, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, Harrisonburg Architect
Why should your new bathroom walls have plywood on them? Designing a home that can adapt over time without knowing how it will need to adapt is a difficult challenge. There are standards by which you can block for future grab bars that are designed to allow for someone in a wheelchair to use a bathroom. However, those that need to use a wheelchair late in life may not have the upper body strength to use those grab bars effectively. What if there is no wheelchair, but maybe just stability issues? Would you want to install the grab bars in different locations?
Using a plywood backer board, behind your waterproofing system allows for installing grab bars anywhere in the future. So, Why should your new bathroom walls have plywood on them? Because the future is uncertain. This strategy gives maximum flexibility to the bathroom as needs change over time. Making spaces as flexible as possible during construction allows your home to be a home for a lifetime. I know you don’t plan to need grab bars, neither do I, but it is good to plan for as many possibilities as you can while building your dream home.
by Charles Hendricks | Feb 9, 2015 | Building Science, green term defined, Harrisonburg Architect
Commissioning is an important step to create a sustainable project. This process, found in many green rating systems, is the verification and documentation that a building and the systems used are designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the project requirements set by the building owner.
ASHRAE Standard 202-2013, The Commissioning Process for Buildings and Systems, and ASHRAE Guideline 0, The Commissioning Process define commissioning as:
“A quality-focused process for enhancing the delivery of a project. The process focuses upon verifying and documenting that all of the commissioned systems and assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the Owner’s Project Requirements.”
The commissioning process is done by a commissioning authority. This can be the engineer that does the design or an independent authority. The Commissioning Authority creates a plan for a full review of the complex systems in the building to make sure things are not overlooked, mistakes not made, and systems are performing at the highest level. Commissioning is basically a final punch list of your systems that should be done on every project. It gives the building owner assurance that they have received the system they wanted, performing the way it was designed, and designed for the performance desired by the owner.
Commissioning benefits the building owner through improved energy efficiency, improved workplace performance, and prevention of business losses.
by Charles Hendricks | Feb 8, 2015 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect
Harrisonburg SVBA Green Playhouse Design Competition
The Shenandoah Builders Association is excited to announce the first annual SVBA Green Playhouse Design Competition. This event will provide students an opportunity to use their knowledge from math, science, CTE, elective, and MTC classes to design a playhouse. There are two categories of students, those in K – 9 and those in Grade 10 – post-graduate. Students are welcome to participate as an independent project, class project, or just for fun. The designs created should be shown on a 24″ x 36″ poster board, scale drawings, and / or physical model. Submissions are due to the SVBA office by Friday February 27, 2015 at 57 S. Main St. Suite 211, Harrisonburg, VA.
The winning entry in each category will receive a $50 gift certificate to Larkin Arts and one winning entry will be built at the SVBA Home and Garden show on Saturday April 11, 2015. This built structure will then be auctioned off to benefit the Explore More Discovery Museum in downtown Harrisonburg. All design entries will be displayed at the SVBA Home and Garden show and can be picked up on Sunday April 12, 2015 at the Rockingham County Fair Grounds.
For those teachers wanting to use this in their class, but a little unsure of how to go about the design process, Harrisonburg architect, Charles Hendricks can assist getting your class started. Simply contact him to schedule a time to visit your group.
Playhouses should be limited to a 10′ by 10′ structure no taller than 8′ to allow for transport from the SVBA Home and Garden Show should your entry be built.
Attic access or pull down stair – Seal it up like a door, add weather-stripping and glue rigid insulation to the top of the access or create a hinged door over a pull down stair
Rim board between basement and first floor and first floor to second floor – This is probably the biggest air leak in your home. It is hard to fix in an existing finished space. If you can easily access these spaces, get it filled with open cell spray foam. If it is finished space, you can fix it, but it will require drilling lots of holes or removing drywall.
