New Homes: Efficiency Priorities

Focus on the Envelope Home owners and builders seldom give the building envelope the priority it deserves. The insulation, air barrier, windows, and doors are the most important features of a new home. These envelope features determine a home’s energy efficiency...

More on Moisture and Insulation

The Experimental Findings Building Science Corporation (BSC) published a recent report that spawned a Journal of Light Construction (JLC) article called “Moisture in Fat Walls”. Two of the three walls studied are double walls with R-values in excess of...

Consumer Energy Tax Credit Extended by Congress

Congress Extended Tax Credits for Energy Retrofits A $500 tax credit for residential energy-retrofit customers was preserved by the recent fiscal-cliff agreement. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 passed by Congress on January 3, 2013, provides extensions of...

Insulating Closed Roof Cavities

Many homes with cathedral ceilings or flat roofs have little or no insulation. The IRC 2009 building code requires a ventilated space of at least one inch above the roof insulation. Building scientists sometimes ask how useful the ventilation is and how much...