Take the ENERGY STAR new homes program, for example, the one I’m most familiar with. Version 1 required only one inspection, a home energy rating (for the performance path), and no checklists. Version 3, which becomes mandatory for builders wanting the ENERGY STAR label on their homes starting next January, requires 2 inspections, a home energy rating, and 4 checklists.

I understand the need for it from the perspective of the program administrators. Building and energy codes are catching up with voluntary program requirements, so they have to keep moving forward. Program leaders also have attempted to clarify the ambiguity of early versions of program requirements. And they have to make sure that the program is meaningful and that when the program label appears on a home, that home is significantly better than homes without the label. I get all that.

It just seems like we’ve lost our way, that we’ve all gotten blinded by a confusion of checklists, worksheets, prescriptive measures, and certification levels. Not to mention the confusion that comes from having so many different programs out there. If you’re a builder, you have to decide if you’re going for ENERGY STAR, LEED for Homes, EarthCraft House, NAHB Green Building Standard, Environments for Living… It’s not an easy task.

One of the first points of confusion that participants in the ENERGY STAR program face is whether to certify via the prescriptive or the performance path. That sounds pretty clear-cut, right? When you take a closer look, however, you find that the prescriptive path has performance requirements (e.g., testing for duct leakage and infiltration rates), and the performance path is chock full of prescriptive requirements. Just look at the 4 checklists required in ENERGY STAR Version 3.

As constructed, the performance path is differentiated from the prescriptive path by its requirement for a HERS rating. It’s based on how the home is constructed, how it tests out, and how the software does the energy modeling. It doesn’t depend on how the house actually performs, though, and that could differ significantly from the modeled performance. One reason we do it this way is so that the homes certified will carry the program label while they’re for sale, thus helping the builder to market their homes.

But what if we included the performance of a home over its first year of occupancy? Then we could include the actual energy use and calculate the energy intensity, even separating out baseload from the energy used for heating and cooling. It seems to me that this would be one of the best ways to handle quality assurance, too. If HERS raters, builders, and trade contractors know that their work has to pass not only the initial inspections but also a full year’s worth of performance assessments, don’t you think they’ll pay a bit more attention to getting the details right?

We could simplify the requirements for the initial certification and make sure everyone knows that the initial label means only that the home has gone through a process. Even though the energy modeling may say the home will use only $900 of energy per year, for example, everyone will know that that will be compared to the actual energy consumption for the ‘real’ label.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on this Monday morning. I’m interested to hear what you think.

Top photo by acearchie from flickr.com, used under a Creative Commons license. Lower photo by Ian Sane from flickr.com, used under a Creative Commons license.

As a professional builder, we are constantly looking for superior ways to build. The framing stage affords several opportunities to construct a home faster and within the budget without sacrificing the home’s quality. In fact, the new techniques for framing actually improve a home’s structural integrity, performance, and durability. Here are just a few of the methods and materials we consider for this stage of construction:

Advanced framing
In essence, advanced framing techniques allow us to remove excess and unnecessary structural components, such as extra wall studs and blocking. Elements which add nothing to the stability or ultimate performance of the house are the byproducts of outdated framing methods that linger in our industry, costing money without additional value. By reducing the amount of lumber we use in a home’s structural frame, we lower both costs and waste. Because each length of lumber is a preplanned piece of a larger puzzle, there’s less chance that we’ll make unnecessary cuts and create unusable scrap. Because it supports increased quality and reduced waste, advanced framing is a tenet of green building practices and programs around the country.

Engineered lumber
Like advanced framing, engineered lumber uses less wood to build a better structure. Engineered lumber is made from strands or chips of wood which are reassembled with glue, heat and pressure into large beams and I-shaped sections. Tough and stable, engineered lumber framing components allow us to span the longer distances common in popular open floor plans and high ceilings. Because of their strength, we can use fewer lengths of engineered lumber. Thus, the quality of the house is increased simultaneously with a reduction in labor costs. Because these products are frequently made from smaller and sustainably grown timber resources, instead of old-growth trees, they are more environmentally attractive, as well.

Panels and trusses
For decades, quality builders have used roof trusses (premade sections of the roof’s frame) to build houses better and faster. The same technology is now increasingly applied to floors and walls, with similar benefits. A house framed with panels and trusses is a truly amazing sight, seeming to spring into existence overnight. Furthermore, as skilled framing labor becomes more difficult and expensive to find, factory-built and quality-controlled panels and trusses allow us to create unique spaces and forms almost impossible with traditional framing techniques. Finally, even more than advanced framing and engineered lumber, these components reduce our waste stream significantly and leave a clean job site during what can be a very messy stage of construction.

Despite appearances, homes today are built quite differently than they were even a decade ago. Nowhere is that more evident than in the various advanced, engineered, and factory-built framing components and techniques now at our command. These systems allow us to build more efficiently and to a higher level of quality than traditional “stick” framing, delivering new homes that perform as promised to meet the needs and expectations of our owners.

Under the energy efficiency catagory, points may be claimed by the builder and awarded by an acredited 3rd party verifier by incorporating designed elements called for in the standard.

Foil backed decking is installed to lower attic temps.

David chose to include a special roof decking that reflects the suns heat,  pushing it back into the atmosphere. The decking helps lower the attic temperature. A lower attic temperature means less heat  transfer into the home and therefore, less work on the air conditioning system. The result? Lower utility costs for the owner. And in this case…the lucky owner!

The focus on energy efficiency and design is also evident in David’s use of the ceiling framing. An extra strip of lumber is placed around the outside edges of the raised ceilings of the family room and dining rooms. This extra lumber acts as a border for the blown-in loose fill insulation. The insulation is added after the drywall has been installed. It’s important to keep a uniform thickness of insulation over the entire ceiling to help maintain a consistent R-Value of the insulation.

Orange colored foam insulation seals the fire draft ceiling.

Without the border nailed in place the insulation has a tendency to fall off the edges of the room’s ceiling line. The result? Heat gain in that particular area of the ceiling and a rise in the buildings temperature and higher heating and cooling costs.

When a high wind strikes a house, the flow of air over the roof creates an upward suction, in the same way that wind creates lift on an airplane wing. Wind tries to lift shingles and sheathing off the roof, the roof sheathing pulls up on the roof rafters or trusses, the roof structure pulls up on the wall plates (trying to lift the walls), and the walls pull up on the floor deck or foundation that they rest on. If any connection anywhere along that load path fails, the structure can come apart. It’s just one of the ways that wind can destroy a house, but it’s an important one and has to be understood, designed for, and built for.

Today I performed a pre-pour foundation inspection on a home in Brandon, MS and met custom home builder Tim Prevost of Timber Creek Homes. Tim was busy setting a special device in place to help prevent wind “up-lift”.

Normally the nailing pattern and sheer strength of the outside sheathing or decking will provide adequate up-lift protection. But some floor plan designs call for narrow wall sections and when a section of the wall is less than 16 inches wide it needs added support.

The Simpson Strong Tie is a cold steel strap that is placed into the concrete slab before pouring the concrete mix. During the framing stage the strap is securely nailed to the sheathing or plywood skin of the home increasing the wall’s ability to resist upward pressure. This special tie provides a solid sill-to-foundation connection and will help provide not only the up-lift protection during high winds but provides building sustainability.

Building Green is smart.

For more information on Green Building and construction consulting contact Gary Smith at 601-454-5559.

One of the new framing techniques used in “green building” will not only help save money on waste but will allow the wall insulation to wrap around the building.

In the past, framing members called a “T” helped connect an interior wall to the exterior wall. This connection left a section of the outside wall uninsulated. A new way of framing called “Advanced Framing Techniques” is being used on the home.

These new framing members will also be used at the corners of the building adding an improved insulation factor to the wall structure. Another payoff will come in the way of lower energy consumption.

Extra attention is being given to the building’s design and function. Green building not only saves energy but improves the indoor living environment.

For more information on green building contact Gary N Smith at 601-454-5559 or online at www.garynsmith.net.

In our struggle to save energy consider using one of the most protective and cost effective “shields” developed. The Radiant Barrier.

It’s a foil backed product that’s placed in the attic of your home, foil side down, to help protect you from the sun’s radiating heat that drives your energy use up and the size of your pocket book down. A radiant barrier:

• is placed foil side down in your attic (opposite of the way you think a shield should face!)
• will lower the cost of your cooling dollars by 40%
• will not effect your roof warranty (when installed as roof sheathing)
• can be installed directly onto your attic insulation
• lowers the negative effects of high heat on stored articles in your attic
• can be installed by you, the homeowner, with little or no experience (however, always take special care when working in the attic)

Coupled with caulking and sealing your home’s air leaks the radiant barrier has immediate payback.

For more information on energy savings and home inspections call Gary Smith toll free at 877.809.6139 or visit him on the web: http://www.garynsmith.net