Before you design a new home or remodel an existing one, you should consider investing in its energy efficiency. You’ll save energy and money in the long run. It’s also a good time to invest in a renewable energy system that will provide your home with electricity, water heating, or space heating and cooling.
If you’d like to design an energy-efficient home, no matter what type of design, you should use what’s called the whole-house systems approach.
If you’re remodeling a home, conduct an energy audit to help you determine what energy efficiency improvements should and can be made to your home.
Learn how to optimize energy efficiency with the following home designs and construction techniques:
Call Timothy Parks Construction today for a free consultation.
(407) 383-9118 Orlando (727) 260-7344 Tampa Bay
(941) 270-2677 Sarasota
Attic Insulation
Properly insulating and air sealing your attic will help reduce your energy bills. Attics are often one of the easiest places in a house to insulate, especially if you’d like to add insulation.
Warning: if you think you have vermiculite insulation in your attic, there’s a chance it could contain asbestos. Don’t disturb it. Only insulation contractors certified to handle and remove asbestos should deal with vermiculite insulation.
Attic Insulation Techniques
Loose-fill or batt insulation is typically installed in an attic. Although installation costs may vary, loose-fill insulation is usually less expensive to install than batt insulation. When installed properly, loose-fill insulation also usually provides better coverage.
Before installing any type of insulation in your attic, follow these steps:
Seal all attic-to-home air leaks. Most insulation does not stop airflow.
Duct exhaust fans to the outside. Use a tightly constructed box to cover fan housing on attic side. Seal around the duct where it exits the box. Seal the perimeter of the box to the drywall on attic side.
Cover openings—such as dropped ceilings, soffits, and bulkheads—into attic area with plywood and seal to the attic side of the ceiling.
Seal around chimney and framing with a high-temperature caulk or furnace cement.
At the tops of interior walls, use long-life caulk to seal the smaller gaps and holes. Use expanding foam or strips of rigid foam board insulation for the larger gaps. Read more...(829 words, 2 images, estimated 3:19 mins reading time)
Windows don’t always require replacement in order to see and feel big results in reducing energy usage; however, energy conservation and sustainability is one of the primary reasons for replacing windows that are considered to be obsolete, particularly replacing single-glazed sashes with double-glazed sashes. Currently, most manufacturers’ warranties for replacement windows are from 2 to 10 years; however, historic wood windows with minimal maintenance have a performance life of 60 to 100 years. Retaining and repairing existing windows also conserves embodied energy (i.e. the sum of the energy required to extract raw materials, manufacture, transport, and install building products). Replacement window materials – primarily aluminum, vinyl, and glass possess some of the highest levels of embodied energy of all building materials.
Older windows are renewable and repairable; however, newer thermal windows are not repairable and once the dual glazing seals are broken, they must be totally replaced. While the advantages
of double-paned windows are well known, a properly
weather-stripped, single-glazed sash window can greatly reduce or eliminate air, noise and air infiltration (where most energy is lost). The cost of weather stripping is nominal when compared to the price of replacement windows.
Roof replacement or roof repairs needed? – Timothy Parks Construction & Roofing can give you roofing piece of mind. Our professional GAF ELK Certified CE 18239 roofing service will provide the perfect solution for your home improvement and remodeling needs in Englewood, Fl. http://www.tprci.com/roofing.html (941) 270-2677 Englewood, Fl A roof leak is a m […]
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When community evacuations become necessary, local officials provide information to the public through the media. In some circumstances, other warning methods, such as sirens or telephone calls, also are used. Additionally, there may be circumstances under which you and your family feel threatened or endangered and you need to leave your home, school, or w […]
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