All Blog Posts Tagged 'insulation' (18)

Whether you are a “do-it-yourself” home energy auditor or a seasoned professional, learning about a home from an initial visual inspection is an important tool during an energy audit of home which can highlight energy saving opportunities. The visual inspection is the first indication…

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9 Steps to a More Energy Efficient Home and Lower Power Bills



How to reduce energy at home has gradually become a household desire as a result of high definition T.V.'s and homes the size of a castle. Throw in a struggling economy and the melt down of a nuclear plant and becoming more energy efficient seems like a great idea.

Our power bills rise as a result of increasing power costs and the need for more and more power to operate are power hungry homes and…

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Why is there a heating register 4 feet up on the wall?

by Don Ames,   www.detectenergy.com

In my last article, I spoke about a home energy audit and the hot tub on the back deck. Remember, it was a manufactured home with a great deck overlooking a roaring hillside stream. Next door, the neighbors were the countryside recyclers, at least I suppose that's what they might call themselves.

Personally, I think I would call them by a…

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by Don Ames,  www.detectenergy.com

Heat flows out of your home in two ways, transmission and air leakage. Transmission and air leakage occur through all surfaces of the home - walls, floor, roof, windows and doors.

The amount of heat transfer depends on two factors: thermal resistance and surface area. Thermal resistance has to do with the quality and quantity of the material in the walls, floor, roof, windows, and…

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If you decide to construct your home or are planning to remodel an existing home, you have many options. A big choice to make is whether or not to insulate with old or new concepts. A huge chunk of homeowners use fiberglass insulation and do quite well with it. If you are looking for more efficiency, than read on, because there is a better way. foam insulation is a modern marvel and holds many benefits including efficiency, easy to install and lower lifetime cost. Let me dive in and get more…

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by Don Ames,   www.detectenergy.com

Please read the article and catch the screen cast at the end of the article.

Earlier in the week, I spoke about construction flaws and how builders have a tendency to build energy waste right into the structure of a home. The contractors really don't mean too, we all understand that, but , never-the-less, poor construction design, short cut methods, and lack…

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Energy Efficient House: Common Sense Guidelines to Energy Conservation.

by Don Ames,   www.detectenergy.com  The security of home energy conservation and the Energy Spy Insider.

Think of the ways we try to separate the outside climate from the inside climate. In a nut shell, that is the goal of an energy efficient house. Take a snowmobile or a dog sled and you will see a domed home made out of snow and ice.…

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There is a Weatherization Assistance Program Near You!

By Don Ames,   www.detectenergy.com

I receive calls on a regular bases asking me about help fixing the problem of being cold and whether or not I have heard of any Weatherization Assistance Programs. These calls are not about being cold for a day - while the furnace is fixed - or being cold for a week - while a few more dollars are scraped together to have the…

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by Don Ames

If you don't want to read the whole article, at least go to the bottom of the page and watch the screen cast. Take a look at some real effective garage door insulation. No, I didn't make this up.…

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By Don Ames,  www.detectenergy.com & the Energy Spy Insider Free eNewsletter

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Are Energy Saving Retrofits Cost-Effective?

by Don Ames

Government and Utility based programs that offer weatherization and other energy saving…

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John and Jane Doe's report is basically written. I have a template that I use that has been slowly built and improved over the past projects. It's a fine start but still requires a fair amount of custom writing, since each house has enough unique issues that need to be addressed.  There's report software out there such as Recurve's, EAI, or BizEE, but none have that personal touch that comes from a written report.  So here's some items from the report:





Target Infiltration: 0.25… Continue

I was forwarded an email that originated from the Energy Star Heat Island group.  This was something I was not aware of.  I have changed the font to red for the main point of my own comments below the quoted part of the email.

 

"This call will provide an overview of the revised requirements for ENERGY STAR labeling of roofing products. The focus will be on the certification and verification processes. Beginning January 2011, labeling requires third- party…

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Thinking of convincing the homeowner that you are the right contractor for the window replacement project? Make sure that you are prepared to demonstrate that you have the knowledge to evaluate the problem correctly. The customer wants and expects to perceive this quickly or you will not be selected for the follow-up. So, to ensure your business is the one selected for that coveted follow-up session, it is critical to showcase your knowledge and experience, the two fundamental factors that say… Continue

How Oil Pointed the Way to Home Energy Savings

 

Don Ames

 

When the oil fields began to be developed in places like North Dakota, manpower was an immediate need. Manpower was needed in remote places where the oil was hiding and having enough ready housing was a problem. The cheapest and quickest solution was manufactured housing. Pull it in, set it up, and your done.

Manufactured home communities began to sprout up over…

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A short while ago I was in a meeting that centered on creating a flexible winter weatherization plan that would have a wide degree of application.  While such plans are not uncommon in the least, I was surprised to hear that we, as inhabitants, came up as a serious aspect of energy inefficiency.

As someone who works with material and energy inefficiencies,…

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I work with two contractors; one is in Denison Texas and the other in Sacramento, CA. …

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