One of the main areas home owners and builders are focusing on these days is trying to build the most energy efficient home possible within the home’s budget. Some of the easiest and most cost effective ways to achieve an energy efficient home is to insulate the home to the best level your budget can afford and another one is to make the home as air tight as possible.
Upping the level of insulation that is installed in each required area of the new home will pay back in many ways over the upcoming years that you live in your home. Some of the ways insulation pays the home owner back would be energy cost savings every year (and we all know energy costs are only going to increase even higher over time) and insulation also rewards the home owner with a warmer home in the winter months and a cooler home in the summer months. This essentially creates an overall much more comfortable environment to live in year after year.
With regards to making your new home as airtight as possible it basically boils down to the finer details as to how your home is built and the attention to detail by all of the trades (general contractor, framer, electrician, plumber, heating, insulator, siding etc.) when completing their areas of expertise on your project. If air tightness is important to you on your new home then I would suggest you have specific discussions with your contractor/sub-trades about air tightness to make sure everyone is on the same page and realize the goal to be reached at the end of the project. There generally isn’t a lot of cost involved in making the home as airtight as possible as it just boils down to good planning ahead of time and following through with the plan. The home owner also performs a role in this area by choosing the best material for the job and then they can also spend some extra time making sure all exterior wall and attic penetrations are sealed before they move on to the next phase of the project. Basically any penetration to the exterior envelope is a possible culprit that will add to the air leakage of any home.
The home owner goal of an energy efficient home can be measured at the end of a project by an Energy Advisor. One of the areas in which the Energy Advisor can assist in a new home build is generally referred to as a blower door test which is used to determine the air leakage in a home (the lower the number the better your home is performing in this test). One of many other very helpful ways that an Energy Advisor can offer their services is to complete an EnerGuide Rating on your new home. For example this can mean $$$ back to the home owners, BC Hydro is offering a $2,000 rebate if the new home is being built in British Columbia and receives a rating of 80 or higher!
So now, you’ve looked after insulating your new home to a high level and detailed the home to achieve the best possible air tightness, now you must make sure to ventilate the home properly to avoid stale air and a poor living environment inside. Older homes generally were not built with air tightness or high insulation levels as it wasn’t a high priority at the time so there was generally more than enough air leakage in the exterior envelope of a home to keep the living environment full of fresh air for the occupants. Where as now with energy costs and home owners concerned with their impact on the environment they are looking for an energy efficient home to live in now as well as into the future.
To do this you need to reduce the air leakage in the building envelope to create an air tight home and then use a controlled ventilation system to make sure the home has the correct number of air exchanges per hour without wasting all the energy used to either heat or cool your home by letting it escape to the great out doors. There are many different ways you can achieve the required ventilation in your new air tight home. Choosing which system, as the right one, depends on many different factors so speaking with a few professionals in this field is definitely recommended. This will allow you to gather the necessary information needed to educate yourself then plan for and reach your goal of a very energy efficient home when you are finished. Just remember the home has to work as a complete system to achieve the right end result.
Looking at building an energy efficient home? We have solutions to help you reach your goal!