Sealing the Envelope Small measure can equal great gains in efficiency Maggie Leslie Air Sealing Checklist Air sealing is a crucial part of building a healthy, energy-efficient home. Below is a checklist of items to use to ensure proper air sealing when building or renovating a conventional stick-frame home. A...
Article Category: Energy Efficiency Building Science
Ryan Miller: Following Asheville’s Lead
Following Asheville’s Lead Growing green building across the state By Ryan Miller Alright, Asheville. As the North Carolina city with the deepest market penetration and strongest consumer demand for green building, the rest of our state looks to you for inspiration and leadership in green building. Many of the new...
Margaret Chandler: Fontana Lake Residence
Fontana Lake Residence – A Case Study in Beautiful Efficiency By Margaret Chandler The Fontana Lake Residence is a great demonstration of design elegance harmoniously integrated with environmental sustainability. This handsome home achieved LEED for Homes Gold certification with a total of 75 points, and earned NC Healthy Built...
Phelps Clarke and Douglas Ager: The Economics of Solar
The Economics of Solar: Demystifying the Hype Phelps Clarke & Douglas Ager There are a lot of misconceptions about solar energy systems – they need expensive batteries, have high maintenance costs, produce insignificant amounts of power, decrease the value of real estate – and the list goes on. Like...
Olga Ronay: Small and Tiny Houses
Small and Tiny Houses By Olga Ronay All of a sudden there’s lots of small talk. Small and tiny houses are everywhere—on TV, in the movies, in the blogosphere, at conferences. Maybe there’s even one near you. Not that living small is something new. Historically there’s a long tradition of...
Garret K. Woodward: Downsizing your home, upgrading your life
Downsizing your home, upgrading your life By Garret K. Woodward It wasn’t the initial idea Josh Scala had in mind. “This is the smallest certified green built house in North Carolina,” he said. “Which was not the original plan, but as the thing started to progress, it just turned out...
Garret K. Woodward: What’s the deal with SIPs?
What’s the deal with SIPs? By Garret K. Woodward Just a couple miles from the bustling center of Biltmore Village, high up a quiet wooded hillside, contractor Bob Callahan is hard at work on his latest project, a 2,700-square-foot home. “We’re building a better product than what others may...
Garret K. Woodward: A Little Goes A Long Way
A little goes a long way By Garret K. Woodward A local nonprofit organization, which promotes “responsible energy choices that create global climate change solutions and ensure clean, safe and healthy communities,” the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has been a pioneer in green energy and initiatives for over 30...
Energy Audit and Inspections
Energy Audit and Inspections
Feature: Closed crawlspaces
Feature: Closed crawlspaces By Maria Mauceri on 03/22/2010 Each year, tens of thousands of homes are built on crawlspace foundations in the Southeast. In most of these homes, the spaces are built with wall vents, which are supposed to reduce moisture problems — but recent research has shown this approach actually...