April 3, 2020
EnergyStar Checklist: Videos, Podcasts, Articles
SECTION 1: OVERALL AIR BARRIER and THERMAL BARRIER ALIGNMENT
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Think LAYERS
A tight air barrier is the best way to build an energy-efficient house. The best place for an air barrier? The rigid outer shell. With multiple layers of exterior coverings, you have a…
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Thermal shorts and good design don't mix
OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT:
Stopping leaks in houses begins with stopping leaks on paper. The Pen Test* is a way to eliminate leaks on paper before…
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With blower door tests in the building code, it is up to more than just the insulators or the GC to deliver results: many trades have a stake.
Turns out, it is easy for a drywall contractor to…
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The biggest crack in the house, revisited
We published an airtight sill detail animation a little while ago…
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(image: EPA.gov, adapted from Building Science Corporation)
A carpenter's take on less wood in walls
Advanced framing has been a topic that editors in construction media use to provoke…
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Less is more, more or less. Here's a lot more info on framing with less wood
Advanced framing has been around for fifty years or more, but somehow it is still new to many framing crews. Probably …
SECTION 2: WALLS ADJOINING EXTERIOR WALLS OR UNCONDITIONED SPACES
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Tight makes right behind tubs and showers—because they can be *ruff* to retrofit
To get the Energy Star, you need to work through the Thermal Bypass Checklist. One of the items is walls behind…
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The biggest hole in the bathroom
According code, common sense, Energy Star, and the laws of physics, if you do not insulate and air seal exterior walls behind tubs and showers, BEFORE…
SECTION 3: FLOORS BETWEEN CONDITIONED AND EXTERIOR SPACES
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Glue the rim joist, caulk the gaps, and overhang the wall sheathing to tighten this leaky building assembly
One of the leakiest parts of a house is where the floor meets the walls and foundation…
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Outside insulation is an efficient way to keep heat in. The devil is in the details like this one
Old-fashioned walls had siding over house wrap, over wall sheathing, which worked great until…
SECTION 4: SHAFTS
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The biggest crack in the house, revisited
We published an airtight sill detail animation a little while ago…
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A tight path to the outdoors keeps the indoors fresh and you can call it a day because you are one step closer to the Energy Star
The Energy Star checklist has a lot of items. Some of them relate to…
SECTION 5: ATTIC/ CEILING INTERFACE
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Keep mechanical equipment within the envelope to improve the quality of houses and homes
Any responsible bathroom builder puts a bath fan in the bathroom. Usually over the tub and shower because…
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How to reduce ice dams, improve thermal performance, and boost the durability of homes with vented, insulated attics
I have been doing energy audits for about six years now. I enjoy studying…
SECTION 6: COMMON WALLS BETWEEN DWELLING UNITS
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