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Five Walls that Work
The subhead to this article—Whether you follow your local building code or shoot for high performance, use this guide to make sure your walls won't fail—makes a promise it can…
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A Better Path to a Low-Carbon Future?
Building superinsulated houses with low energy needs and highly efficient mechanical systems is the best way for builders to lower greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to global climate change, right? Maybe…
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Is Air-Sealing “Mostly BS”?
Like many other owner/builders planning an energy-efficient home, RedFalcon6 is well aware that careful air-sealing is considered a cornerstone of high-performance building. But do the numbers really add up? "I…
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Insulating Rim Joists
Rim joists make up the perimeter of the floor system of a wood-framed house. Also known as band joists, rim joists are pieces of lumber—either sawn lumber or engineered lumber—that…
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Is Negative Pressure Causing a Problem in Your Home?
Ever have the smell of your fireplace inside your home? It's not uncommon. Here's a question I got from a reader named Rob last month: We always have a smoke…
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Should We Generate Energy by Burning Our Trash?
Facing streets choked with trash, the Indian city of Bengaluru is considering constructing five plants that will burn garbage to produce energy. And as garbage from around the world piles…
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How the U.S. Power Grid Is Evolving to Handle Solar and Wind
Renewable energy is on the rise. Roughly 15% of the electricity generated in the U.S. comes from renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass, amounting to 64 million…
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Choices for Roof Underlayment Continue to Expand
Builders once had one choice when it came to roofing underlayment: asphalt-saturated felt. OK, two choices—#15 asphalt felt and #30 asphalt felt. These days, there are dozens of brands of…
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Could Renewable Natural Gas Be the Next Big Thing in Green Energy?
In the next few weeks, construction crews will begin building an anaerobic digester on the Goodrich Family Farm in western Vermont that will transform cow manure and locally sourced food…
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How Many Solar Panels Does It Take to Power an Electric Car?
My wife and I built a zero-energy home in 2015. The energy model we conducted as part of that process said that we would need to generate about 6200kwh per…
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