Building Steps
For the most part, building a home in America consists of the following steps:
Grading and site preparation
Foundation construction
Framing
Installation of windows and doors
Roofing
Siding
Rough electrical
Rough plumbing
Rough HVAC
Insulation - RValue, Attic Vents
Drywall
Underlayment
Trim
Painting
Finish electrical
Bathroom and kitchen counters and cabinets
Finish plumbing
Carpet and flooring
Finish HVAC
Hookup to water main, or well drilling
Hookup to sewer or installation of a septic system
Punch list
Many of these steps are performed by independent crews known as subcontractors. The following are some ideas that can improve efficiency of your home and save you money during the contruction process.
Roofing - radiant barriers
Roofing - Attic vents
Roofing - Ridge vents
HVAC system
Low E Windows
Insulation - RValue
Water Heaters - tankless
Radiant barriers
What is a radiant barrier?
Radiant barriers are materials that are installed in buildings to reduce
summer heat gain and winter heat loss, and hence to reduce building heating
and cooling energy usage. The potential benefit of attic radiant barriers is
primarily in reducing air-conditioning cooling loads in warm or hot climates.
Radiant barriers usually consist of a thin sheet or coating of a highly reflective
material, usually aluminum, applied to one or both sides of a number of substrate materials.
These substrates include kraft paper, plastic films, cardboard, plywood sheathing, and
air infiltration barrier material. Some products are fiber reinforced to increase the
durability and ease of handling. Radiant barriers can be used in residential, commercial,
and industrial buildings.
How are radiant barriers installed in a residential attic?
Radiant barriers may be installed in attics in several configurations.
The simplest is to lay the radiant barrier directly on top of existing attic
insulation, with the reflective side up. This is often called the attic floor application.
Another way to install a radiant barrier is to attach it near
the roof. The roof application has several variations. One variation is to attach the
radiant barrier to the bottom surfaces of the attic truss chords or rafter framing. Another
is to drape the radiant barrier over the tops of the rafters before the roof deck is applied. Still another
variation is to attach the radiant barrier directly to the underside of the roof deck.
During the building process - ask your builder to buy the roof panel with
the radiant barrier attached to the bottom.
This saves you additional installation fees in the future and is usually very cost effective.
Roof panels with radiant barriers attached do not cost much more then regular panels.
Attic vents
Attic vents can be static or powered. These covered openings allow air to escape the attic. Several of these vents are usually required to properly ventilate the attic. They should be placed evenly across the roof. Choose from metal or plastic in round, square or slant-back designs.
Electric-powered attic vents use a thermostat to fight heat and a humidistat control ("All Season" model only) to help prevent moisture buildup inside the attic.
Featuring a low-profile dome, the power attic vent is unobtrusive when installed on the roof face slanting away from the front of your home. It's an efficient option to replace wind turbines or roof pots already in place.
Ridge Vents
Ridge vent installs on the peak of the roof allowing exhaust ventilation all along the roofline -- end-to-end.
Design features include an external baffle and internal weather filter for optimum airflow and weather protection. Less than an inch in height, this molded, high-impact copolymer shingle-over ridge vent permits capping of the ridge with shingles like the rest of the roof.
Ridge Vent Benefits:
Works year-round
Provides evenly distributed ventilation along the entire underside of the roof
18 square inches of net free area per linear foot (depending on type and model)
Slim design, visual appeal
Provides a higher volume of airflow per square foot of attic area than any other fixed-vent system
Design maximizes airflow across the entire underside of roof sheathing
Changes in wind direction have no significant effect on vent performance
Design Considerations:
Ridge vents must have an external baffle to
deflect weather away from the attic and to create low pressure over the vent openings
to help pull air out of the attic
May not provide enough ventilation area on steep
hip roofs
With all roofs, install ridge vents along the
entire length of ridge for best performance and appearance. (With vaulted or cathedral ceilings:
Each attic [joist] cavity must be ventilated, leaving 1-1/2" between sheathing and insulation.)
Intake vents must be installed to provide proper airflow
HVAC system
As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills — and your comfort.
Take these steps to increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling system.
Change your air filter regularly
Tune up your HVAC equipment yearly
Install a programmable thermostat
Seal your heating and cooling ducts
Consider installing ENERGY STAR qualified heating and cooling equipment
(12 seer or higher)
S.E.E.R. is an efficiency rating of HVAC. The higher the rating the better. The actual operating SEER
after installation can easily drop to half the rated SEER if the product is poorly applied, incorrectly
installed, has incorrect airflow, is improperly adjusted and incorrectly charged.
Contractors may mix and match the parts (furnace, coil, and components) so be sure to carefully inspect the work.
Low E Windows
Low-E, the abbreviation for low emissivity glass, has an invisible, metallic coating that admits the full spectrum of sunlight but blocks radiant heat from escaping. During the winter months, between 70 and 75 percent of the heat that would otherwise escape from the house is reflected back into the home for energy savings. Because the coating also increases the inside window's surface temperature, areas near them are more comfortable on cold winter nights.
During the cooling season, as much as 25 percent of the unwanted heat that would otherwise enter the house is reflected to the outside. The low-E coating blocks ultraviolet light which would normally fade fabrics and other materials.
It is applied either to one of the inner surfaces of a sealed-double pane window or suspended between the panes on a thin piece of plastic glazing. Suspending it between the panes has the added advantage of raising the window's insulating value to that of a triple glazed window. Some low-E window manufacturers fill the air space between the glazing layers with Argon or other inert gases to further increase the insulating value.
For existing windows, low-E coatings are also available on films which can be applied to the inside surfaces. They are less common than the solar films designed solely to block sunlight.
For existing windows, low-E coatings are also available on films which can be applied to the inside surfaces. They are less common than the solar films designed solely to block sunlight.
Low-E windows can achieve R-values as high as R-5, a marked improvement over the R-1 single pane, or even R-2 double pane windows. Low-E windows cost more than standard windows and allow slightly less light to enter, but are often cost effective in extremely hot or cold climates.
Insulation - R-value
R-value is a measure of a material's thermal resistance, or how well it holds back heat gain orloss. The higher the R-value the better.
While high R-values are primarily achieved through insulation, other factors are also important. The materials used in building the foundation, framing and roof - and how they're put together - can play a big part in increasing the potential R-value.
Different areas of the home have different recommended R-values, depending on how what materials
are used and how much space is available for insulation. The list below shows the recommended R-values:
Attic = R-38 to R-44
Sidewalls = R-11 to R-18
Basement = R-10 to R-19
Crawlspace = R-19
Keep in mind that the elements of your home are designed to work together - sacrificing efficiency in one area can reduce or even negate energy savings in another area. The recommended efficiency levels are intended to be part of a whole-house "system."
Tankless Water heaters
Tankless Water Heaters, also called Instantaneous or Demand Water Heaters, provide hot water only as it is needed. Traditional storage water heaters produce standby energy losses that cost you money. We do not leave our homes heated while vacationing. We only heat our homes when there is a demand for heat. In the same way, a Tankless Water Heater is used only when there is a demand for hot water.
Tankless Water Heaters heat water directly without the
use of a storage tank. Therefore, they avoid the standby heat losses associated with
storage water heaters. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels
through a pipe into the unit.
In an electric Tankless Water Heaters an electric element heats the water.
In a gas-fired Tankless Water Heaters a gas burner heats the water.
As a result, Tankless Water Heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water.
You don't need to wait for a storage tank to fill up with enough hot water.
Typically, Tankless Water Heaters provide hot water at a rate
of 2 - 5 gallons (7.6 - 15.2 liters) per minute. Typically, gas-fired Tankless Water Heaters will
produce higher flow rates than electric Tankless Water Heaters. Some smaller Tankless
Water Heaters, however, cannot supply enough hot water for simultaneous, multiple uses in large households.
For example, taking a shower and running the dishwasher at the same time can stretch a
Tankless Water Heater to its limit. To overcome this problem,
you can install a whole house type Tankless Water Heater or install two or more Tankless Water
Heaters, connected in parallel for simultaneous demands of hot water. You can also install
separate Tankless Water Heaters for appliances such as a clothes
washer or dishwater that use a lot of hot water in your home.
