Sep 16, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
For this sub-section, also required in both the prescriptive and performance pathways, all domestic hot water piping needs to have R-4 insulation. Insulation needs to be properly installed on all piping to elbows to adequately insulate the 90-degree bend. This helps...
Sep 15, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
This credit counts in both the performance and prescriptive pathways, because it is not an input in the HERS index rating. The intent is to reduce energy consumption associated with the domestic hot water system, including improving the efficiency of the hot water...
Sep 14, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
So…I did not want to write about our solution to the last “solar blip” post until it was actually happening. (I have gotten rather jaded and won’t believe things until I see them.) But yesterday, 16 Centrosolar photovoltaic panels were...
Sep 14, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
This credit is broken down into three parts: the prerequisite for HVAC Design & Installation (EA 6.1), High-Efficiency HVAC (EA 6.2), and Very High-Efficiency (EA 6.3). Energy savings can be achieved by sizing the equipment appropriately and selecting very...
Sep 13, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
This credit is designed to minimize duct leakage. (Duct leakage? Sounds gross.) Just as a home’s envelope should be tight to save energy, so should the air duct system – the system that distributes hot and cold air throughout the house, usually...
Sep 9, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
This is the third LEED credit in a row that starts out stating “Approximately one-quarter of a home’s heat losses and gains is due to….” The first is heat flow in and out of the insulated building envelope (EA2), the second is leakage through...
Sep 8, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
This credit is about sealing up the house. The tighter the home, particularly those in more extreme climates, the less energy it uses for heating and cooling; typically these houses are also more comfortable because they are draft-free. The tradeoff, though, is that...
Sep 7, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
So, now I am going to count up our points under the Energy & Atmosphere prescriptive path, and see if we get more points this way than going down the performance path with the HERS rating. I am also going to learn more about the components of an energy efficient...
Sep 6, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
This credit is the first and major one for the performance pathway, which requires a HERS rating from our green building rater. There is one prerequisite: EA 1.1 : Energy Star for Homes. I am not sure if we have an Energy Star House, but a home that earns points...
Sep 2, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
Energy and Atmosphere is the largest section in the LEED for Homes Rating System, accounting for 28% of the total possible points (see post on LEED for Homes Categories). Critics of the LEED Rating system often argue that it focuses too much on energy efficiency....
Jun 30, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
As I have been patiently waiting for tenKsolar to get their UL listing so we can install our solar panels on our roof (the deadline is September 30th, 2010, or the Minnesota rebate expires), we have run into a bit of a blip. Yesterday I received an email from the...
Apr 5, 2010 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling
Our electrician stopped by to do what is called a solar site shade analysis. He used a solar pathfinder, which tells you how much, if any, shade will impact your solar panels. It is pretty exact — its panoramic site reflector provides a full year’s worth of...
