As we reported earlier this year, 36 states currently use a version of the residential energy code equivalent to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) specification or lower. As states work to adopt and implement more recent versions of the IECC (2012 or 2015), some builders may find it challenging to meet the blower door testing...

Profile of a Top One Percent Builder

Since 2013 the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Housing Innovation Awards has recognized the top builders of zero energy ready homes. Housing Innovation award winners represent the top one percent of builders across the country who meet the most rigorous specifications for high-performance homes. Among this...

Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) recently reached a significant milestone: 2 million Home Energy Rating System (HERS)-scored homes. This miles-per-gallon equivalent score assigned to estimate the energy efficiency of a home has rapidly gained market acceptance since its inception in 2006, and as energy efficient building becomes...

Is it Time for Resilient Design?

The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane season has been the seventh most active in history. [1] In a year that’s seen widespread home damage and displacement of homeowners as the result of extreme weather events there’s some positive news to report. According to a Wall Street Journal article, homes built in Florida following...

During last month’s Insulation Contractors Association of America Convention, Burgess Construction Consultants reported the results of a recent survey it conducted with more than 100 of the nation’s top production builders. The company sought to identify ways that builders, HERS raters and insulation contractors could work more collaboratively to...

When properly installed, housewrap can be the workhorse of a home’s exterior envelope, as a weather-resistive barrier that performs as the buildings shell, repelling water while also allowing water vapor to pass to the outside of the structure. But, like everything else in construction, it only works well if properly installed.  Rex Nelson of ...

New research conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs finds that aged fiberglass batt insulation maintains an average of 95.5 percent of the labeled R-value after an average of 40 years of service.

Contributed by Matthew Brown, Engineered Wood Specialist, APA -- The Engineered Wood Association

Taking the Guess Work Out of Envelope Design

Wall system design is increasingly challenging for builders and architects, as modern building practices have changed and codes have become much more stringent to meet energy efficiency requirements. Uncertainty about moisture risk associated with innovative envelope approaches can hinder adoption of...