Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world, and the number of LEED-certified buildings in the United States continues to grow. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently released the top 10 states for LEED Green building in 2019, a year in which the total number of...

Sealing common air leakage pathways is key to achieving a tight thermal envelope. Often, hidden holes in new construction homes can make achieving an airtight envelope very difficult. Knowing where these hidden holes tend to occur can help builders avoid a massive air leakage issue. Our 10 Hidden Air Leaks in New Construction Homes guide covers...

The number of HERS-related homes in the United States continues to expand, according to new data released by Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). In 2019 a total of 241,909 homes in the United States were HERS-rated compared with 236,116 in 2018. That is an increase of 5,793 homes in one year. To date, 2.7 million homes have been...

Home Sellers Must Prove Energy Efficiency

As we reported in last week’s blog post, “Five Promising Developments for Decarbonization,” a growing number of state and local governments are targeting building emissions to reduce their carbon footprint. This push for decarbonization will only accelerate. In the move toward decarbonization, targeting...

As a new decade begins, there are promising developments on the horizon for building decarbonization and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in residential and commercial construction. While federal support for decarbonization to address climate impacts is at a standstill, non-governmental organizations, state and local governments, and...

Like last year, some of our best-performing blog posts focused on air sealing and proper installation and application of fiberglass and mineral wool insulation, which is no surprise, since we’re the Insulation Institute. However, other topics like energy efficiency design trends and the prioritization of energy efficiency over energy generation...

Residential building energy code adoption and implementation have expanded steadily in the U.S. in recent years, with roughly 40 percent of states having a residential energy efficiency code that is equivalent to or higher than the 2015 IECC. With all the progress that’s occurred in recent years, is the building industry reaching peak efficiency?...

Getting accurate estimates for insulation installation jobs in new construction homes sounds like a relatively simple undertaking, but for some contractors, getting precise material quantities for jobs can be a challenge. Do you use software to estimate materials, or do you have an estimator review the construction plans? Is it necessary to “walk...

Gerardo Macias, an insulation installer with Northern Insulation in Wauconda, IL, is the winner of the 2019 “America’s Best Installer” competition, held Nov. 7-9 in Denver, CO, and won the event’s top prize of $10,000. The annual competition, hosted by Insulate America and Johns Manville, saw Macias compete against contenders for the title in the...

In the past three months, Sam Rashkin, chief architect of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, has been traveling non-stop, speaking at meetings and conferences about the expansion of zero energy buildings in the United States. While accustomed to an exacting traveling and speaking schedule, the demands on his time likely...