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...

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...

DOE’s Housing Innovation Awards recognize the best in home building innovation on the path toward Net Zero. Among this year’s winners in the production home category is Insight Homes, a Delaware builder and previous innovation award winner. Insight’s ability to evolve its construction practices to take advantage of the latest in building science...

A study commissioned by Second Nature, the nation’s largest home wellness subscription service, revealed that 99 percent of Americans want a healthy home, yet 62 percent say they could do a better job of obtaining one. One of the major ways that homeowners can ensure a healthy home is maintaining good indoor air quality (IAQ). The U.S....

For the second time in three years, North Carolina Builder Shawn Jessup has won a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Housing Innovation Award. While Jessup’s scale may be small, at two to three builds per year, he is in high demand. S.D. Jessup Construction fields constant requests from potential customers in Raleigh, NC and other areas more than two...

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has some of the most advanced policies and programs in the country to support a net zero built environment for existing and new construction homes. Other states would do well to follow their lead.