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My new blog, Tracy DeCarlo's Home Building Lessons is live! For more practical ideas for building your home, click the above link.
Building or Remodeling? Do yourself a favor and increase your knowledge of the construction process and your options. Being informed can have a direct positive effect on the bottom line, the conveniences inside your home, and the future cost of the running the home.
The Difference is in the Details: The Homeowner's Planning Guide to Building a Functional Home not only provides hundreds of tips like these, it also provides lives links to suppliers and organizations. This photograph-filled e-Guide shows you how to adjust the building sequence to your financial advantage while helping you create a healthy, energy-efficient home that works for your family—inside and out, from the foundation to the rooftop. “With dozens of “how to build
your new home” books available, what could be left out? Plenty, as author DeCarlo shows in her
practical approach to topics often left out, forgotten, or given scant attention. Readers will thank her
for raising subjects to consider in the earliest stages of planning a new home.”
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Color Your Home Energy-Efficient Did you know that the color of your roof and your home’s exterior walls can have a significant impact on your energy bills?
Exterior Walls: Here’s a nutshell version of FSEC’s study and the results of their research. For half the summer the Hardiboard siding on the 200 square foot control building remained unpainted. Its primed beige color represented an LRV of 53 percent. During the second half of the summer, the siding was painted bright white, for an LRV of 72 percent. Energy usage data were collected daily, plotting the kWh (Kilowatt-Hour) for cooling against the measured interior-to-exterior daily temperature. To maximize the integrity of the study, the internal building temperature was maintained at a constant 78°F, and internal gains simulating occupancy, including moisture generation, were kept constant. The bottom line: During the period the siding was painted white, the building experienced an 11–12 percent cooling energy savings. For more information on the specifics of this study, see the article Reflective Walls by Danny Parker, the FSEC research scientist who conducted the evaluation, at Home Energy Magazine.
Energy Savings through Cool Roofing:
Your roof no longer has to be white to offer the benefits of cool roofing. Technological advances have resulted in some surprising alternatives. Reflective coatings for metal roofs, reflective granules for three-tab shingles, and reflective cool-roof concrete tile systems are available in a variety of attractive colors. As a side note; if you like the benefits but don’t care for the appearance of the normal metal roof, you’ll be happy to hear that metal roofing is now available in a variety of designs replicating tile, shingles, or shake, as shown in the photo above. If you live in a northern climate, you may be concerned that cool roofing will increase your energy costs in winter months. According to an article in the January/February 2008 issue of Eco-Structure magazine, however, the negative impact of cool roofing on heating energy costs is actually minimal. Several factors contribute to this phenomenon: (1) Fewer hours of daylight and an increase in overcast days reduce the amount of roof exposure to the sun; (2) Less direct radiation strikes the roof because the sun is closer to the horizon; and (3) Snow covering the roof acts as insulation. In fact, the city of Chicago has officially recognized the benefits of cool roofing by including a cool-roof ordinance as part of its building energy code. To determine if cool roofing is a viable option for your region it is best to consult with an architect practicing green/energy-efficient design. The tools listed below will also be helpful. Calculating Cool Roof Savings and Comparing Roof Ratings: Fortunately there is a tool to help quantitatively determine the benefits of a cool roof. There are also rating organizations for comparing products.
IS THERE A SUBJECT YOU'D LIKE ME TO COVER? Let me know by sending an email to tracy@tracystips.net. WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? All past issues of this ezine are in the Ezine Archives on our web site. Click here for Ezine Archives ! WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Tracy DeCarlo, author of "The Difference is in the Details" publishes the idea-packed, monthly e-zine "Tracy's Home Building Tips." If you're ready to learn how to plan a more durable, energy-efficient, and easy-to-live-in home, get your FR*EE tips now at www.DetailedSolutions.net.
By working with homeowners to focus on their daily habits and preferences, she helps them create living spaces that support and compliment their lifestyles, while at the same time teaching techniques to manage the bottom line. 
I’d love to hear from you:
Tracy DeCarlo, Detailed Solutions, Inc. P.O. Box 161644 Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, United States Phone 407-814-2328 |
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For those who live in a warm climate, cooling energy
costs are a major concern. Last summer, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) conducted a study to
evaluate home much cooling energy is saved by increasing the light reflective value (LRV) of exterior
paint colors. On a scale of zero to 100 percent, LRV measures how much light a color reflects, and,
conversely, how much light it absorbs. A zero-percent LRV represents absolute black; 100 percent is
perfectly reflective white. Thus, the lighter the paint color, the higher the LRV.
Three-digit heat waves are becoming
more common in many areas of the country and are placing high demands on our pocketbooks and on utility
companies. Depending on where you live, the temperature of your roof during one of these periods of excessive
heat could reach 190°F. Studies by the Florida Solar Energy Center have shown that a cool roof can lower
these temperatures dramatically, resulting in an energy savings on the order of 20 percent during the
cooling season. A dark roof absorbs as much as 95 percent of the sun’s heat, which, of course, can
dramatically increase your cooling costs. Other benefits of cool roofing include:
Tracy
DeCarlo owner of Detailed Solutions, Inc. and One Stop Green Home Certification, has more than fourteen years'
experience in the residential construction industry. As a Home Building Function Analyst,
Certified Green Professional, Green Certifying Agent,
and Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, Tracy addresses the functional aspects of home
construction, design, and usage, including items such as energy efficiency, disaster mitigation, air quality,
aging in place, green building, plumbing, electrical, lighting, and storage. 