New Home Construction

I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.
thanks, JA

Joe wrote:

I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.

How much insulation have you got ?
There is no such thing as too much.
Graham

Eeyore wrote:

Joe wrote:
I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.
How much insulation have you got ? There is no such thing as too much.

There is a point of diminishing returns though. Around these parts it's common to refer to insulation by R value and, this being a southern and warm climate, it's not often you see much more than R20 or so in the walls. I would say that somewhere around R80 would be the point where adding more insulation becomes impractical for my climate.
Regarding energy efficiency in a new home. I'm no expert but I can repeat some things I've heard about.
For instance, not all insulation is the same. I'm told that sprayed foam insulation performs better than similar R valued fiberglass because it seals up all the cracks.
Also, heat recovery ventilators are a good idea in a tight house.
These days you can go one step further and automate a whole house fan and motorized windows. Add motorized automatic insulating shutters and your house can do the entire passive solar song and dance that a person would normally have to do by hand. What most folks don't learn until too late is that "passive" solar means you're always adjusting something.
I'm in favor of active solar thermal air heaters as well. In the summer you can duct them to your clothes drier to save some energy or to a food dehydrator or something.
While not energy efficiency related, I'm also in favor of a whole house vacuum, home run all the electrical, add wiring in every room (heck, every wall) for network, phone, TV, and security stuff. It's easy to add all kinds of wiring when the walls are open. Even if you don't use half of it, wire is cheap. Oh, and take pictures of everything before they cover it all up.
I suppose, this being homepower, that provisions in the design and wiring for generators, battery banks, solar PV and all that stuff isn't a bad idea (assuming it's not already in the plans). Even if you don't plan for any of it yet, having the space set aside can help in the future.
Anthony

Anthony Matonak wrote:

Eeyore wrote: Joe wrote:
I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.
How much insulation have you got ? There is no such thing as too much.
There is a point of diminishing returns though. Around these parts it's common to refer to insulation by R value and, this being a southern and warm climate, it's not often you see much more than R20 or so in the walls. I would say that somewhere around R80 would be the point where adding more insulation becomes impractical for my climate.

That R value is more important to the energy efficient builder though. That's what it's all about. Saving energy in the first place is far more effective than spending money to replace it !
Does 2x6 framing mean walls fixed on battens 6" wide ? That sounds thin to me for decent insulation.
Agreed with rest of stuff so snipped for brevity.
Graham

Joe wrote:

I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.

You might also consider space heating with a sunspace or "solar siding."
Nick

Joe wrote:

I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.

Going back to basics, where is this and what is the weather like there ?
Graham

Anthony Matonak wrote:

Joe wrote:
I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.

I wonder where this home will be. SIPs can insulated better than 2x6 walls, with less air leakage.

... heat recovery ventilators are a good idea in a tight house.

Sure, but most US houses already leak way too much air, so HRVs save little energy... 0.2 ACH is considered "airtight" here, but a 3000 ft^2 house with 0.2 ACH leaks 0.2x3000x8/60 = 80 cfm, way more than ASHRAE's standard 15 cfm per full-time occupant.

These days you can go one step further and automate a whole house fan and motorized windows.

Automatic night ventilation can take the place of AC for all but 2 weeks per year in Phila. If it senses outdoor humidity, it can also bring in warm outdoor air to heat a house while avoiding indoor condensation.

Add motorized automatic insulating shutters and your house can do the entire passive solar song and dance that a person would normally have to do by hand. What most folks don't learn until too late is that "passive" solar means you're always adjusting something.

People quickly tire of moving insulation twice a day, but motorized shutters seem expensive, with low R-values compared to a house wall. We can automatically let air flow up through a vent from a sunspace to heat ceiling mass, then bring heat down with a slow ceiling fan and a thermostat and an occupancy sensor. Not purely passive, but very low power. Motorized insulating shutters.

I'm in favor of active solar thermal air heaters as well.

Sure. Why not cover the whole south wall with transparent siding, eg clear corrugated Dynaglas polycarbonate greenhouse roofing, with an air gap and a dark surface behind it?
Nick

Eeyore wrote:

Joe wrote:
I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.
Going back to basics, where is this and what is the weather like there ?
Graham

Unless the weather is 72F all year round, insulation and thermal mass are the critical factors to begin with. If the weather is going to get variable and extreme as predicted, both heating and cooling are going to be important.
If you go from 2x6 to 2x8 walls you get about 40% less heat loss or gain just in the insulation. Make sure your walls are 5/8 gypsum rather than 1/2, and make sure your foundation is highly insulated from the outside (and have termite protection if that's a problem in your area). Have the roof insulation a *minimum* of r-50 total.
None of these choices should add more than trivially to the labor cost, although your contractors will try to claim that. The difference in material cost is insignificant relative to the total cost of the house. In addition to thermal comfort, with good windows, you will have a wonderfully quiet house.
-tg

"Joe" wrote in message

I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.

As others have said, insulation is a good thing. You don't mention where you're at, so I can't tell if heating or cooling will be the larger energy usage. Some 'bullet' thoughts.....
1) Beware of 'radiant barrier' insulation. It's often advertised as performing a lot better than actual, installed performance. About the only place it would make sense is the underside of attic rafters if you're in a climate that needs a lot of A/C
2) Think 'air tightness'. Even in 'modern' homes, a large percentage of heat loss (maybe 50%) is by air exchange with cold outside air, not conduction through insulated walls. Standard 'vapor barriers' don't do enough to stop this exfiltration, you have to seal around all the openings into the attic, all the electrical boxes on exterier walls, between the foundation and the sill plate (sill sealer, boards aren't always enough). Outdoor hose bibs, electric service entrance, 'walk through' every penetration through the vapor barrier (also known as the 'building envelope') and look for how it's going to be sealed. *IF* indoor air pollution build up is a concern, think about a small amount of forced ventilation throught an air/air heat exchanger.
3) If you and your family take a lot of showers, consider the feasibility of installing a GFX heat-exchanger. Zero maintenance and they can recover a good percentage of your hot water energy. http://gfxtechnology.com/
4) If the basement is *ever* going to be considered a living space (maybe not now, but in the future?), insulate underneath the slab and around the walls. Much easier to install beforehand than to deal with later.
5) Unless the view is magnificent, stick to simple double-hung windows of some standard size (in severe climates make them low-e, double-pane). Unless you're quite sure about the available solar gain. My neighbor spent a lot of money for some beautiful windows that seemed like a wonderful idea. Problem is, they are aimed about 30 degrees north of due west (lousy solar gain except in summer :-( , and simply look into the other neighbors backyard (and no, there's no bathing beauty by the pool everyday :-) He loses a lot of heat even though they are low-e double pane, has a view of the other guys kids on their swing-set, and no significant solar gain. Dumb, dumb, dumb, all because "it looked good on paper".
6) If you have long/cold winters, consider some form of vestibule for the entrance. There are mixed thoughts about just how much heat you lose going in/out, but think it over.
7) Not energy related (except my own personnel energy level), see if you can get the laundry near the bed/bath rooms. At least on the same floor. Whoever does the laundry in your household will love you for it.
When I built my house, I considered, "What are things that are easy to do while in construction, but a pain in the a__ to do later?" Add an extra course of block to the basement walls so it can be finished off later if desired (< $400 ). Add wiring and boxes to the center ceiling of a lot of rooms for ceiling fans (just wallboard over for now, but find them with a magnet later if you ever want a ceiling fan) (<$100 if you wire them yourself). Extra wiring in walls for cableTV/ telephone/ network/ intercom/ whatever... (also cheap if you run them yourself while the walls are just studs) Insulation under slab. When the budget gets 'tight', go for cheap carpets, cheap cabinets, cheap fixtures in the bathrooms. Those can all be upgraded later in a couple of years for not much more than the cost of the upgrade materials. But fishing wires or trying to blow in insulation, or a 6 1/2 ft ceiling in the basement are a lot harder.
daestrom

daestrom wrote:

1) Beware of 'radiant barrier' insulation. It's often advertised as performing a lot better than actual, installed performance.

That's no longer true, given current FTC regs which prohibit advertising R-values in general but allow advertising measured "system R-values" with specified barrier orientations and temp diffs and directions of heatflow.

About the only place it would make sense is the underside of attic rafters if you're in a climate that needs a lot of A/C

It could also work well under an unheated basement ceiling.

2) Think 'air tightness'. Even in 'modern' homes, a large percentage of heat loss (maybe 50%) is by air exchange with cold outside air...

You might specify a max 0.2 ACH natural air infiltration, eg 10 ACH with a blower door test, if the builder agrees, and do some airsealing yourself with a large exhaust fan in a window and a 0-0.25 "H20 Magnehelic pressure gauge ($25 on Ebay?) or a $64 Kestrel 1000 wind meter in another window. As you feel around doors and windows and caulk up the cracks, the indoor- outdoor pressure difference or air velocity should rise.
Nick

Joe wrote:

I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.
thanks, JA

Some miscellaneous tips based on experience:
1. Install a separate circuit breaker box in your garage. 2. Run a gas line to your garage and to your fireplaces (if you have natural gas). 2. Try to get an electric meter box installed that allows a second connection for a shed, etc. 3. Use stranded wire for your door bell wiring and use a large transformer that will support multiple chimes. Solid wire breaks very easily. Make sure that the transformer is installed next to the access hole in the ceiling and above the ceiling insulation. 4. Put high-end, low-noise exhaust fans in the bathrooms. 5. Install built-in medicine cabinets in the bathrooms. Make sure that you don't have to pull electrical plugs out of the sockets in order to open a cabinet door. 6. Insulate the interior walls of the bathroom for sound, especially if the bathroom is adjacent to the living room. Insulate other selected walls. If the kitchen refrigerator and a bedroom share the same wall, for instance, you don't want to hear the refrigerator going on and off all night. 7. If you have a basement, don't let the heating and air conditioning guys use tees in the heating duct. Make sure they use separate ducts. Sound will be transmitted directly from upstairs bedrooms to downstairs bedrooms if they do. 8. Consider doing at least some basic soundproofing in your entertainment/TV room so that you can turn your stereo up without disturbing the neighbors. 9. If you have a basement consider having the builders do the framing, wiring, and dry-wall hanging. You can add the carpet and bathroom cabinets and fixtures later if you want. 10. If you have outside stairs or a deck, make sure the the builders use the proper lumber and fasteners for weather resistance. Consider having it covered with a roof. Make sure they use treated lumber for any wood touching the ground.

wrote in message

Joe wrote:

....lots of good things!
Since you have no idea what type of low voltage wiring your house will need over the next 50 years (since some likely haven't been invented yet.) I suggest that you don't economize on conduit. Put all low voltage wiring in Condit stubs so that it can be easily replaced. While the walls are still open add a few strategic empty conduit stubs leading to unused electrical boxes for future use. They cost peanuts and you will be happy that you took the time.

I guess I should have mentioned that I live in the Cleveland area. Cold winters and hot humid summers.
Eeyore wrote:

Joe wrote:
I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.
Going back to basics, where is this and what is the weather like there ?
Graham

daestrom wrote:

"Joe" wrote in message I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.
As others have said, insulation is a good thing. You don't mention where you're at, so I can't tell if heating or cooling will be the larger energy usage. Some 'bullet' thoughts.....
1) Beware of 'radiant barrier' insulation. It's often advertised as performing a lot better than actual, installed performance. About the only place it would make sense is the underside of attic rafters if you're in a climate that needs a lot of A/C
2) Think 'air tightness'. Even in 'modern' homes, a large percentage of heat loss (maybe 50%) is by air exchange with cold outside air, not conduction through insulated walls. Standard 'vapor barriers' don't do enough to stop this exfiltration, you have to seal around all the openings into the attic, all the electrical boxes on exterier walls, between the foundation and the sill plate (sill sealer, boards aren't always enough). Outdoor hose bibs, electric service entrance, 'walk through' every penetration through the vapor barrier (also known as the 'building envelope') and look for how it's going to be sealed. *IF* indoor air pollution build up is a concern, think about a small amount of forced ventilation throught an air/air heat exchanger.
3) If you and your family take a lot of showers, consider the feasibility of installing a GFX heat-exchanger. Zero maintenance and they can recover a good percentage of your hot water energy. http://gfxtechnology.com/
4) If the basement is *ever* going to be considered a living space (maybe not now, but in the future?), insulate underneath the slab and around the walls. Much easier to install beforehand than to deal with later.
5) Unless the view is magnificent, stick to simple double-hung windows of some standard size (in severe climates make them low-e, double-pane). Unless you're quite sure about the available solar gain. My neighbor spent a lot of money for some beautiful windows that seemed like a wonderful idea. Problem is, they are aimed about 30 degrees north of due west (lousy solar gain except in summer :-( , and simply look into the other neighbors backyard (and no, there's no bathing beauty by the pool everyday :-) He loses a lot of heat even though they are low-e double pane, has a view of the other guys kids on their swing-set, and no significant solar gain. Dumb, dumb, dumb, all because "it looked good on paper".
6) If you have long/cold winters, consider some form of vestibule for the entrance. There are mixed thoughts about just how much heat you lose going in/out, but think it over.
7) Not energy related (except my own personnel energy level), see if you can get the laundry near the bed/bath rooms. At least on the same floor. Whoever does the laundry in your household will love you for it.
When I built my house, I considered, "What are things that are easy to do while in construction, but a pain in the a__ to do later?" Add an extra course of block to the basement walls so it can be finished off later if desired (< $400 ). Add wiring and boxes to the center ceiling of a lot of rooms for ceiling fans (just wallboard over for now, but find them with a magnet later if you ever want a ceiling fan) (<$100 if you wire them yourself). Extra wiring in walls for cableTV/ telephone/ network/ intercom/ whatever... (also cheap if you run them yourself while the walls are just studs) Insulation under slab. When the budget gets 'tight', go for cheap carpets, cheap cabinets, cheap fixtures in the bathrooms. Those can all be upgraded later in a couple of years for not much more than the cost of the upgrade materials. But fishing wires or trying to blow in insulation, or a 6 1/2 ft ceiling in the basement are a lot harder.

All good but I will pitch not insulating *under* the basement or slab. Perimeter insulation as much as possible with horizontal going 2' out from the wall depending on depth.
If you tie the concrete thermally to the earth, you get this nice stable temp around 45-50F to work with year round.
-tg

> daestrom

wrote in message

daestrom wrote: "Joe" wrote in message I'm in the early stages of building a new home. I am using contractors so I can be very flexible in the design. At this point, I'm considering solar arrays, 2x6 framing, and solar water heating. I'm looking for resources or other pointers regarding energy efficiency of a new home.
As others have said, insulation is a good thing. You don't mention where you're at, so I can't tell if heating or cooling will be the larger energy usage. Some 'bullet' thoughts.....
1) Beware of 'radiant barrier' insulation. It's often advertised as performing a lot better than actual, installed performance. About the only place it would make sense is the underside of attic rafters if you're in a climate that needs a lot of A/C
2) Think 'air tightness'. Even in 'modern' homes, a large percentage of heat loss (maybe 50%) is by air exchange with cold outside air, not conduction through insulated walls. Standard 'vapor barriers' don't do enough to stop this exfiltration, you have to seal around all the openings into the attic, all the electrical boxes on exterier walls, between the foundation and the sill plate (sill sealer, boards aren't always enough). Outdoor hose bibs, electric service entrance, 'walk through' every penetration through the vapor barrier (also known as the 'building envelope') and look for how it's going to be sealed. *IF* indoor air pollution build up is a concern, think about a small amount of forced ventilation throught an air/air heat exchanger.
3) If you and your family take a lot of showers, consider the feasibility of installing a GFX heat-exchanger. Zero maintenance and they can recover a good percentage of your hot water energy. http://gfxtechnology.com/
4) If the basement is *ever* going to be considered a living space (maybe not now, but in the future?), insulate underneath the slab and around the walls. Much easier to install beforehand than to deal with later.
5) Unless the view is magnificent, stick to simple double-hung windows of some standard size (in severe climates make them low-e, double-pane). Unless you're quite sure about the available solar gain. My neighbor spent a lot of money for some beautiful windows that seemed like a wonderful idea. Problem is, they are aimed about 30 degrees north of due west (lousy solar gain except in summer :-( , and simply look into the other neighbors backyard (and no, there's no bathing beauty by the pool everyday :-) He loses a lot of heat even though they are low-e double pane, has a view of the other guys kids on their swing-set, and no significant solar gain. Dumb, dumb, dumb, all because "it looked good on paper".
6) If you have long/cold winters, consider some form of vestibule for the entrance. There are mixed thoughts about just how much heat you lose going in/out, but think it over.
7) Not energy related (except my own personnel energy level), see if you can get the laundry near the bed/bath rooms. At least on the same floor. Whoever does the laundry in your household will love you for it.
When I built my house, I considered, "What are things that are easy to do while in construction, but a pain in the a__ to do later?" Add an extra course of block to the basement walls so it can be finished off later if desired (< $400 ). Add wiring and boxes to the center ceiling of a lot of rooms for ceiling fans (just wallboard over for now, but find them with a magnet later if you ever want a ceiling fan) (<$100 if you wire them yourself). Extra wiring in walls for cableTV/ telephone/ network/ intercom/ whatever... (also cheap if you run them yourself while the walls are just studs) Insulation under slab. When the budget gets 'tight', go for cheap carpets, cheap cabinets, cheap fixtures in the bathrooms. Those can all be upgraded later in a couple of years for not much more than the cost of the upgrade materials. But fishing wires or trying to blow in insulation, or a 6 1/2 ft ceiling in the basement are a lot harder.
All good but I will pitch not insulating *under* the basement or slab. Perimeter insulation as much as possible with horizontal going 2' out from the wall depending on depth.
If you tie the concrete thermally to the earth, you get this nice stable temp around 45-50F to work with year round.

That's only good if you *want* the basement to be 45-50 year round. In NY (similar climate to OP's Ohio), a cold slab in the summer may be nice for keeping cool, but in the winter it sucks [the heat right out of the basement living space].
daestrom