More Tricks and Treats of Energy Efficiency -- Windows and Chili Peppers

With the windows and doors being installed by Jason of Greenify (801)948-4464, it's starting to look more like a house.  On the back or southwest side of the house, we were concerned with the amount of solar heat gain we would have through those windows since they receive direct sun most of the day.  In our area, you should have a coefficient of .40 or lower if you are concerned about blocking heat gain coming in through your windows.  We chose an Amsco window with a double glazing low-E coating that brought the coefficient down to .22.  This eliminated the need for window tint.  If you have single paned windows or the old steel framed windows, replacing them with vinyl windows can save you 10 - 15% a year on your heating and cooling bill.  Greenify can help you understand the energy performance ratings for windows and determine which ones would best suit your individual home's needs.

The plumbing rough-in is now complete, done by Mountain Side Plumbing (801)281-3076, who were fast and efficient, easy to work with, and did a great job.  They had some great suggestions in finding the right tankless water unit that would accommodate a Chili Pepper recirculation pump in the Master Bathroom, which is 60 feet away from the tankless water heater.  That's a long line to have to pull water through the pipes in order to get hot water -- meaning a lot of water running in your shower before the water is hot enough to get in.  Installing the Chili Pepper means that the hot water will be there almost immediately, which saves water and time.

MCS Enterprise, owner Sean-Paul Borg had a big challenge given the amount of stick framing required in the center of the roof.  Because of the change in trusses, the roof line was affected and Sean-Paul devised a solution which was approved by the engineer.

It turned out pretty great, and he was able to save a lot of lumber which was returned for a credit.  The framer is one of your most important sub-contractors.  What they do affects the rest of the construction project.  Mcs Enterprise is a framing company that can not only follow the plan, but knows what to do if the plan has to change, and can also save you unnecessary cost in lumber use. They are only a 3-man crew, so they won't be fast.

Direct Vent gas fireplaces were installed by Alpine Fireplace (801)566-0666.  See our last post on the importance of direct vent gas appliances.

While using a zoned system can save you money and duct space, and can be a good solution, the load for our square footage was so great that if the two zones were called for at the same time, we would be starved for enough air for both zones to function correctly.  We chose not to take that risk and instead, put an HVAC system on each level.  The increased duct work in the basement took a little creativity to install by Hyland Heating (801)561-5904, but they accomplished the task and we feel confident that our load calculations are correct and can meet the demand of the house with little risk.

All delivery and return ducts (where possible) should be hard-ducted and sealed thoroughly with mastic.  Duct tape will not permanently adhere to metal or other materials and should never be used to seal the ducts.  Choosing another name for that tape is probably in order.

Skeletons, Soft Water, and Direct Venting

As we are nearing the end of October, skeletons might just be on your mind.  The skeleton of our energy efficiency new construction home is nearing completion and we begin installing the guts -- the  stuff deep inside that makes it function efficiently.

One often overlooked detail when planning a home and considering it's energy efficiency is the roof truss design.  In cold climates like ours, roof trusses should allow for the full depth of insulation across the entire ceiling area, which often isn't the case.  Trusses should have a heel height of at least 12" to prevent heat loss near the eaves.  If you can't get enough insulation near the eaves, you will have snowmelt, ice damming, and eventual roof damage.  If you have living space built into attic space, as we do in this plan, you will have to include extra care in your insulation plan to achieve the goal of R60 values in the ceilings.

Another overlooked detail is soft water.  Soft water for energy efficiency, you ask?  Yes.  Especially if you are installing a tankless water heater.  Battelle Memorial Institute, a non-profit applied science and technology company, performed a test on the effects of hard water vs. soft water on tankless water heaters.  The report, released in March 2010, showed that the use of soft water to reduce the scale forming compounds naturally present in hard water, resulted in natural gas savings.  It also meant not having to delime or clean the pipes periodically, which equals more economic savings.  That means money left in your pockets.  The cost of a water softener and supplies were recovered in a matter of months in the Battelle Memorial Institute test, and the lower use of natural gas resulted in a smaller carbon footprint, just in case you care about your impact on Mother Earth.

The plumbing is now ready for the water softener and tankless water heater.

One last tidbit:  Make sure your water heaters, HVAC systems, and fireplaces are direct vent/sealed combustion units.  All fuel burning appliances run certain risks of malfunction, which could cause carbon monoxide to spill into the home.  Illness and death can happen unless you take the precautions to install ONLY direct-vent sealed combustion appliances.  While more expensive, they are also more efficient, creating energy savings, and are a safer alternative.  They also eliminate the need for a standard flue, which helps offset the extra cost.