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.

Rain, Rain Go Away

We have had a higher than average rainfall kind of year, with August and September bringing the effects of Hurricanes Norbert and Odile to our area.  Timing the setting of trusses was tricky trying to predict when the winds would be calm enough to lift them with the crane.

 Sean-Paul Borg and crew of Mcs Enterprises, Llc. (801)556-2687 found a window of opportunity and got all the pre-fabricated trusses into place and mostly sheeted before the wind and rain came.

 View from back of the house.  You can see the large section of the house that requires stick-framing.

 View from front of the house.  Truss caps still need to be attached and sheeted as well as the center section of stick framing.

 All the rain at least helps us see where the low points in the lot are and naturally settle soaks the excavation work.  Let's hope most of the rain clears out before Monday so the framers can get the house closed in quickly.

Next up:  HVAC and Rough Plumbing.

Moving Along

The walls are going up quickly with Mcs Enterprise, Llc. (801)-556-2687, licensed and ensured, and owner Sean-Paul Borg has 20 years experience framing.  All outside walls are 2 x 6 as explained in the previous post.  Framing is scheduled to be complete September 26.

Storstad Concrete (801-358-0898) did another great job on the suspended porch cap and poured more point load spot footings in front of the garage on Monday, September 15.

Lot excavation continues by Osmond Development and Mike Little (801) 362-3227.  You can pay an excavator X amount of money to do a job and he will put in a rock wall.  And then you can pay a different excavator the same X amount of money and he will be creative and do amazing things.  That would be Osmond and Little.  The rock walls are beginning to go up and they are impressive.

Stay tuned for more pics of the roof trusses going up in the next week.  We'll also be talking about HVAC options for the best energy efficiency in your home.  Like us on Facebook to automatically get posts and industry information.  There are great rebates out there currently and you can check out our website for details on how you can save money right now.

Framing -- Should I use 2x4 or 2x6 or 2x8?

So you are contemplating building a house and want it to be as energy efficient as possible.  Did you ever consider that the width of the lumber you choose has a lot to do with the entire energy efficiency package?  It does.

Think about those old pioneer houses that were built with 2 foot thick walls of stone.  A great one I toured recently was the John Rowe Moyle house in Alpine, Utah. 

 It was built like fortress, and sure, they had Indian problems, but one of the reasons for making the walls so thick was to insulate the inside from the heat of the summer and the bitter cold of winter.  And it really works.  It was a hot summer day when I toured the home, and it was nice and cool inside without any aid of an air conditioner.

Framing your home with at least 2x6 walls will allow for a greater insulation barrier as well as provide better sound proofing.  It will create an overall stronger wall as opposed to 2x4 walls that can shudder when doors are slammed.  2x8 lumber is even better, but it will cost more, both on the lumber side, as well as calculating the cost of extra insulation.  You will make up for that cost and more later in your energy bills, however, and your home will be much more comfortable -- that is if you insulate and seal your home against air infiltration correctly.  But that's where Greenify Energy Savers' expertise can help you.

We recommend using a minimum of 2x6 framing, and be sure to check back for later posts about the best way to insulate.  You can like us on Facebook to automatically receive new posts as they happen.

B-Deck and Basement Slab Complete

 The basement slab has been poured.  But there was a lot of prep work involved in getting to this point:

Plumbing is being done by Mountain Side Plumbing, 801-281-3076, who requested that the backfill was done prior to sub-plumbing.  Mike Little, excavator and co-owner of O.L.E., did a great job on the backfill.  It was compacted so nicely, the plumbers had a hard time digging their lines and Mike came back to help them out.

In preparation to have a tankless water heater installed in this home, Mountain Side Plumbing will run soft-water lines to all faucets except the fridge, drinkable taps, and exterior hose bibs.

 The next day, crews installed the steel posts and I-beams which would support the B-decking on the suspended garage floor.

 If you are considering a suspended garage floor, Span Deck (concrete forms made off site and lifted by crane into place on the foundation) is one way of supporting your floor.  We initially explored Span Deck, but because of it's 18" thickness, it would require digging that portion of the basement an additional 2 feet, thus requiring 12' foundation walls.  B-deck eliminated that expense, and went in quickly.  We also would not have had enough slope for the sewer lines if we had dug down an additional 2 feet.

In considering damp proofing the garage floor, we talked to a company that recommended we pour half the thickness of the garage slab over the B-deck, spray it with a waterproof substance called Temproof 250, and then complete the rest of the pour 3 days later.  However, talking with our engineer, he said absolutely NO to that idea.  Doing that would negate the strength of the floor and the bond between the layers.  In talking with a builder friend who has done these B-deck floors for 15 years with no problems, he said you have to pour the entire slab with the slope from 7" down to 4" and essentially create your own Span Deck on site.  The framed walls and drywall will sit directly on the slab, and then a big radius of caulk will be run along the inside edge where drywall meets the slab, followed by an industrial strength epoxy treatment on the slab which runs 4" up the walls.  That is the strongest and best way to damp proof a suspended garage.  Keep the moisture from penetrating in the first place.

 The B-Deck makes for a nice industrial ceiling if this room remains unfinished, too.

Sub-Plumb in, backfill completed, and everything is ready for the basement slabs to be poured, which Darren Storstad of Storstad Conrete completed without the use of a concrete pump truck.  Very impressive, and the floor is beautifully level and scored to prevent cracking.

If You Are Thinking About A Tankless Water Heater...

So you are building a new home, or maybe you are just tired of running out of hot water in your current home.  Thinking about getting a tankless water heater?  Planning for that comes in the very beginning stages of your home.  How many showers will you have?  How many people live and use water in the home?  This will determine the size of your tankless water unit.  Will you have an electric or a gas tankless water unit?

While buying a tankless water unit may be a bit of an investment up front, it will save you a lot of energy consumption (and money) since it only heats water when it is needed, not like a traditional water heater which keeps a huge tank of water hot at all times by burning gas continuously. Much like a car idling in the garage, you wouldn't want to leave it running all night, only when you needed it, right?

Tankless water heaters are also built to last 15-20 years.  These units take up a lot less space and are mounted on the wall, something to take into consideration when drawing up your plans.

Here's another consideration if you are in an area with hard water:  lime scale tends to build up over time.  If you have a traditional water heater and you sliced it open, you would see a large chunk of lime scale at the bottom of your tank.  It just happens over time.  The same thing will happen inside the pipes of your home if you are using a tankless water heater and do not have soft water.  If you are building a new home, you should have your sub-plumbing done to accommodate a water softener to all areas of your home except the refrigerator lines, other drinkable faucets, and the outside hose bibs.  If you are retrofitting your home with a tankless water heater, you can buy "Un-Clog-It-Kits" to descale your pipes periodically.  Also make sure you have a minimum of a 3/4" gas line to the unit if you are choosing a gas tankless water heater.

Give Greenify a call at 801-948-4464 and let us help you determine which tankless water heater would be the best for your family's needs.
http://www.greenifyenergysavers.com/tankless-water-heater