Zero Energy Building Construction Moving to Mainstream

Despite short-term price fluctuations, energy costs will continue to rise over the long term, driving greater interest in building that produce as much or more energy as they consume. The pace of growth in Zero Energy Building (ZEB) construction will grow even faster than recent estimates done by Navigant Research, who indicates the market growing to $1.4 trillion in 2035. Read more at ProudGreenHome.com.

Get more information about Zero Energy at Thermal-Contractors.com!

Energy Retrofits for Older Homes

You might think that old home of yours is pretty hum drum, boring and well… just plain old. But even an older home can become an asset in the fight to use greener energy. You can actually cut your carbon footprint by a lot, even if you do own a pre-1970’s home. Read more at GreenerIdeal.com.

And get more information on Energy Retrofits for Older Homes at Thermal-Contractors.com!

Getting the Jump on Winter: Home-Prepping

The summer sun may still be sweltering, but fall is coming. If you are a homeowner or a renter responsible for home and yard maintenance, it is time to begin thinking about winterizing. There are several things you can do today, and in the next weeks, that will make your home more comfortable and lower your bills this winter. Read more at Home Improvement Magazine. Get more information on saving money and energy at Thermal-Contractors.com!

Energy Saving Tips For The Season

With the kids back in school and the holidays right around the corner, it’s important to monitor your spending during these busy months. If you haven’t started, now’s the time to cut back on energy use within the home. Here are some easy tips to get you started. Read more at ZCode Magazine. Get more information on saving money and energy at Thermal-Contractors.com!

Tips on Creating an Energy Efficient Study Room

With the start of the new school year, many parents are turning that spare room or den into a study room for their kids. Here are some tips on how to make it energy efficient so you can maximize savings, and create a comfortable study atmosphere for your kids. And remember, an energy efficient study room also works well as an energy efficient home office! Read more at resnet.us

And find out more about how you can make your home or workplace more energy efficient, visit Thermal-Contractors.com!

Green Learning Center Insulated With Spray Foam

Tutor Time of Melville, New York is bringing the lessons of sustainability to life – providing excellence in early education and child care in an innovative green learning environment. The building is the first child care facility in New York to fully utilize geothermal heating and cooling to operate on solar electricity with an expected Gold Standard LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. To regulate air quality, the building "envelope" has been sealed with spray foam for tight insulation. Fresh air is brought in through high-density filters in the building's energy recovery ventilators, supported by carbon dioxidesensors, to help provide a comfortable environment. Read more.

Sunshine Canyon Self-Sufficient Home

"Consistent and efficient heating is powered by a geothermal heat pump drilled into the granite mountainside, and is coupled with a concrete floor to absorb energy from the sun. Spray foam insulation creates an airtight envelope, and an eight KW ground-mounted PV array supplies enough power to nearly offset all electricity use." Read all of the architect's notes at archdaily.com.

Company creates homes from recycled metal shipping containers

A company that turns metal shipping containers into ready-to-move-in homes has begun a limited run of its first model. Although most people think steel containers would be awfully hot in the summer, Montainers use spray-foam insulation and air-conditioning units to mitigate the heat. “They are really airtight and energy-efficient,” Collins said. An added benefit for eco-conscious buyers is that the home is recycled. Read the entire article at missoulian.com.

Spray Foam to Surpass Fiberglass by 2016

US demand for insulation is forecast to rise 7.8% annually to $8.9 billion in 2016. Advances will be stimulated by a rebound in building construction expenditures from a depressed 2011 base. Further growth will be fueled by changes in building codes and continuing consumer interest in reducing energy consumption and utility bills. Homeowners and building owners will add or upgrade insulation to achieve these goals. Read more at sprayfoam.com.

Thermal Contractors is an Insulation contractor serving south Georgia and north Florida. Thermal Contractors specializes in tailored insulation solutions for residential and commercial buildings. Call (866) 721-FOAM today and find out how you can make money by adding foam insulation to your home or business!

New Industry Approvals Give Icynene a Unique Advantage with Fire Safety

Exclusive engineering approvals for Icynene Classic Max and Icynene Classic Plus broaden Icynene's ignition barrier free spray foam portfolio. Advanced testing by leading spray foam insulation manufacturer Icynene, in collaboration with professional engineering evaluation group, DrJ Engineering, has broadened the organization's already industry leading fire approvals to be the first to include reduced foam requirements, structural integrity of trusses and the addition of Icynene Classic Plus™ to new and existing approvals. sprayfoam.com

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Insulation Sale!!

During the month of June we will be running a Summertime special. 5% discount on any services or installation using discount code INSUL8.

Susan Shea's Geothermal & Solar House

This residential home was built in 1912 but despite its age, the owners decided to take the giant step of installing geothermal and solar to power their needs. The stucco home is well insulated to reduce the load needed for the geothermal system. The geothermal system installed is a 5 ton closed loop vertical heat exchanger. The house also has a 9kW roof solar PV system.

In addition to the solar and geothermal, the house features rain barrels, energy efficient windows and spray foam wall insulation. This is a great example of a historic home that has successfully implemented energy efficiency and renewable technology.

www.buffalorising.com

Winterizing Can Save Energy Dollars

As the days grow shorter and the weather cools, many area residents have begun to think about weatherizing their homes against the even colder weather ahead.

"It's never too late to think about weatherizing your home," said Loup Power District's New Business Supervisor Rick Cheloha. "Loup Power District offers a free energy audit to its residential and commercial customers to help them find ways to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and buildings."

ENERGY STAR, a nationwide energy efficiency program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offers helpful tips to improve energy efficiency on its Web site at www.energystar.gov.
One of the most economical ways area residents can improve energy efficiency in residential and commercial properties is by properly sealing and insulating the structure.

According to ENERGY STAR, homeowners can potentially save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs, or as much as 10 percent on their total annual energy bill, by improving the sealing and insulation of their home.

Easy-to-find air leaks and drafts are those that can be felt around doors and windows. Air leaks in attics, basements and crawl spaces may require more effort to discover.

Sealing as many of these leaks as possible with caulk, spray foam or weather stripping can have a significant impact on improving comfort and reducing utility bills.

columbustelegram.com

ABC's "Extreme Makeover" Spray Foam

On Sunday, August 23, 2009 the design team from ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" demolished The Fishing School in order to build a bigger and better school for the youth of Washington, D.C. The design team and Burch Builders called on Lapolla to offer an energy-efficient insulation system for the new school.

This was one of the largest Extreme Makeover: Home Edition projects. The building was approximately 6,200 sq. ft. Spray foam insulation was selected by the design team to add sustainability, durability, energy efficiency, and improved occupant comfort to The Fishing School.

Insulate Now, Save Later!

Before you put your 2008 tax documents up in the attic, think about the $1,500 you could save on next year's returns if you added extra insulation or a skylight.

Congress tripled the tax credit for energy-efficiency home improvements when it passed the latest stimulus plan. The credit now covers up to 30 percent of the cost of products installed this year and next.

The list of big-ticket items it covers is long: windows, outside doors, metal or asphalt roofs, heating and cooling equipment and fuel-cell batteries, among others.

"This gets at the low-hanging energy-efficiency measures that can be done for existing homes," said Jason Hartke, director of public policy at the U.S. Green Building Council.

He suggests improving your home's insulation before tackling your heating and cooling systems. Otherwise, air will just leak out.

Kevin Enyeart, vice president and general manager of Gale Home Builders in Kansas City, Mo., recommends spray foam insulation that can be applied easily to the underside of an attic roof. He says this product is both an insulator and a vapor barrier.

Make sure your contractor breaks down the bills, showing labor costs and materials costs separately. Keep a copy of the receipt and the Manufacturer Certification Statement for your records.

Read more at indystar.com

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Enter to WIN a Green Home!

The HGTV Green Home 2009 contest is slated to begin on April 17! The $700,000 home was designed by Carlson Studio Architects, and it has already received LEED Platinum certification.

Of course, the home has Energy Star everything and water-efficient everything else. It's also about 2,430 square feet, which is just about the average size for new homes these days. There's vegetable garden in the backyard, with rainwater collection barrels against the back of the house.

In addition, the green home features solar water heating, solar electric panels, low-VOC paints and adhesives, ICF walls, spray foam roof insulation, low-e windows, and the Spanish-style design will provide some good overhangs for friendly summer shade. That red roof, too, will probably last 50 years, although I'm sure it'll get some wear and tear being in Port St. Lucie, Florida. If you win the HGTV Green Home 2009, let us know what you think... good luck!

Read more at jetsongreen.com

Get more info about Spray Foam Insulation at Thermal-Contractors.com!

Architect Unveils Details of 'Makeover' House

A new house and resource center -- complete with a wind-powered electricity generator -- were taking shape today in the Near Eastside neighborhood where hundreds of volunteers were participating in the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" show to be aired in May.

Head architect Greg Cradick, 40, Westfield, said he spent five weeks designing the house, giving it what he calls a modest, urban look.

The design is "simple, responsible, and when all the cameras are gone, we want a responsible home that will trigger more development of a similar style," he said.

Cradick said the main level will have a master bedroom; a combined living room, dining room and kitchen; an office; and a big front porch. The second story has three bedrooms for the boys, plus a bathroom. The home also has a basement, which will be used to house mechanical needs and provide storage.

The exterior will be mostly brick, but also have concrete fiber sideboard, Cradick said.

Next to the house, the 975-square-foot resource center is framed, with a rough roof, wallboard and windows already installed. The center was designed as a library for the family, and is expected to contain educational software for McFarland to use.

A courtyard patio with concrete pavers and benches will sit between the house and the resource center.

Brad Love, an executive vice president of the Carmel-based homebuilder, Estridge, said the house will have spray-foam insulation and a geothermal heating-and-cooling system.

Plus, a low-maintenance, wind-powered generator will be installed for supplemental electricity, to help keep power bills low, said Love, 49, Westfield.

Read more at www.indystar.com

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ICC-ES Approval for CertaSpray

On the heels of certification for its open-cell formula, CertainTeed Corporation announced that its CertaSpray closed-cell polyurethane spray foam insulation has been approved by the ICC Evaluation Service, Inc. (ICC-ES). The approval makes CertaSpray the only closed-cell foam insulation offered in the U.S. that is both approved by the ICC-ES and certified through the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality and GREENGUARD Children & Schools program.

CertaSpray open- and closed-cell foam insulation products are blown into wall cavities, attics and floors and expand to create excellent thermal efficiency that modern housing demands. In general, CertaSpray closed-cell foam insulation provides a high-performance R-value and an air barrier that cures into a hard, rigid material that can add structural integrity to walls. The open-cell foam insulation results in a spongy, flexible consistency. Read more here.

Get more info on CertainTeed at www.thermal-contractors.com

School Incorporates Green Techniques

"The emphasis on green building is growing," said Amy Kapp, the school's public-relations coordinator, who accompanied the students to Washington, as they and 150 other YouthBuild students created the "green" house.

"We have changed our curriculum to include green techniques," said the school's executive director, Simran Sidhu, "and as new elements emerge in green building, and we find out what those are, we will continue to adapt our training to include them."

Green techniques - paperless drywall, renewable energy, spray-foam insulation, and recycled lumber, to name a very few - are fast becoming an integral part of residential building and remodeling.

"Green building is the future of home building," said Eric Borsting, chairman of the green building subcommittee of the National Association of Homebuilders.

"It's noticeable in the availability of materials - the price of renewable energy products and appliances, like photovoltaic panels, is coming down," while other products, such as paints with no or low volatile organic compounds, "no longer have to be special-ordered," he said.

Read more at: www.philly.com

Top 5 Ways to Go Green at Home

Frank Wickstead, president of the Atlanta remodeling firm WicksteadWorks, suggests five of the fastest ways to turn your home into an eco-friendly environment.

Switch to LED bulbs: “These bulbs are rapidly becoming more affordable,” Wickstead said. “They’re cooler; they use almost no electricity; and they have an unbelievably long lifespan.” They’re also ideal for cutting the cost of those outdoor lights you want to leave on all night.

Add new attic insulation: “The best thing you can do for your house without tearing into the walls is to put open-cell spray foam insulation in the attic,” said Wickstead. The brand Icynene is among the most popular that can be sprayed along the rafters to create an air barrier, making the attic part of the building envelope. Learn more about open-cell spray foam.

Encapsulate the crawlspace: This is a DIY project that will vastly improve the air quality in the house. Install a vapor barrier and insulated foam boards along the side walls to create a tight seal.

Eliminate air exchanges: Any spot where warm or cool air is escaping is an energy drain. Most homeowners are familiar with weatherstripping around windows and doors, but what about electrical outlets? An ultracheap (about 15 cents) square of foam insulation behind a switch plate can plug the hole.

Replace old toilets: “Dual flush toilets are awesome and they start at $260,” Wickstead said. “They’ll decrease water usage up to 30 percent, and it’s something you can change out yourself.”

Read more at: www.ajc.com