We know about heat in coastal Carolina. It moves from the blazing sun outside to our living space inside. At the Sustainability Institute’s GreenHouse, the heat was kept out and the cool in. As a bonus, all the actions taken to make summer more bearable, also keep the house warmer in winter! And a bundle of cash will be saved on the energy bills.

We sealed leaks, such as around power outlets, and spaces around windows & doors. In many older homes, these leaks can account for about 25% of heating and cooling loss. That means cold hard cash.

• Sealed gaps around windows and doors with sill sealers, caulking, and foam sealants

• Seams of ductwork were sealed with mastic tape & covered with insulated casing

• Wrapped the whole house in Owens Corning fanfold underlayment board

• Sealed all wire and piping holes

• Sealed, insulated crawl space

Insulation

We insulated just about everything we could!

• Outside walls were filled with GreenFiber Cocoon cellulose

• Ductwork was wrapped in insulated casing in attic

• Attic space got loosely blown cellulose insulation covering the ducts

• New siding on the house is made of concrete and fiber that helps insulate

Engineers figured these improvements could save as much as 79% on the energy bills for this house compared to the original! How much difference would that make to your wallet? If your electric bill is $150 per month, 79% less would mean saving $118 per month!

Walls without insulation allow heat to move inside. The sun shines on the exterior and the heat is transferred to the inner wall and moves into the interior of the home. Walls with insulation minimize heat entering the home through walls & ceilings.

Inside the walls, we used blown in, dense-packed cel lulose fiber insulation called Cocoon by GreenFiber . This raised the R-Value to 18 in the walls. What does that mean? South Carolina requires new homes to have enough insulation in walls to meet R-13 standard. The GreenHouse exceeds that standard. That means more efficient use of energy, and more money saved on the heating/cooling bill!

Outside the walls, we wrapped the outside sheathing with insulating wrap made by Owens Corning reducing ai r coming in from outside. The siding is made of a concrete wood fiber material by James Hardie. As a result, we have increased the insulation value, prevented drafts, locked out harmful moisture, and our paint will last for 10 to 15 years.

In the attic, we used blown-in Cocoon cellulose insulation in the attic, about 12-16” high, with an R-value of 30. All ductwork was covered to further insulate the air in the ductwork before it enters the house.

In the crawl space, we tried a new technique to reduce outside air from entering the crawlspace & seeping through the floor. We insulated the brick sides with fiber glass batts. The ground surface was covered with a 6 mil poly vapor barrier. An air duct was installed to ?condition? the crawl space and keep it at a stable temperature with low humidity.

Moisture Management

Even a small amount of water can cause some of the most common and expensive problems in homes, including structural damage to foundations and lumber, damaged finishes, and harmful, unhealthy mold growth. Sources of water that impact a home include rain, condensation, water in the soil, and humidity. Condensation occurs when moisture in the air meets a cold surface (as when water droplets form on the outside of a glass of ice water on a hot day). Once surfaces within walls and foundation get wet, with even a small amount of water, or absorb water, it will be difficult to dry them.

Due to high average annual rainfall, more than 50 inches in the coastal area, it is very important to make sure that:

• rainwater is directed away from the home

• water vapor in the air does not condense on building materials

• when things get wet, they can rot. Keeping moisture to a minimum is important to prevent mold & mildew growth, as well as to prevent structural damage

In any home, there are gaps where walls, roofs, windows and decks meet. To minimize the possibility of water entering the home through these gaps, it is important to install flashing. Flashing is thin strips of material such as metal, rubber, or vinyl that repel water. If the lumber in a home stays wet and doesn't dry out, it will rot. Rot weakens the lumber, invites termites, and harms the structural integrity of the home.

Duct Work

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, typical duct systems lose 25 to 40% of the heating or cooling energy put out by the central furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner. Duct repairs could be the most important energy improvement measures you can make. If you could save only one half the typical loss of uninsulated and unsealed ducts that are in attics or crawl spaces, it would amount to $160 off the annual heating and cooling bill in a typical home, based on national averages. With these savings, the cost to seal and insulate the ducts (averaging $200 - $300) would most likely be paid for in about 2 years.

What you can do:
• Seal all leaks and joints with mastic (don’t use "duct tape"-- it dries out and cracks, causing leaks!)

• Wrap ductwork with foil-faced insulation batts, foil side out

• Seal the insulation seams (duct tape is OK here )

• If your ducts are in the crawl space, seal and insulate the crawl space to minimize heating/cooling loss

• If your ducts are in the attic, seal and insulate with blown cellulose to completely cover the ducts

Exterior Materials

The GreenHouse is clad with Hardiplank. It is made from cement, finely ground sand, & natural fibers. How does it compare with other siding?

Hardiplank
Won’t burn, melt or release toxic fumes
Paintable (lasts10 years)
Lasts a lifetime
50 year warranty
Won’t sag or lose shape
Doesn’t hurt the environment

Vinyl
Melts or burns
Can't change color, fades
Brittle in cold, can be dented
Doesn't always hold its shape
Uses fossil fuels

Hardboard
Burns
Frequent painting & repairs
Susceptible to termites etc.
Susceptible to rot, warping, buckling
Deteriorates from exposure

Roofing

• high performance shingles

• weathering-grade asphalt coating

• mineral granules protect from weathering

• strong fiberglass mat core (durable, fire-resistant, won’t absorb moisture)

Decking

The front porch decking is made from recycled materials. It comes with a 10-year warranty against splitting, rot, decay, and termite damage! Trex decking is an alternative to conventional wood decking. This lumber is a wood/plastic composite. It is attractive in appearance & has the workability of wood without on-going maintenance requirements. Trex is manufactured in a proprietary process that combines waste wood fibers and reclaimed polyethylene.

Windows and Doors

ThermaPane Windows

Why 2 Layers of Glass?

• Prevents condensation
• Reduces heat loss in winter & cooling loss in summer

We chose Andersen Windows

• diminishes sound
• resists condensation
• two layers of UV treated glass
• reduces heating & cooling costs
• reduces draftiness for greater comfort
• environmental benefits, helps reduce energy consumption
• tailored to meet the needs of different climate regions
• look for energy star windows that are 40% more efficient than products required under the most common national building codes.

ThermaTru Doors

ThermaTru door systems completely seal the entry way eliminating transfer of heat and cold. A solid polyurethane foam core provides five times the insulating value of comparable wood doors and often doubles the R-Value of most polystyrene core steel doors. Plus, your home will be much quieter inside.