shaw's blog

Insulation can be one of the biggest home improvements that you can do on your existing home and your new home to make it more energy efficient. In the Scheller home we chose to do a insulation system called BIBS.

It looks like a can light, it feels like a can light and it is. One of the major requirements when we started the Green Max Home was that we could not use any incandescent light fixtures. So, we looked at fluorescent and we didn't care for the dimming options that you are limited to. We then looked at LED lighting and there were no restrictions on dimming. This was a huge plus for the Schellers and the Green Max Home electrical use.

This is not your ordinary electrical box! What we are using on the exterior wall and our 2nd floor ceilings are electrical boxes with a pliable rubber gasket. This works as a great wall seal between our drywall and the electrical box.

With the Green Max Home we took into account efficiency and comfort ability and that's why the Scheller's decided to have three different zones in the home. This will allow them to control the temperature on all three different levels of the home. Our subcontractors did a EXCELLENT JOB working together sharing all the interior wall stud cavities for all the mechanicals.

On the outside of the home we used DOW rigid foam that has a r-value of 5. This is important because it insulates the outside of our stud wall. This will help with the transfer of cold through the actual 2x6 stud.

One of the major requirements with the net zero home was the use of the (PV) electric solar. The concept is very simple in my description. The solar panels track the sun from sun up to sun down with a photo eye. Inside the home we do not have batteries lined up, but instead the power produced goes directly back into the electrical grid. The power used is bought at 9 cents per kWh and power produced is paid back at a rate of 30 cents per kWh.

The geothermal was installed with ideal soils. When we install the geothermal we want it to be as wet as possible, and we hit the jackpot.

The geo loop installers were not liking the conditions, but the Scheller's will be singing all the way to the bank with the return on their investment.

The water and the sandy rocky soils help make the best soil contact to the geo loop and the transfer of energy to the geo loop system or out of the geo loop system.

Under the concrete slab in the lower level we stepped it up another notch. We installed 6 Mill plastic with all the seems taped to act as a moisture barrier between our 4" of gravel and lower level concrete slab. This barrier will perform two things for us as a moisture barrier and a vapor seal for our radon gas. This will force all radon gas and moisture to the drain tile and not through the lower level slab.

Energy efficiency starts from the outside in. On the outside of the foundation walls we installed 2" R-10 foam two feet down from the top of our foundation. Studies have shown that exposed concrete will heat up and wick up moisture when exposed to the sun. With the 2" R-10 foam on the exterior of the foundation this will stop the concrete from heating up and sucking up that moisture.

Who would have known that a footing and drain tile could be so important in the energy efficiency of your home? When we designed the building envelope of the home we took into account the footings and keeping them dry with drain tile on the inside and the outside of the footing. You may be asking why this is any different than any other home and my answer to that would be the functions that drain tile performs. It serves three purposes in the design of the home.