Deborah Rider Allen

EarthCraft Virginia

Author: Deborah Rider Allen

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July 01, 2007

EarthCraft Virginia serves as a blueprint for building multifamily homes with high energy efficiency and healthy indoor air quality through environmentally responsible design and construction. [continue reading]

Renovating History

Author: Deborah Rider Allen

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May 06, 2009

We go back, back, way back - to look at a home built in the Colonial style in 1928, as it undergoes a thoroughly modern retrofit. [continue reading]

New Software Helps Sell Energy-Efficient Homes

Author: Deborah Rider Allen

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January 01, 1998

You load the self-contained software into your computer, put in the numbers about the home and the buyer, and click your mouse on one of the icons. Instantly you get easy-to-read graphics on customized house and financing scenarios, cash flow and mortgage payment analysis, and energy upgrade costs versus savings. [continue reading]

DO CONSUMERS BUY ENERGY EFFICIENCY?

Author: Deborah Rider Allen

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March 01, 1998

According to the data, the manufacture and sale of products with efficiency ratings above federal appliance and equipment standards are taking up an ever-increasing percentage of the market. [continue reading]

High-Efficiency Homes: Moving Markets, Updating Codes

Author: Deborah Rider Allen

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May 01, 1998

Builder education takes many forms. One of the most effective ways for builders to learn new techniques is to walk a construction site ask questions. When the site turns into a home where residents feel comfortable and save money, the students use the techniques they learned. [continue reading]

Hot Water Improvements Top Warm Climate Weatherization Measures

Author: Deborah Rider Allen

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September 01, 1998

Reducing hot water costs is the most cost-effective way to save money for low-income housing in warm climates. This is one conclusion that can be drawn from a new study on the cost-effectiveness of energy-saving measures for low-income housing in warm climates. [continue reading]

Prefab Utility Walls Save Up-Front Costs

Author: Deborah Rider Allen

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March 01, 1999

A new product called the Residential Utility Core Wall (ResCore) can save from $500 to more than $2,000 in construction costs for site-built homes. [continue reading]

Choosing a Basement Wall System

Author: Deborah Rider Allen

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March 01, 1999

Twenty years ago, standard concrete masonry block and cast-in-place (CIP) concrete basement foundation wall systems were the norm for single-family, low-rise housing. [continue reading]