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Home Performance

Building Envelope

Spotlight Article:

Weather-Stripping Windows with V-Strip

An in-depth window study on six homes compares the effectiveness of plastic vs. metal weatherstripping.

When air handlers and ducts are located in buffer zones like basements, energy and air quality problems associated with duct leaks--as well as the diagnostic procedures employed to evaluate them--tend to be quite complex and problematic. [continue reading]

Out The Window with U-Guessed-It Values

Author: Jim Obst

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July 01, 1993

Thermal performance in a window is expressed as a "U-value," a measure of heat transfer through it--the greater the heat loss, the higher the U-value. [continue reading]

From the Southwest, Unconventional Insulations

Author: Garry Tanner

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March 01, 1993

The sunny Southwest is home to some new and offbeat ideas about building insulation. Plastered straw bales, first used as a building material by settlers in the Sandhills of Nebraska in the 1890s, are now reemerging as an energy-efficient and frugal insulation material. [continue reading]

Attic Insulation R-Values-Who's Fluffing?

Author: Dennis Creech and Jeff Tiller

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January 01, 1993

In the highly competitive home building industry, successful builders learn quickly that to stay in business they must keep construction costs down. Unfortunately, some builders cut costs by skimping on energy features. [continue reading]

Minnesota Tightens Fiberglass Insulation Standards

Author: Cyril Penn

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January 01, 1993

Citing recent research confirming that fiberglass insulation loses effectiveness in extremely cold temperatures, Minnesota has adopted a state building code revision which includes a requirement that "all insulation materials must achieve their stated performance at 75deg.F and no less than stated performance at winter design conditions. [continue reading]

Radiant Barrier Update

Author: David W. Conover

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July 01, 1992

When Home Energy last covered radiant barriers (May/June '89 and Nov/Dec '89), the level of confusion and outright misstatements associated with radiant barriers were at an all-time high. S [continue reading]