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EnergyGuard Foam Insulators Featured in Coastal Livings Idea House
How do you design a beach house that perfectly blends the charm of historical Galveston with modern-day conveniences? Just take a few cues from the Coastal Living design team, who combined the latest in technology with the best of classic style to create a home that feels like a haven. EnergyGuard Foam Insulation is featured throughout the home, making it more energy efficient, quiet, comfortable and less dusty. As energy costs continue to increase and homeowners seek a healthier home environment, EnergyGuard Foam Insulators, LP offers the latest in spray-foam insulation technology to provide the comfort and efficiency that homeowners demand. EnergyGuard Foam Insulation is also featured in another exclusive Galveston community, Evia. Evia's town cottages and select homes feature spay foam technology, making them an important part of this energy efficient, sustainable community. For more information on Evia, visit the Evia Galveston website.
A foam insulated airtight attic could be a big energy saver
Aug 9 2009 | modified: Sep 2 2009 6:24amIf you used spray foam insulation to make your attic airtight, would this lead to moisture buildup and mold?
Study finds the answer to this question is surprisingly NO. You can spray foam insulation on the underside of a roof, remove insulation from the attic floor and close off attic vents. This turns the attic into a space that you are heating and cooling, much as if it were the top of a living room with a cathedral ceiling. You'll be heating and cooling a larger space, so in some cases it won't save money. But if you have heating and air conditioning ducts within the attic, the savings could be significant.
Until the 1930s, attic vents weren't common. However, studies done in very cold climates raised concerns about condensation that could occur when warm indoor air leaks into attics in the winter around ceiling light fixtures and other voids. Gradually, building codes came to require vents so excess moisture could evaporate. In recent years, building scientists began to realize that the opposite situation also occurs: When an air conditioner is running in the summer, the attic vents bring in humid, warm air from outdoors. This can make the attic more damp than it would be otherwise, inviting the very mold problem the vents were intended to prevent.
Several years ago, proponents of unvented attics and insulated roof decks succeeded in getting their ideas written into the International Residential Code. Many communities adopt this as their building code. It now allows unventilated attics provided there is no vapor barrier between the top ceiling and the attic, and provided there is insulation that air can't get through on the back of the roof, between the rafters.
For insulating the back of a roof, spray foam works especially well because it creates a continuous barrier, assuming it's installed correctly. Installation is definitely a professional job, not DIY.
New Energy Code
Click here to view the new energy code.
Conductive Heat Flow Resistance of DEMILEC foam
Click here to view the pdf.
Air Infiltration in Coastal Regions : The Paston Effect
Click here to view the article.
Sealed Attics in Hot and Humid Climate
Click here to view this article.
Vented Versus Non-Vented Attics: The Argument For Energy Savings
Click here to view this article.
Isle home has power to spare
A new model home in Galveston produces enough energy to sustain itself and sell surplus to the area power grid.
The home developed by NewPoint Energy Solutions LP and Sullivan Interests comes equipped with solar panels and a roof-mounted wind turbine to capture wind power.
A biodiesel generator and recyclable batteries can provide backup power for the home in Evia, a residential project of Sullivan Builders.
Read entire article at the Houston Business Journal.
Federal Tax Incentives
Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) will enable homeowners, commercial building owners, and builders and manufactures of new homes to take advantage of tax credits available as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. A tax credit is different from a tax deduction in that it reduces the amount of income tax you have to pay versus reducing the amount of income subject to tax.
Homeowners
Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, homeowners can take a credit of 10% of the cost up to $500 for installing spray polyurethane foam as an insulation material. This tax credit only applies to the cost of the insulation materials and not the labor costs associated with the installation of these materials. Installations must be done after December 31, 2005, and before January 1, 2008 to qualify for the tax credit.
For more information on this tax incentive for homeowners, consult the following helpful links:
Commercial Building Owners
A business owner or tenet of a new or existing commercial building that is constructed or re-constructed to save at least 50% of the heating, cooling, ventilation, water heating, and interior lighting energy costs over a building that meets ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2001 is eligible for a tax deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot. Partial deductions of $0.60 per square foot are available for improvements to the building envelope, lighting, or heating and cooling systems that reduce the total heating, cooling, ventilation, water heating, and interior lighting energy use by 16 2/3%.
For more information on this tax incentive, consult the following helpful links:
Builders and Manufactures
Builders or manufacturers of homes are able to receive a $2000 tax credit if they build homes projected to save at least 50% of the heating and cooling energy over a comparable home. A comparable home is one that meets the standards of the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code. Manufactured home producers are able to receive a $1000 credit if they produce homes that save 30% of the heating and cooling costs or that qualify for the Energy Star Homes program. These credits are available for homes placed in service and ready for use from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008.