Green Homes News

Choose the best bulbs and the right fixtures and design your lighting well to make the most of the more efficient, but less likable lighting of the times

I am building a semi-detached home in Ottawa Canada.  I think the look of vertical Open Slats is fairly attractive and it would also save a bit of money, but…

Hi,Can we paint exposed rigid boards with a thermal barrier paint commonly used for spray foam and satisfy Code requirements? We have a storage basement that we are insulating with…

Hi All - we are about to finish our basement in Climate zone 4. When we built the house we installed 2" rigid foam under the slab and ran that…

I have a newer home (completed Sep 2023) in Climate Zone 4 (Maryland) and just received my building permit to finish my basement. I am a little bit confused regarding…

Hi there.  Does anyone have experience with this company and their AWHP for radiant floor heat.  The prices seem much better than Spacepak, Chitrix and so forth.  https://hydrosolar.ca/collections/hydro-solar-air-to-water-heat-pumpI really want…

In the last 5 years we have made energy improvements to our 1959 SFD, including air sealing, wall insulation, and changed from gas wall heaters to heat pump mini split.…

Hello, I am getting burnt out at work and considering a change. I am interested in going into green building in some capacity, but I don't know what kind of…

Hi, I have a house in NJ built in the 1960s and am getting ready to finish the basement. The basement walls are made from concrete block and mortar. The double…

Hi and thank you to everyone who has kindly responded to my recent queries re: heat pump install at my existing 3-story house on border of zone 5/6 (VT-MA). Im…

First off, hi all and thank you for the years of insights that we've already incorporated into our build plans. Looking for some thoughts on a low slope (1:12) unvented roof.…

I watched the BS+Beer, November 2022 show where John Siegenthaler discussed hydronic heating systems. Toward the end, Mr. Siegenthaler mentions that he would discourage zoning with thermostats (and by inference…

I have a small galley style kitchen cooking area with 30" deep counters along an exterior wall and would like to avoid a hood over the cooktop so that I…

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Consumers’ decision-making on adopting alternative energies is often cast as a mysterious “black box” of unknown factors. What can cutting-edge innovations in the behavioral sciences teach us about effectively promoting sustainable energy behaviors? How can social-scientific experiments and sophisticated surveys demystify energy choices and inform policy design and successful implementation?... Read more about The Behavioral Economics of Sustainable Energy Use

Can an 80 gallon heat pump water heater be used for staple up Pex radiant heat in a very well insulated 800 sf space? Or is that just insane? Climate…

I live in the Cleveland area. I have a brick fireplace that was converted to gas. I’ve been in the home (1992 build) for 5 years and I have never…

We're preparing to begin our mechanical rough in on a new construction home in climate zone 6a.Between make-up air and exhaust, we will need 7 penetrations, and this is with…

The right fasteners can help keep the wall flat when installing siding over a ventilated rainscreen

Hey all!We're in the final planning stages of our house and I'm creating the details for the plan set. I'm NOT an architect, but a former contractor. I've tried to…