What the experts say

“A state-of-the-art house must be viewed as a system. Insulation, moisture, ventilation, airtightness, healthfulness, and energy efficiency are all interrelated and should be considered together. Unfortunately, many builders and designers are not aware of the interdependency of the different concepts.”The Healthy House, John Bower ©198, p. 107.

“The building as a whole – working as an integrated system, is what provides better comfort, combustion safety and high-quality indoor air at much less energy cost than what the home used before the project. Savings of 40 to 60% are typical, even after adding ventilation air the building never had before. Those savings are usually enough to the make the project self-funding. In other words, after the project is complete, the homeowners monthly expense is lower, even with the cost of the loan to finance the project.Measured Home Peformance, Rick Chitwood& Lew Harriman, © 2011 p. 14.

“In order to guarantee the performance of a house, we have to understand how the house works. A house is a system, and it performs and behaves as a system. All the parts and pieces are interdependent and interactive. Whenever we make a change to one part of the building, it can have an effect on other parts. All the flows in the building, including heat flow, air flow, moisture flow are likewise inter-related. A change to any building element can influence heat flow, air flow, moisture flow, and the indoor environment throughout the building. Environments for Living® Training Program, John Tooley, 2010, p 3.

“Residential construction is a complex operation including thousands of processes and dozens of industries, bringing together hundreds of components and sub-systems into a house. A house is a complex, interrelated system of people, the building itself and the environment.” Builder’s Guide to Hot Dry Mixed Dry Climates, Joseph Lsiturek, © 2004 p. 7.

According to APS Home Performance with ENERGY STAR checkup brochure “this comprehensive approachto efficiency can improve the comfort and affordability of your home.”

Energy-related problems are often masked as masked as comfort issues. You may feel cold, dry, stuffy, or even sick inside your home. Indoor air quality is becoming a cause for concern as homes are being built tighter with better construction practices designed to be more energy efficient. Most of us spend 90% of our time indoors, yet are more aware of outdoor pollution than poor indoor air quality. How do you address these issues? We will examine how the systems in your home can work with and against each other to alter your home environment.”The Home Energy Diet, Paul Scheckel,
© 2005 p.1.

“Before making major efficiency improvements to your house, find out from a pro where and why energy is being wasted in your home and what you should do about it. Today’s home energy specialists go beyond simple checklist audits. They study the building as a system, performing full check-ups that are designed to address overall safety, comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality. After all, many construction flaws can result in high energy bills, and some conditions that cause high energy bills can compromise building safety or resident health and comfort.”www.aceee.org/consumer/building-envelope#audit