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  • The Energy-Smart House (eBook)

You can cut energy costs – really! Everyone is talking about saving energy, but now The Energy-Smart House actually shows you how to make it happen with the collective experience of the professionals at Fine Homebuilding.

See the big picture like the pros do. It takes more than a Band-Aid approach to achieve true energy efficiency. And, here, you’ll get a complete overview from our experts, starting with how to do an audit through evaluating heating and cooling systems to choosing new thermostats.

Put together a practical plan. Upgrading an older home? Our pros will show you how to beef up old insulation without tearing into walls, install weather stripping, and choose replacement windows. Or remodeling? Learn all you need to know about house wraps, options for solar hot water, how to design an energy-smart kitchen, select the most efficient appliances, and much more.

Your roadmap to an energy-efficient home. With so many advances in technology and product choices, you’ll want The Energy-Smart House to help you make effective changes that go beyond lip service. It’s your answer to workable strategies for reducing waste and making your home as energy efficient as possible.

Order your copy now.

Additional Information
Cover 190
Publication Year 2011
Photos 200
Drawings 50
Other Formats 71358
Isbn 978-1-62710-082-3
Author From the editors of Fine Homebuilding
Pages 192
Format eBook (PDF)
Toc

Part 1: ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Every House Needs an Energy Audit
Home Remedies for Energy Nosebleeds
Can a Vintage Home Be Energy Efficient?
Efficient Houses Need Fresh Air
A Practical Look at Deep-Energy Retrofits

Part 2: INSULATION
Upgrade Your Attic Insulation
Beef Up Your Old Insulation without Tearing into Walls
All You Need to Know about Spray Foam
Making Sense of Housewraps
Using Rigid Foam for an Efficient and Dry House
Basement Insulation Retrofits
Weatherstripping

Part 3:WINDOWS
A Buyer’s Guide to Windows 9
Do Europeans Really Make the Best Windows?
Installing Replacement Windows

Part 4: HEATING AND COOLING
Is Your Heating System an Energy Beast?
Finding the Sweet Spot: Siting a Home for Energy Efficiency
Cool Design for a Comfortable Home
Central Air-Conditioning: Bigger Isn’t Better

Part 5: LIGHTING AND APPLIANCES
Low-Energy Lighting, High-Energy Design
The Bright Future of Lighting
The Energy-Smart Kitchen
Solar Hot Water
Energy-Saving Thermostats

Credits
Index

Intro If there is one topic that has dominated the homebuilding field in recent years, it’s energy efficiency. But for all the headlines and airtime dedicated to the topic of trimming home-energy use, many of the discussions they generate don’t go any further than the admission that, yes, we need to work harder to save energy where we live.

What we really need to talk about is how.

At Fine Homebuilding magazine, we focus not only on what good, responsible builders should do to construct or remodel homes that don’t waste energy, but also on how they do it. This book explains how you can, too.

In The Energy-Smart House, you’ll be able to follow these builders step-by-step through critical energy enhancements that include air-sealing, insulation upgrades, and window replacement, as well as choosing the best low-energy fixtures and appliances.

Today, the opportunities for reducing the energy requirements of the homes we live in—no matter how old they may be—are tremendous. The evolution in building products alone, from housewraps to LED lighting to high-performance windows, has equipped builders with a wide array of options to make homes more durable and healthier as well as less costly to live in and maintain. Ever-advancing technologies enable new mechanical systems to deliver heating, cooling, and hot water more effectively and at a lower cost. All the while, a greater understanding of building science enables knowledgeable builders to craft efficient, long-lasting dwellings regardless of the climate in which they build.

The fact is, true energy efficiency can only be achieved through a multifaceted approach that takes the whole house, its site, structure, and systems, into account.

A home is not made “energy efficient” by popping in a few new windows or loading up the attic with cellulose. Good builders know the path to energy efficiency is a multistep process, and that each improvement influences the steps that follow. And that the conscientious application of smart building techniques like the ones found here is the most reliable roadmap they can follow in their pursuit of an energy-smart home.

Debra Judge Silber, Managing editor,
Fine Homebuilding magazine

The Energy-Smart House (eBook)

  • by From the editors of Fine Homebuilding
  • eBook (PDF)
  • Product Code: TP-FHB62077638
Availability: In Stock
Today's Price: $14.36
List Price: $19.95
Save 28%