Real Home Energy Solutions

Building Enclosure

Home, sweet home! It might be if your house . . .

• Holds itself up

• Keeps rain and ground water out

• Keeps wind and air pollutants out

• Keeps water vapor out

• Lets water, water vapor, and pollutants out that get in

• Keeps soil gases out

• Keeps summer heat out

• Keeps heat in during winter

• Keeps noise out

• Lets light in while keeping destructive UV radiation out

All the solutions presented in this blog improves health, building durability, comfort, and energy efficiency. One or more solutions may be needed when there are problems with house.

• Holds itself up

• Keeps rain and ground water out
  (Drainage)

• Keeps wind and air pollutants out
  (Air Sealing, Duct Sealing, Vapor Management, Windows)

• Keeps water vapor out
  (Air Sealing, Duct Sealing, Vapor Management)

• Lets water, water vapor, and pollutants out that get in
  (Vapor Management, Ventilation, Pressure Balance, Combustion Safety)

• Keeps soil gases out
  (Air Sealing, Vapor Management, Pressure Balance)

• Keeps summer heat out
  (Insulation, Equipment Sizing, Duct Sealing, Air Sealing, Windows)

• Keeps heat in during winter
  (Insulation, Equipment Sizing, Duct Sealing, Air Sealing, Windows)

• Keeps noise out
  (Insulation, Air Sealing, Duct Sealing, Equipment Sizing, Windows)

• Lets light in while keeping destructive UV radiation out
  (Windows)

Solutions presented here certainly aren’t the only ones needed for any of us to have the house we want and need. There are a number of other things that could be done, but they are better done when a house is built. Sometimes, you may get lucky. Where possible, we’ll discuss opportunistic options. However, these solutions are almost always used to improving the performance of existing houses.

Let the fun begin! Let’s first understand the basics of improving home performance! All future posts build on these principles.

Questions and comments are welcome. If you’d rather, send me an email: SherlockHomes@HomeInSight.biz I may answer you directly or write another blog post!

WARNING! Do not implement any of these solutions without considering the impact on IAQ, moisture control, & heat transfer. A combination of solutions are usually needed to improve health, building durability, comfort, and energy efficiency. Ignoring this warning may lead to disease, deterioration, high energy bills or worse!