Spotlight Article:
Trailer Treasure—Affordable Housing, Green Living, Community, Income in an Unlikely Place
The American dream of homeownership for all is not particularly healthy these days. Housing prices in some areas have already returned to pre-Great Recession (2006) levels. According to the Trulia real estate website, the median price ...
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Affordable Housing: Efficient and Educational
Housing cannot be truly affordable unless it is affordable to live in. A new low-income housing development in Chicago, called Parkside Estates, uses energy-saving technologies to lower operating costs without increasing purchase price. [continue reading]
High-Efficiency Homes: Moving Markets, Updating Codes
Builder education takes many forms. One of the most effective ways for builders to learn new techniques is to walk a construction site ask questions. When the site turns into a home where residents feel comfortable and save money, the students use the techniques they learned. [continue reading]
5 Steps to Tract Home Success
Making energy efficiency improvements in a tract home development isn't easy. Not only does the builder have to know how any changes will affect all of the house systems, but all of the subcontractors have to be re-educated. [continue reading]
Home Performance for the Lungs
Feeling victorious in the war on cigarettes, state affiliates of the American Lung Association (ALA) are taking on indoor air pollution. [continue reading]
SIPs Face the Skeptics
On a balmy Saturday morning last August in Sedro-Wooley, Washington, a group of volunteers and construction professionals set out to build a house, and finish before game time on Sunday. They would use structural insulated panels (SIPs), a 45-year-old method and material that most builders still view with skepticism. [continue reading]
Manufactured Housing: Proving Ground for SIPs?
HUD-code manufactured housing is one of the fastest growing types of housing and one of the most affordable. [continue reading]
Architects Educate on Energy
For some homeowners, the first stop on the way to a high-performance home is a visit to a concerned architect. [continue reading]
Improving Ducts in Southern California
When Robert Johnson, director of community development for the Southern California city of Irvine, attended an HVAC conference in 1995, he was appalled to discover how poorly designed and poorly installed many residential duct systems were. [continue reading]
Building Performance Journal Editors
Our Blog Has Moved
Thanks for your interest in contributing a blog to the Building Performance Journal (formerly Home Energy magazine). We’re ...
Jim Gunshinan
Is Energy Efficiency an American Value?
Energy efficiency is good for the economy, good for families, good for workers, and good for the environment.
