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 ...
Keep Reading
Earth Building Takes New Shapes
It takes a long time for even the hottest summer sun to warm up a heavy earthen structure. That's one reason that earth has been a popular building material in hot climates for many centuries and is still common in the sizzling Southwest where I live. [continue reading]
A California Earthen Home
In the Wine Country of Northern California, where July and August daytime temperatures are dependably in the 90s and can top 100°F, building a 6,000 ft2 home and not installing air conditioning seems naive. [continue reading]
Prefab Utility Walls Save Up-Front Costs
A new product called the Residential Utility Core Wall (ResCore) can save from $500 to more than $2,000 in construction costs for site-built homes. [continue reading]
The High-Performance House--What Does it Take?
Life is full of bumps and holes. But in a well-constructed house, no bumps or holes should interrupt the boundary between conditioned and unconditioned space or the barrier that prevents air movement between the outside and the inside. [continue reading]
Southwest Utility Offers Energy Cost Guarantee
Anticipating the greater demand for customer service under electric utility restructuring, Tucson Electric Power (TEP), on April 1, 1997, launched its Heating, Cooling & Comfort Guarantee (TEP Guarantee) home certification program. [continue reading]
Choosing a Basement Wall System
Twenty years ago, standard concrete masonry block and cast-in-place (CIP) concrete basement foundation wall systems were the norm for single-family, low-rise housing. [continue reading]
Building Science Professor Puts Theory into Practice
On a small lot in Maine, I finally had the opportunity to put into practice the principles and concepts that I have taught for 18 years. [continue reading]
BUILDERS FIND NEW TECHNOLOGIES PAYING OFF
In 1993, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invited building scientists, architects, and engineers to take part in a program, called Building America, that would bring highly efficient, super-comfortable homes into the mainstream market. [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.
