Going "Green"

In the past year at Lawler Construction, we have been focused on becoming more knowledgeable in the area of making homes more energy efficient. With the cost of electricity and other energy resources on the rise, as well as new energy codes being adopted in the building industry, the efficiency of a home has become a large demand of many homeowners. At Lawler Construction we have taken the initiative to educate our team in the area of home energy efficiency. Whether you have an existing home or are looking to build a home we have the ability to lower the homes electric bills. One of the processes we have adopted at Lawler Construction is Energy Auditing. With an Energy Audit we are able to find the areas in your existing home that are in need of retro-fitting and that will give the home owner a cost effective way of lowering their energy consumption.

Because of the success seen in doing Energy Audits, energy supplying companies across the nation such as APS and SRP have been working with contractors and clients on ways to rebate them for the costs of making their home more efficient. Starting with the Energy Audit, a process that is usually $400-$600 dollars depending on the size of the home, APS has made the cost $99 to the client if they use one of APS' Building Performance Institute graduates to perform the Audit. At Lawler Construction we have an APS certified auditor working with us to give you access to all of the benefits APS has available. This also includes rebates of 75% up to $250 on a total of 6 areas that can be retrofitted on a home. That is a savings of $1,500 made available to you by using Lawler Construction to do your retrofitting. Of the 5 APS certified auditors in the Verde Valley only Lawler Construction can give you all areas of service you will need to make your home more efficient so you won't have to deal with any other contractors.

Below are some of the services included in the Energy Audit:

Energy Audit (blower door test)

In the energy audit a blower door test will be included. The blower door test will allow us to see how much air the home is losing due to air leaks. With this knowledge we can take steps towards sealing those areas and making the home more efficient. As we seal the home we will then add more ventilation. Through this process we will not only improve the air quality of the home, but we will reduce the risk of moisture and mold damage throughout the home by reducing the amount of moisture that is able to infiltrate the home and walls.

Energy Audit (duct blaster test)

A duct blaster test will give us the opportunity to test the overall efficiency of the ductwork on your air handler. After testing the ductwork we will be able to tell which ducts will need replacement, or repair. This will not only make the air handler more efficient, but it will make the home more comfortable.

Energy Audit (Thermal Imaging Camera)

The thermal imaging camera will allow our auditor to see the skeleton of your home using the temperature of your walls. This will allow us to see areas that are leaking air and areas of insufficient insulation.

Once we have done the energy audit we will make other recommendations that will increase the efficiency of the home, such as more efficient windows, and added insulation. Through this we can also recommend replacing the air handler with a smaller, more efficient unit. This will also save the owner money with their electric bill.

Through this process we will offer the client an opportunity to make their home more efficient, more comfortable all through the use of one company.

Along with the energy efficient retrofitting we are using new building sciences in our new construction. Our goal is to provide our homes with a better energy efficiency rating, while keeping the cost relatively low in comparison to what an energy efficient home is thought to be. A course we recently completed has verified us as certified energy star homebuilders. Through the course we learned how to make homes efficient without using the often thought of photovoltaic units, but rather learning how to build a home that doesn't waste energy.

Here is a list of some things you may see being done differently in a Lawler Construction, Inc. Energy Star home:

• Integrated design team, which would be all of our sub-contractors and our architect together coming up with ideas of how to make the home more efficient. This would also include a HERS rater (Home Energy Rating System), which would help us assure our home will meet all the requirements needed throughout the building process to be an Energy Star home.
  
  
• Eliminating heat loss by using techniques that promote air sealing.
  - Using airtight cans for recessed lights and in all exterior penetrations will cut down on air infiltration into the home.
  - Air barriers on the exterior and interior of home, along with better sealing around penetrations and corners with caulk and spray foam will also help seal the home better.
  - Also using advanced framing, which reduces the amount of wood studs in the wall. Wood has 1/3 the R-value of a typical R-19 insulation batt. So the less wood, the less thermal bridging and the more insulation that can be used.
  
  
• Mechanical ventilation with the size based on the size of the home and the amount of occupants living in the home. ASHRAE 62.2 is a minimum requirement used to calculate the amount of ventilation needed for a home.
  - As you seal the home off from the outside more, and spend more time indoors, the need for ventilation becomes greater.
  - Not only does mechanical ventilation make the air cleaner in the home, it actually reduces the strain on the HVAC unit. So proper ventilation will be calculated and used in the homes.
  
  
• Designing the window layout to produce better comfort in all seasons.
  o The U-value and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of a window can make a big difference of how much heat you allow or not allow into a home. So having the right windows in each room will allow your HVAC unit to operate more efficiently and make your home more comfortable.
  
  
• More efficient insulation in the most cost effective way possible. This will allow the home to stay cooler, or warmer, depending on what your intentions are.
  - The use of spray foam insulation will help give a higher effective R-value and air seal the home. The better the home is air sealed, along with having the most efficient insulation type for each area, and the highest R-value possible will increase the comfort level of the home tremendously.
  - As stated before our advanced framing will allow more insulation in the walls, but advanced framing also allows more insulation in the attic or ceiling by raising the truss height.
  - An insulated slab is also something you might see. This allows the concrete floor to stay closer to room temperature by blocking the thermal transfer from under the home.
  
  
• A more efficient HVAC unit will also be something used in our homes due to the above mentioned upgrades. As you seal, insulate, and ventilate the home better it allows for a smaller HVAC unit.
  - Also we will install the ductwork into the sealed air space of the home. This will prevent air in the ductwork from getting too hot or too cold in some areas, which will prevent the system from over working and wasting energy to cool down or heat up air.
  - The duct blaster test we perform after installing the ductwork will also allow us to assure the system is working as efficiently as possible.

All of the above mentioned options in our new energy star homes will make the efficiency of the homes increase tremendously. We found that taking these steps to not only make the home more efficient, but also extend the life of the home, would on average cost between $8,000 - $12,000. But the savings you get from investing in your home is better than if you just left the money in the bank. We look at this process as a way to save you money in the future, not spending more money now. That is why we will be working with a team on our energy star homes to spend as efficiently as possible and get the most return for your money. There are many other steps you can use when making a home more efficient, with these being the best in giving you savings. All of these options along with many more can be put in to any home built by Lawler Construction. You dream it, we build it!