I've been an energy consultant to Colorado builders for the past 20 years,
and since 1993 I've done detailed performance tests on nearly 200 homes
in the state. Based on that experience, here are the energy-saving features
I most strongly recommend to both production and custom builders in my
home state. All five measures are proven and
widely accepted, which should make them equally
useful to builders in other cold-climate areas.
Tighten the Ductwork
Leaky ductwork is common everywhere, and it's a bigger problem than many
builders realize. It reduces comfort and wastes energy, but it is also a potential
safety problem. During one recent six-year period, there were 352