- Double-pane windows
- Blanket and blown-in insulation materials
- Programmable thermostats with multiple settings
- Compact fluorescent lights
- Occupancy sensors and timers to conserve energy used for lighting needs
- Task lighting in place of whole-room lighting
- EnergyStar-certified appliances
- Tighter construction that reduces drafts
- Building components made of concrete and insulation
Materials going into today’s homes are also changing considerably, according to NAHB.
The use of plywood, for example, is on a major downward trend. In 1978, plywood made up 89% of roofing products for sheathing, according to data compiled by NAHB and the NAHB Research Center. That dropped to 27% by 1999 as plywood was increasingly replaced by Oriented Strand Board, which uses crushed wood debris compacted and glued together to create a stronger, more durable building material.
Among building practices undergoing change, one of the most promising is the “frost-protected shallow foundation.” This construction technique enables builders in cold climates to start foundations 12 inches below grade instead of at the frost line, which typically can be several feet deep. The foundations save energy, excavation and construction time, labor, materials and money, and they disturb less soil than conventional foundations.
Frank Lloyd Wright used frost-protected insulated footings as early as the 1930s in the Chicago area. In recent years, several thousand homes have been built using this practice.
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