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Not long ago, very
little thought was
given to the type
of insulation installed
in homes. But, families
today face problems
that weren’t
even issues when conventional
insulation was developed:
rising energy costs,
unwanted noise, allergies,
asthma and mold.
What’s more,
today’s insulation
should address a real
threat to occupant
comfort and health
– that real
threat is air leakage.
It has been documented
that enough air escapes
from a typical house
every day to fill
two Goodyear blimps
(www.Urbanoptions.org).
and, extra insulation
means little without
an effective air barrier!
What is meant by air
leakage? The high
air permeability of
conventional fiber
insulation, regardless
of R-value, allows
air to easily pass
through walls where
the gaps and seams
exist. Temperature
difference between
the inside and outside
of home creates convection
air currents within
the wall cavities.
Air infiltration and
convection currents
in the walls and ceiling
are what reduce the
thermal performance
of traditional insulations.
In addition to higher
energy costs, this
can lead to the transfer
of airborne pollutants
and pollens into your
home and when warm
outside air meets
cool air-conditioned
inside air, or when
heated inside air
meets cold outside
air, condensation,
moisture build-up,
and a host of other
problems, such as
the growth of mold
or mildew within the
building cavity can
occur.
Uncontrolled air leakage
has proven to create
the greatest energy
loss in almost any
home. The U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) reports
that up to 40 percent
of the energy cost
of heating and cooling
a home is wasted by
uncontrolled air leakage.
In addition, uncontrolled
air leakage contributes
to premature building
deterioration, spelling,
and ice damming, poor
indoor air quality
(IAQ) and mold growth.
Most homeowners notice
the problem through
accompanying comfort
issues such as chilly
drafts, cold floors,
or excessively dry
or damp conditions.
Building science experts
agree that an effective
air barrier system
is the best way to
substantially reduce
both air leakage and
the passage of moisture
through the building
envelope. In response,
Pinnacle Custom Homes
has created a program
called Engineered
Energy Efficiency
(EEE) that insures
up to a 15% to 60%
utility costs saving
over traditional home
construction! Pinnacle
Home's EEE program
provides maximum results
through using a systems
approach to construction.
The first component
of the EEE program
approach is an airtight
building envelope
system which encompasses
the exterior sheathing,
window tape, insulation
and foamed base plate,
electrical and plumbing
penetrations.
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| Quiet
Brace Structural
Wall Sheathing |
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Once the home is framed
the sheathing is attached
around the perimeter
walls of the frame.
QuietBrace™
structural sheathing
delivers structural
strength and decreased
air penetration into
the wall cavities.
QuietBrace™
structural sheathing
offers a combination
of code-recognized
bracing strength air
barrier, and R-value
that’s unmatched
by any other structural
sheathing. QuietBrace
structural wall sheathing
helps block air penetration
into the wall cavities
In addition, QuietBrace
increase the R-value
of the wall assembly.
In fact, not only
does QuietBrace do
a superior job at
reduce air penetration
it has an R-value
of 1.3 which is 6
times the R-value
of traditional OSB
sheathing.
Tamlyn Window Tape
is a 25 mil self-adhering,
self-sealing tape
made with rubberized
asphalt waterproofing
coating, laminated
to a polyethylene
film. The self adhering
construction tape
seals around nails,
staples, fasteners,
windows and doors.
The stretchable elastomeric
self adhering tape
water proofs the surface
underneath and provides
additional protection
against air penetration.
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GreemFiber™
Coccoon Wall
Spray |
Working in concert
with QuitetBrace is
our GreenFiber™
insulating air barrier
system. GreemFiber™
eliminates costly
uncontrolled air leakage
by providing a seamless,
self-adhering, air-tight
building envelope
system. The spray-applied
technology is engineered
to suit this specific
purpose. GreenFiber™
Cocoon Insulation
completely fills gaps
and voids around irregular
objects such as wiring,
plumbing and framing
materials. GreenFiber
Cocoon Insulation
has a thermal resistant
R-value of 3.7 at
4” of thickness.
With almost zero air
permeability, the
insulating air barrier
systems increase building
energy efficiency,
durability, occupant
comfort, health and
safety.
The final component
to a high performing
air-tight building
envelope is prevention
of air flow through
opening in the wall
cavity, base plate,
and top plate of the
frame. Electrical,
low voltage and plumbing
lines penetrate the
vertical studs and
top plates. Each electrical
wire and plumbing
line that passes through
a stud and top plate
are sealed with expansive
foam. A pressurized
high expansive foam
is used to fill any
voids between the
foundation and the
base plate. This process
is just an additional
measure used to ensure
there is not transmission
of air flow between
wall cavities.
The second component
to our EEE building
system is our radiant
heat prevention system
which includes a radiant
heat barrier roof
decking, continuous
soffit system and
Low-E windows.
Radiant barrier decking
consists of a thin,
highly polished, Kraft
paper-backed layer
of aluminum foil laminated
onto oriented strand
board (OSB). Although
an excellent conductor
of heat energy, aluminum
has very low emissivity.
While the sun's heat
travels through unprotected
OSB or plywood sheathings,
the foil at the bottom
of the radiant panel
intercepts as much
as 97% of this radiation.
As a result, attic
temperatures are up
to 30 degrees cooler,
according to independent
studies. Not only
is HVAC load reduced,
but a homeowner might
even be able to do
without air conditioning
on certain days and
evenings, even in
summer. Radiant barriers
costs a home buyer
between 15 cents and
30 cents more per
square foot than standard
OSB sheathing and
often no more than
standard plywood.
But by cutting energy
usage up to 20%, a
radiant barrier can
deliver a payback
that covers this extra
cost in as little
as two years.
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| Hardiboard
continuous soffit
system |
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A continuous soffit
is usually 4”
wide and runs the
length of flat soffits.
Using convection the
continuous soffit
ventilation strip
under the eaves cooler
fresh air is drawn
up through the soffit
at the base of the
roof line and hot
and humid air is expelled
through the roof vents
at the top. From inside
the attic, attic baffles
are installed between
the rafters to maintain
an unobstructed air
channel through the
insulation. Without
these ventilation
channels, you won’t
get a good flow of
air up and out the
vents. The cannels
also prevent windblown
insulation from plugging
or blacking the air
flow from the soffits.
Aluminum foil backed
radiant decking, air
space then insulation
constructed in layers
creates energy saving
synergy that forms
to lines of defense:
one at the roof deck
and one at the ceiling.
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Premier
dual pane
Low-E windows |
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When you look outside
on a sunny day, you're
seeing the visible
part of the light
spectrum. But only
38 percent of the
solar energy that
reaches the surface
of the earth is visible.
The rest of the light
that lands in your
yard is invisible.
59 percent is infrared
and 3 percent is ultraviolet
(UV rays). Even though
they're invisible,
infrared and UV rays
do affect the interior
of your home. Infrared
rays can pass in out
through glass windows,
which increases your
home's heat load in
the winter and cooling
load in the summer.
As for UV light, the
same rays that burn
your skin can enter
through glazing to
fade and degrade your
fabrics and furnishings.
Low-remittance (Low-E)
coating use microscopically
thin, virtually invisible,
metal or metallic
oxide layers deposited
on a window or skylight
glazing surface primarily
to reduce the U-factor
by suppressing radiant
heat flow. The principal
mechanism of heat
transfer in multilayer
glazing is thermal
radiation from a warm
pane of glass to a
cooler pane. Coating
a glass surface with
a low-emittance material
and facing that coating
into the gap between
the glass layers blocks
a significant amount
of this radiant heat
transfer, thus lowering
the total heat flow
through the window.
Designed for use in
hot climates, windows
with these coatings
admit up to 40 percent
less solar heat than
ones with clear glass
panes. As a result,
less heat enters through
the glass, so the
house is easier to
cool.
The U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) breaks
the country into 3
zones. To meet the
standards, windows
used in areas like
Florida and Southern
Texas must have a
SHGC rating of .40
or lower and a U-factor
of .75 or lower. Pinnacle
Homes EEE program
meets or exceeds these
standards.
The final system that
forms the EEE program
is the heating and
air conditioning system
which includes the
heating and air conditioning
equipment, ducts and
thermostat.
The HVAC system components
are very important
aspect of overall
energy efficiency.
The air conditioning
system of a home functions
by pulling the old
conditioned air in
your home across an
evaporator coil in
the attic that is
charged with Puron.
When the air passes
across the evaporator
coil the moisture
in the air condenses
and is pulled out
of the air. When the
moisture is removed,
the air is cooled
and is sent to the
blower unit that sends
the air back to the
home through the ducting
system. Moisture removal
is the most important
principle in the function
of air-conditioning.
A properly sized air
conditioning system
maintains a delicate
balance between moisture
removal and air flow
back into the home.
A system that is undersized
will run longer than
needed in order to
extract the correct
amount of moister,
while an oversized
unit will propel cool
air to fast into the
home not allowing
enough moisture to
be taken out of the
air. This will result
in a cool but clammy
feeling home and can
promote mold and bacteria
growth. Cooling unit
efficiency is expressed
as a Seasonal Energy
Efficiency Rating
or SEER. The higher
the SEER rating the
more efficient the
system. A higher SEER
rating means that
the unit is able to
extract more BTU’s
from the home while
using a smaller amount
of electricity to
complete the task.
The less electricity
used the greater the
energy savings. Pinnacle
Homes uses only Puron
high efficiency 14
SEER systems. Most
builders use 13 SEER
systems with soon
to be excluded Freon
systems.
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High
efficiency
HVAC system |
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It is estimated up
to 10% of heating
and cooling efficiency
is lost due to air
loss through the system.
To prevent air loss
and insure energy
efficient closed loop
system all ducts are
sealed (gray material)
to the exchange. The
corners of the exchange
and ducts are also
taped with silver
insulation tape to
further prevent air
loss. By sealing all
the return air register,
electrical penetrations
in the air handler
and insulating and
sealing the supply
registers the system
performs like a closed
loop system. As an
added precaution and
convenience the exchange
is hung from the roof
joists to reduce noised
during operation and
provide easy access
for maintenance. In
addition, the ducts
are suspended from
the roof rafters to
provide straighter
more direct runs,
reduce risk of crushing
the ducts and provide
ease of inspection.
Thermostats are the
controller of the
entire HVAC system.
The thermostat recognizes
when the temperature
in the home has reached
the set temperature
and activates the
system. Digital setback
thermostats allow
the convenience of
setting the system
to activate in accordance
with four preset temperature
models. The Honeywell
thermostat that Pinnacle
Homes utilizes is
recognizes each and
every day the temperature
in your home and changes
it’s time of
activation each day
in order to reach
the desired temperature
by the preset time.
It is estimated that
the Honeywell setback
thermostat can save
up to 33% of your
heating and cooling
bill, as compared
to a standard manual
thermostat, assuming
of course that all
features are properly
used.
Better construction
and Pinnacle Homes
EEE program creates
added benefits of
better air quality
and sound control.
Improving indoor air
quality is a goal
of many new home buyers,
especially for those
suffering from allergies,
asthma or other respiratory
problems. Pinnacle
Homes EEE program
provides and extremely
air tight building
envelope by eliminating
random air leakage,
the penetration of
dust, allergens and
pollutants can be
significantly reduced.
It allows you to develop
a controlled indoor
environment so we
can design your heating
and cooling equipment
to maximize air quality.
Fresher air should
ensure a better night’s
sleep and you won’t
have to open your
windows to achieve
it. Humidity can be
better controlled
so you can eliminate
the health concerns
about mold and mildew.
The Pinnacle Homes
EEE program is a smart,
effective way to insulate
walls to absorb sound
waves at varying frequencies,
making it possible
to design cost effective
wall and ceilings
with a Sound Transmission
Class (STC rating)
of 50 or more. With
a STC rating of 50,
noises from outside
are not easily heard.
Walls absorb sound,
not make it. A fairly
quiet room has between
30-50dB of background
noise. A home theatre
boasts of up to 100dB,
which means your walls
need a STC rating
of 50 or more to give
the rest of your home
a little peace and
quiet. A 100dB theatre
system would produce
an overwhelming 70dB
of sound in a typical
wood stud construction
room. But a wall built
with using EEE wall
system under the same
conditions would produce
a noise level of just
50dB, that’s
75% quieter.
The obvious and immediate
impact to a home constructed
using the Pinnacle
Homes EEE program
is lower utility costs
but as you have read
the EEE program does
much more. Its energy
efficient, healthier,
quieter and improves
overall comfort making
the EEE program the
choice for performance
and comfort minded
buyers.
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