The ceiling fan is being installed in the Punta Gorda home. Its workbox must be firmly mounted to hold the ceiling fan in place. This house is Energy Star qualified, which means that, in addition to the insulation, windows, and building materials, the appliances are also Energy Star rated. Fluorescent bulbs are used in the fixtures to reduce energy use throughout the year. The burnished brass-look fixtures are from Sea Gull Lighting and are all Energy Star certified.

Electrician Harry Cunningham and Kim Hansen of Square D / Schneider Electric join Bob to explain the electrical box that supports the household power and backup generator. Two power sources feed into the service box -- the utility and the generator. There is a safety check in place to prevent the generator from automatically taking over the power load or feeding out into the street to power the neighborhood. The switch in the box must be flipped to protect power from surging through the outlets when work is being performed or the environment is unsafe. The generator allows for flexible power and the opportunity to switch between circuits. The homeowners can decide to power up an air conditioner during a storm, switch circuits to do laundry, or power up the TV and family computer. In an emergency, the system allows homeowners to tailor their energy use to suit the needs of their home and family.

A Honeywell thermostat, in combination with the company's Telephone Access Module (installed in the basement or a utility closet), allows homeowners to dial into a home's HVAC system via telephone and make adjustments remotely.

R-Control has created building systems for walls, floors, roofs, and ceilings. Covered with a skin of OSB (oriented strand board) to provide an even, continuous nailing surface, these panels are made of expanded polystyrene cores to provide superior insulation without the settling or looping typical of fiberglass, rock wool, and cellulose-based insulation systems.

Bob and developer John Druley walk through a home under construction by Qualker Homes in Falmouth, Massachusetts. This standard design is used for both the market-priced and affordable homes. The overall dimensions of the house are 26 feet by 36 feet. A center-door entry leads to 13-by-18-foot living room on one side and a 16-by-13-foot master bedroom on the other. The back of the house has a 13-by-18-foot kitchen with a back door and a window onto the backyard, a half-bath and laundry, and an entry to the master bedroom with full bath, tub-shower combination, double-bowl sink, and linen closet. The upstairs has two bedrooms with operable skylights and a full bath. This three-bedroom, two-and-one-half bath Cape will be lotteried as an affordable home to eligible families who make between $29,000 and $65,000 per year, and who qualify for a traditional mortgage. The home is stick-built with traditional 2X4 framing, oriented strand board (OSB) exterior sheathing, low-e glass, tilt-in vinyl windows, and gas heat. Bob and Druley point out that an affordable home must be affordable to operate and heat as well as being affordable to purchase.

Bob is joined by Thad Goodman of Georgia-Pacific as their DensArmor Plus fiberglass-faced drywall is installed in a Mashpee, Massachusetts home. This gypsum-based drywall is just like traditional drywall, but is encased in tightly woven glass mats instead of paper. Removing the paper eliminates the host for mositure, mold, and mildew. If it does get wet, the fiberglass-faced drywall dries without delaminating so there are no replacement or repair costs down the line. Skipper Craft, of E. Miller & Sons Drywall, tells Bob that installation is the same for this product and traditional drywall. It is a bit heavierthan paper-faced drywall, but cuts and installs the same way. The drywall is taped with a self-adhering nylon tape on all the seams and with paper tape in the corners for a stronger finish. Drywall compound is applied to the seams before they prime the walls. This drywall will take a veneer plaster coat or paint directly on the surface. Using fiberglass-faced drywall will add about one dollar per square foot to the initial cost of the home, but will save money over time since it will not absorb moisture, delaminate, or need replacing over time.

Replacing an old filter can save as much as 5 percent on your heating costs.

This home will be about 50 percent more energy efficient than a typical Florida home. Bill Zoeller, a consulting architect with Mercedes, has changed specifications and products to make this home as efficient as possible. First, there are low-e insulated windows that will block about 70 percent of solar heat gain. The solid concrete walls are insulated with one inch of polyisocyanurate insulation board that is applied directly to the concrete walls. This insulation, which has the highest R-rating of any insulation on the market, will block the heat buildup during the day from reaching inside the home. In addition to Energy Star-rated appliances, the air conditioning ducts have been dropped to the attic floor and surrounded with insulation to reduce the efficiency challenge presented by running ducts through hot, Florida attic space. This technique was developed in California and is now part of their energy code. Dropping the ducts, wrapping them in insulating foam, and covering them in a polyurethane insulating foam improves efficiency and blocks condensation buildup in this humid climate. Lance Keeling, of BioBased Systems, explains that this foam insulation is soy-based but converted through chemical reaction to become completely inert to eliminate organic matter that could promote mold or mildew growth. This chemical is pressurized and sprayed with a hose to form a foam that sets up in moments. This foam provides a 4.8 R-value per inch but with a desired value of 6 from this part of the insulation, must be sprayed at a 1 1/2-inch thickness. This completely encloses the ducts to prevent any air loss and resulting moisture buildup. If a homeowner were to attempt covering ducts with commercial insulation, potential moisture buildup could be produced causing mold and moisture growth. The key with this technique is that it completely seals the ducts to prevent air loss and resulting moisture buildup. Zoeller and Keeling predict a savings of $100 per month in operating expenses due to the energy-efficient measures employed. Zoeller shows Bob the 14 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) heat pump air conditioning unit installed to cool the house. It is about 40 percent higher in efficiency than a traditional air conditioning unit. While initially more expensive, a smaller unit can be installed due to the high-efiiciency of the overall home.