View ChannelsFeatured: Finance
View ShowroomsFeatured: Radiantec - Radiant Solar Heating

BobVila.com

Home

Insulating the Foundation

Bob and Ryley insulate the foundation of an attached solar greenhouse. They use 2-inch-thick Dow styrofoam (extruded polysytrene) around the inside perimeter and across the entire soil surface. This area is filled with a 2-foot deep layer of 1-1/2 inch crushed stone that serves as a thermal storage mass to keep the room warm.

Get Adobe Flash Player to see this content.

Chapters from this episode

Insulating the Foundation Now Playing

Insulating the Foundation

Burrage House and Webster House Tours Now Playing

Burrage House and Webster House Tours

Attaching Steel Support Beams to the Foundation Now Playing

Attaching Steel Support Beams to the Foundation

Clip Transcript For:

Insulating the Foundation

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" This conservatory is Colombia's energy efficient as we can make it right it is and of course. Even though you know we're. -- Constant use so this is a product that's been around for a long long time its polystyrene. And it's the stuff that they make coffee -- an excellent it's a rigid wood product and it can be you know moist environment what kind of an. And of course I gotta do. Senate I was in the stone will hold in place right right wood is going to do the perimeter of the wild birds to get that promote the cutting out of alignment sir -- was over here. Sections and yeah. That's the finger on the -- cannot implement. The and that's who gets -- you can't -- cutting this is very simple. -- Have your ten year old health effects. So it can't be fluffy you're doing -- the -- right drop cloth. OK and then the sanctions. -- it. And -- Europe. Right clever now we're going to be ready to lay in the full side -- on the floor right that's right. First came out there than -- needs dad to bottom -- party prize for starters she looked right at the only angle in India clean. And just take -- feet where it. Fair piece of wood. Market up there's the usual rough -- like. These sheets come in two by eight the the convention and they talked about 67 -- sheet and -- dining room so that when you do lay them down and get -- nice tight fit. On the floor and got passed it on the north."

" But the."

" Through bad we can't just back up the truck here. And dumped -- few yards but the for the purpose of all this material is to create -- I'm masonry. Mass about two feet deep which will in fact absorb the heat of the sun as I was saying a few minutes ago when you want this kind of Bob broken stone one inch and a half broken stone has got all the sharp edges to -- compact really really nicely."

[-]

More Videos »Related Videos

Solar Hot Water

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. If you have a south-facing roof, you re probably paying too much for hot water. Over a million and a half homes and businesses in the U.S. have already invested in solar hot water systems, and they re reducing their fuel use by as much as three quarters, even in cooler climates. That s a huge dollar savings, but over 20 years, one solar water heater keeps 50 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and takes us one more step toward breaking that nasty fossil fuel habit. Solar technology has come a long way since the 70s and 80s: Even where it s cold, one or two solar collectors on the roof taking up about 65 square feet can provide 65 percent of the hot water used by a family of five. Best of all, it s sustainable solar power doesn t run out! Because this is your roof and any equipment is only as good as its installation, you want to be sure your installer and the system you buy are certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation or the Florida Solar Energy Center. Many states and utilities offer rebates of 15 percent or more on installation as well as other incentives to homeowners and businesses for going solar. Don t forget to check the Department of Energy s Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy, or D-S-I-R-E, to see how you can save some green while you go green! Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Installing Solar Panels to Generate Electricity

Photovoltaic panels are being installed on the roof. Bob talks with Jeff Wolf from groSolar about the photovoltaic panels. As sunlight hits the panels, electricity is generated from the photons. That direct current comes down through a wire into the house and is channeled into an inverter. The inverter is in the basement of the home. The inverter converts the direct current from solar power into an alternating current. That alternating current is fed into the main electrical panel and feeds the house with solar power. When the house is not using its electrical energy generated from the panels, the electricity is fed back into the utility grid and spins the meter backwards, creating a credit for the customer. The photovoltaic panels are a clean way of generating energy for the household. Many states have programs to help subsidize the cost of installing solar panels to make them more affordable for homeowners. Many parts of the country are seeing electricity costs escalate by as much as 80 percent so this is a good idea. groSolar operates throughout the country and has a website at www.grosolar.com where people can find out how to work with them to install solar panels on their home anywhere in the U.S. This installation in Norwell is about a $15,000 project and considering the amount of equity it builds in the house, it is something worth considering. With assistnace from state programs, the cost can come down to half that figure, making it a very affordable investment for a homeowner.

Power Your Home with the Sun

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. When photovoltaics or the conversion of solar energy to electric power came on the scene 30 years ago, it was so inefficient that few thought it could ever power American homes. But the technology has come a long way, and demand for PV systems in the U.S. is now growing at almost 25 percent per year. In sunny California, brownouts and energy crises have pushed the state to set an ambitious goal of putting photovoltaic systems on a million roofs by 2016. The cost of installation can be daunting for homeowners, but government incentives make them much more enticing. The federal government rebates $2,000 per system. In California, the state not only gives a property tax reduction for the cost of the system, it also rebates $2.50 for every system watt. So, a 4-kilowatt system that costs $36,000 only winds up costing the homeowner $24,000. In Florida, homeowners can get $4 per system watt, so the same system costs only $18,000. Add to that the value of the electricity generated by the system which, depending on your area, can be between $250 and $750 per year and photovoltaics start to make a lot more sense. As roof-mounted panels or even integrated into asphalt roof shingles, photovoltaic cells contain silicon wafers which react to sunlight by releasing free electrons. These electrons create direct electric current, or D/C power. The system s inverter switches the D/C to the alternating current, or A/C, that powers our homes. Household photovoltaic systems have become simpler and better adapted to mainstream use now that grid-tied net metering is easier and no battery backup is needed. Any electricity the system generates that s not used in the home gets sold directly back to the power company. In sunny areas, the larger 4-kilowatt systems available today can generate half or more of what the average household consumes. Even where it s not so sunny, photovoltaic systems have become so viable that many forward-thinking developers are pairing them with geothermal heat systems to market the new non-polluting, low-energy home. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Building an Energy-Efficient Florida Home

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.