What is a 'rim joist' and why should I care?

It’s the invisible part of your walls that nobody pays attention to, partly because it’s out of sight in some homes.  And maybe it’s because it has so many names that nobody knows what to call it the darned thing: band joist, rim board, rim joist, band board, ribbon, box band, box closure, and header joist.  But it’s all the same and the cavity looks like this:

If you have a basement with drywall on the ceiling, you won’t see it and you can’t access it.  If you have a drop ceiling basement, you can’t see it but you can access it by moving some panels around.  If you have a crawlspace, you have one of these, even if you can’t see it.  (And you can access it, even if the thought of going to see it isn’t attractive!)  Only houses built on a slab don’t have a rim joist.

Here’s why these things matter to your healthy home and energy efficiency: it’s a whole foot of wall that is usually uninsulated or underinsulated.  Worse, this is typically one of the leakiest parts of a home’s assembly.  And worse yet, if improperly insulated, it could cause serious health concerns.  This is a big triple whammy.  So what’s the fix?

The Hot Summer Window

 

Call the cops: your windows are killing your air conditioner!

Look, we like windows.  From inside the boxes/houses we inhabit, windows make us feel connected to the natural world.  That’s great.  We also like the Sun; it’s pretty useful and stuff.  But the hot summer window is a drag.  And the typical options for curing this problem don’t work, they’re cumbersome, they’re ugly, or they cost a fortune. 

     

Awnings can be garish and expensive.  Heavy blinds don’t do the trick because they’re on the window’s interior side and -- while they’ll protect your wood floor from UV rays -- are barely a speed bump for the sun’s relentless summer violence because the glass itself still gets super hot.  Window tinting film can’t be installed or removed without a fight, and doesn’t protect the outside of the window’s glass from getting direct sun.   

Enter Solar Screens.  

Building Codes: Why they matter

Buildings, especially homes, have gotten a lot more efficient in the last 30 years, as this graphic illustrates:

(click on graphic for enhanced view)

The 2012 IECC Building Code is coming to a state near you (hello, Illinois) and that's changing the way builders operate, bid and construct new buildings.  People don't much like change, and we get that.  Stiffer codes mean higher first costs, but lower operating costs.  As painful as the transition is, the payoffs -- and the return on investment -- are there.

We're on the State of IL approved list for blower door testing of new construction, and we're ready to help homeowners and home builders make the transition.         

We're turning regular homes into certified Green Homes

We’re happy to announce that we have awarded our first Home Performance with Energy Star certificate to Columbia resident Kathy H. -- and it’s the first certificate of its kind awarded in Columbia, IL.   Homeowners (and Ameren customers) are rewarded for their energy efficiency upgrades with this Energy Star certification, if it meets the Energy Star criteria for energy savings.  We hit the mark for both air sealing and insulation and now Kathy lives in and owns an Energy Star home.  Congratulations, Kathy!    

Here’s the best part:

UK's Green (New) Deal

The Brits are all abuzz about their "Green Deal" -- a government-hatched energy efficiency program -- which launches today.  Here's a link to the highlights about this highly anticipated and aggressive approach to reducing energy demand across an entire economy.    


Naturally, there's moaning and wailing about whether or not this will be successful or fraudulent or cost-effective or insert-your-concern-about-anything-government-hatched.  The overarching theme is this:

Home Insulation Tax Credit Is Back

It’s been kicked out, mothballed, teased, and dragged around but it stowed away in the Fiscal Cliff bill and now it’s back in 2013: the home insulation tax credit. 

  

"26 U.S.C. § 25C Individual Tax Credit for Energy Efficient Residential Improvements and Appliances

The Act also revived the 26 U.S.C. § 25C individual tax credit of 10 percent (up to $500) of the cost of certain energy efficient property improvements, like insulation, windows and doors, and energy efficient heating, cooling and water heating appliances.

The credit had previously applied only property placed in service prior to December 31, 2011. The Act extended this deadline to property placed in service before December 31, 2013, meaning property placed in service in both 2012 and 2013 will now be eligible."

The only potential downside: if you’ve has already claimed this credit of $500 in a previous year, then you’ve maxed out and can’t re-claim.   

Good parts to this, though...