Energy Efficient St. Charles Builder Helps Existing Homeowners Money

Weathering the winter? You’d be crazy to heat your home by burning dollar bills in the fireplace. Yet many homeowners are wasting money each year by paying for heat that escapes from their home due to inadequate insulation and lack of proper air sealing. John Hall, Jr., of St. Charles builder John Hall Homes knows that by insulating correctly and reducing air infiltration he can help his new home customers save money on their energy bills and enjoy quieter, more comfortable homes.

While you hear it is important that a home is insulated properly, even well-insulated homes lose energy from air that infiltrates through cracks and crevices that naturally occur in most structures. When that happens, furnace and air conditioning units must work harder to heat or cool the additional air and related energy costs go up.

“It’s amazing how much farther you can take energy savings and efficiency by combining adequate insulation with proper air sealing,” says Lantz Rakow, of Huntley-based D&H Energy Management. He recently introduced John Hall, Jr. to the Owens Corning™ EnergyComplete™ system.

Hall used the EnergyComplete system in a custom home he is building at The Reserve of St. Charles, a new community of 133 custom single-family residences near the Fox River and St. Charles North High School. He builds his homes beyond current code requirements and includes advanced air sealing throughout the building enclosure.

“The EnergyComplete system combines an expandable foam-based sealant, that won’t deteriorate and will maintain the seal throughout the life of the home, with a blanket of insulation for necessary thermal protection.” Hall anticipates homeowners will save up to one-third on their heating and cooling costs compared to typical new homes in the area without the system. As an added benefit, homeowners make a difference in the environment through fewer greenhouse gas emissions as a result using less energy.

“Buildings are the number one user of energy in the U.S., consuming 40 percent of the country’s energy resources – more energy than industry and more than transportation,” said Karel Czanderna, group president Owens Corning Building Materials. “By delivering an energy efficiency system that meets the needs of homeowners and building professionals in performance, ease-of-use, safety and affordability, we have a great opportunity to dramatically reduce energy use today for new homes being built and the existing 80 million under-insulated U.S. homes.”

Hall believes that the EnergyComplete system’s performance and affordability will take the energy efficiency of his company’s new homes to a new level. “I was excited to be one of the first in the greater Chicago area to try this. It complements my commitment of building environmentally-friendly homes, the cornerstone of which is sufficient insulation and air sealing.”

If you already own a home, you can benefit too. Existing homes can be air sealed and reinsulated to help homeowners save on heating and cooling energy-related bills for the life of their homes. Through the end of 2010, homeowners are also eligible for a 30 percent tax credit on the cost of the system for a maximum credit of $1,500 under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. To find out how to take advantage of the Federal Tax Credit for existing homes, visit www.insulationtaxcredit.com.

For more information visit energycompletehomes.com and johnhallhomes.com