smarter home guide - 2016 spring edition - dubuque

TRI-STATEHOME &

BUILDERSSHOW

PAGE 12

2 0 1 6 S P R I N G E D I T I O N - D U B U Q U E

SMARTERHOMEGUIDE.COM

ZERO ENERGY READY HOMEPAGE 22

GREEN IOWAAMERICORPSPAGE 6

CONTENTS

Your local guide toefficient & sustainable

homes, products,services, & contractors.

PUBLISHEREric Coffman

EDITORElesha Coffman

AD SALESGina Siegert

[email protected]

CONTACT USSmarter Home, LLC3395 Ashley Lane

Dubuque, IA 52001563-265-1944

[email protected]

Smarter Home Guide is published by Smarter Home, LLC.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be used without

written permission from the publisher.

SMARTER

GUIDE.COMHOME

GREEN IOWA AMERICORPSHelping make Iowa homes more energy efficient

INSULATION PAYS BACKLatest research shows insulation is best investment

TRI-STATE HOME AND BUILDERS SHOW28th Annual Expo at the Grand River Center

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BLITZ BUILDDubuque affiliate partners with homebuilders

SMARTER PRODUCTSWi-Fi Thermostats

ZERO ENERGY READY HOMEThe DOE’s rigorous homebuilding program

RADON GASDealing with the 2nd-leading cause of lung cancer

Q & A WITH A WINDOW EXPERTRepairing old windows can be the smarter choice

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26

28

Photo by Kelly Kohlhaas

3S M A R T E R H O M E G U I D E - 2 0 1 6 S P R I N G E D I T I O N

One of the reasons I started this magazine was to get the word out that Dubuque is competing in the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize. We’re competing with 50 communities across the country, and the winner gets the entire $5 million!

The competition is to see which community can lower its energy use the most over a 2-year period ending December 31, 2016. That means we’re about halfway through the competition, and it looks like we’ve got a pretty good shot at winning.

With the help of partners like Black Hills Energy and Alliant Energy, we’re seeing an unprecedented level of energy-saving work in our

From the Publisher

community. Homeowners are taking advantage of great rebates to add insulation, replace light bulbs and appliances, and update their furnace and air conditioning systems.

The Green Iowa AmeriCorps team (see page 6) has been hard at work educating the community and performing energy audits and light weatherization. Don’t miss the Home Energy Fair they’re putting on March 19 at Carnegie-Stout Public Library.

Operation New View is also a key partner, doing comprehensive weatherization work for low- income homeowners. For those that qualify, this great program funds all the work to install insulation, replace a furnace, as well as other energy upgrades.

We need to“Energize Dubuque”

so we can win the$5 million

GeorgetownUniversity

Energy Prize.


4 S M A R T E R H O M E G U I D E - 2 0 1 6 S P R I N G E D I T I O N

While all this energy efficiency work is great, it’s also critical to make sure that our homes are healthy and safe. Radon gas is a particular concern in Dubuque, so make sure you read our article on page 26. And for those of you with older, historic homes, be sure to check out our interview with David Wadsworth, an expert at restoring old windows.

If we do win the Georgetown University Energy Prize, that $5 million goes specifically to help accomplish more energy efficiency work in the community. That means we can continue to support the great work we’ve started and develop some additional incentives to help Dubuque homeowners improve their homes to be healthy and safe, comfortable, as well as energy efficient. That’s a Smarter Home!

ERIC COFFMAN, PUBLISHER [email protected]


ne of the unusual facts about this year’s Green Iowa AmeriCorps (GIAC) team in Dubuque is that they’re

all female. In the past, this team of five has typically had several male members. Given that their primary focus is to perform energy assessments, the program often recruits people interested in learning about the energy auditing profession, which is traditionally made up mostly of men.

Solange Carpenter is one of the five Dubuque team members this term. She came from Portland, Maine, and says that she joined up because, “I liked that GIAC allows everyone to do a bunch of stuff: audits, weather-izations, education, outreach, and volunteering. I’m not good at doing just one thing because I get bored, and this program seemed to have a good amount of variety.”

Solange also says that she loves to see new places and meet new people, especially kids. In her role as Education Coordinator, it’s been rewarding for her to see kids get excited when “they’ve learned something new and they’re really proud to show you and their peers what they know.”

Marketing Coordinator Stephanie Schmidt was especially excited to be featured on a local TV newscast about the GIAC program. “Though slightly terrifying, it was extremely rewarding to see ourselves on TV detailing how we can help out those who truly need it,” says Stephanie. In the inter-view, she was able to explain that, “30 percent of a home’s energy use is through heating, so if someone has a house that is really leaky, they can save a significant amount by sealing up all the leaky areas and keeping that warm air from escaping.”

O


GREEN IOWA AMERICORPS


Typically, only the Audit Coordinator goes through the extensive Building Performance Institute (BPI) training and certification exam. This year, three members of the team were able to complete the training and become certified. Mysti Mosley, who is the Audit Coordinator, said that the training was a bit like drinking from a fire hose. The BPI certification requires a thorough knowledge of the many energy-related systems in a house with a particular emphasis on health and safety issues like carbon monoxide leaks from gas appliances.

Mysti was recently involved in an energy audit where she discovered that the central duct for supplying warm air to the house had become disconnected from the furnace. Heat was fast escaping in the attic where the furnace was located and big energy savings were achieved by simply reconnecting the ductwork. This is an extreme case of uncovering energy loss during an audit, but most homes have at least small improvements they can make.

Outreach Coordinator Grace Tindell comes from just across the river in Galena, IL. Most recently she’s been

GREEN IOWA AMERICORPS www.greeniowaamericorps.orgHelping make Iowa homes more energy efficient.

< Pictured from left to right: Brianna Arnold, Solange Carpenter, Grace Tindell, Stephanie Schmidt, and Mysti Mosley

continued on page 8

Dubuque isn’t the only community that hosts a Green Iowa AmeriCorps team. The program was started at the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Energy and Environmental Education, where it is still centrally managed. There are teams in Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Decorah, Des Moines, and Fairfield.


organizing a Home Energy Fair at the Carnegie-Stout Library for the morning of March 19. This is Grace’s second year with the program and the second time she has organized an energy fair. The free event will feature a number of local speakers, representatives from local utilities, and a workshop on making your home more energy efficient.

The fifth member of the team is Brianna Arnold who is originally from Maryland and received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Brianna has a passion for environmental sustainability and is the Logistics Coordinator. Contact her to schedule an energy audit for your house today: e-mail [email protected] or call 563-690-6032.

GREEN IOWA AMERICORPS


HOMEENERGYFAIRSaturday, March 199:15 a.m. to Noon

Aigler Auditorium (2nd Floor)

Learn more about Energize Dubuque, a campaign to help homeowners save energy and help the City of Dubuque win the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize.

For more info and a list of vendors, visit energizedubuque.org

Speakers Kids’ Activities Demonstrations Workshop

The focus of the Energize Dubuque campaign is to help homeowners invest in energy retrofits and solar. Funding for this campaign was initially from a Sustainable Dubuque grant.

SPONSORED BY:

INSULATION PAYS BACKLatest research shows insulation is best investment

ou’ve heard it many times before, adding insulation is the best thing you can do to save money on your

heating bill. Plenty of research has been done to demonstrate how effec-tive insulation can be at keeping heat from escaping your home, thus saving you money on utilities. Now there’s a report out showing that insulation will also make your house worth more money when it’s time to sell.

Every year, Remodeling Magazine publishes an issue featuring the “Cost vs. Value Report.” This report is based on research about how much the value of your home will go up if you invest in remodeling projects. They look at different categories like kitchen and bath remodels, deck additions, and roof replacement.

For the 2016 report, the project with the biggest return on investment was attic insulation. Out of 30 different categories of projects, it was the only one that increased the value of your home more than the cost of the project. Looking at the national averages, the typical cost of installing fiberglass attic insulation was $1,268. The increase in home value was $1,482, making it a 117% return on a homeowner’s investment.

The projects that came closest to that return were garage door and entry door replacement, both at a 91% return. Compare that to a bathroom remodel’s 66% return and a kitchen remodel’s 65% return. For the money, there’s no better investment than insulation for your home. Of course, if you add in utility bill savings it only gets better.

Keep in mind, the cost of installing insulation varies by location and it’s important to choose a reputable contractor. One of the best contractor certifications to look for is called BPI, which stands for Building Performance Institute. BPI certifies both energy auditors as well as professional installation contractors, so you can expect them to know the best principles for making homes safe and healthy, as well as energy efficient.

Black Hills Energy, which services most of the Dubuque area with natural gas for heating homes, offers a fantastic rebate on insulation. They will pay you 70% of the cost of adding attic insulation, up to $750. They will also pay you up to an additional $750 for adding insulation to your basement. Just be sure to call them to schedule an energy audit so you can pre-qualify for their rebates.

According to Remodeling Magazine’s 2016 “Cost vs. Value Report,” the project with the biggest return on investment was attic insulation.

Y


AIR SEALING

Insulation is a great investment, but only if it’s installed properly. That includes “air sealing” the attic before installing any insulation. (You may also need to remove old insulation first.) One of the biggest sources of wasted energy in a house is hot air drafting up through the attic and out the roof. You can see this happening on homes where snow on the roof melts quickly.

Air sealing is often done with a foam sealant like “Great Stuff” from a spray can. It’s used to foam all of the holes and gaps in the attic floor, often found where pipes come up through the floor. Some holes are so big they require a whole block of rigid foam. Many homes have so many holes in their attic, it’s like a window is wide open for hot air to escape. While it’s possible to do a significant amount of this work yourself, it’s often best to hire a professional experienced in this kind of work.

If your attic is not sealed properly, the insulation won’t be very effective. Air just blows right around fluffy insulation. You can tell it’s a really bad problem if your insulation is dirty. This means the insulation is working like a filter as air zips through it.

Black Hills Energy knows how important air sealing is, so they offer a rebate of 70% up to $250 for just air sealing your attic. That’s in addition to the rebate for insulation work.

“ GREAT STUFF” is used to fill gaps that are up to three inches and it expands to take the shape of cracks and voids.


Mission StatementThe Dubuque Homebuilders & Associates is a non-profit trade organization formed to promote and enhance the professionalism of home building and associated businesses in the tri-state area. Our goal is to achieve continuity and communication among builders, subcontractors, suppliers, financial institutions and local government to network for community growth and development.

Dubuque Homebuilders and Associates 2016 Board of Directors:

President ........................... Dave Grable, FloorShow Furniture and Flooring

Vice President ................. Mark Ernst, Black Hills Energy

Treasurer .......................... John Cook, Spahn and Rose Lumber—Dubuque

Secretary........................... Joe Schmitt, Cedar Ridge Construction

Social Director ................ Bob Haverland, Bob Haverland Design

Board Member ................ Doug Lex, Lumber Specialties

Board Member ................ Joel Mozena, Mozena Construction

Board Member ................ Tim Pancratz, Russell Construction

Board Member ................ Gerb Smith, Smith Home Gallery & Cabinet Works

Board Member ................ Chad Wagener, Premier Bank

Executive Director ........ Kathy Bahl

P.O. Box 1352, Dubuque, Iowa 52004-1352 (563) 582-4553 • [email protected]

www.dubuquehomebuilders.com


TRI-STATE HOME AND BUILDERS SHOWMARCH 4-6, 201628th Annual Expo to be held at the Grand River Center

Mark your calendars for our 2016 Parade of

Homes Tour™!

Saturday - Sunday, October 8-9

Saturday - Sunday, October 15-16

With spring being just around the corner, it can only mean one thing...

It’s time for the Dubuque Homebuilders & Associates TRI-STATE HOME & BUILDERS SHOW.

Again we bring you an array of exhibitors, latest in products & design, including the qualified professionals to pull it all together for you.

We have a slate of seminars that are not only educational, but also are designed to make your home remodeling projects simple and enjoyable.

The Dubuque Homebuilders & Associates look forward to assisting you with all of your home remodeling and building projects.

We appreciate your attendance, and please enjoy this year’s home show.

Dave GrablePresident Dubuque Homebuilders & Associates


“Thank You” to KWIK STOP and the Dubuque Homebuilders & Associates

for donating $25 gift certificates to be given away at each seminar.

Be there for the drawing!

TRI-STATE HOME & BUILDERS SHOW

CUMMER MASONRY, INC

DAVIS PLACE LLC - HESS BRICK

DIERCKS ELECTRIC

DUBUQUE BANK & TRUST

DUBUQUE FIREPLACE & PATIO

DUBUQUE HOME IMPROVEMENT

DUBUQUE PAINTING & DECORATING SERVICE

DUBUQUE WINDOW & DOOR CO.

DUBUQUELAND DOOR

DUPACO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

DUTRAC COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

EDWARDS CAST STONE

EDWARDS CONCRETE CONTRACTORS, INC

ELDON HEFEL

ELLIS APPLIANCE

FIDELITY BANK & TRUST

FLOORSHOW FURNITURE & FLOORING

FRANCOIS MASONRY

GANSEN EXCAVATING

GERHARDS - THE KITCHEN & BATH STORE

GERMAINE ELECTRIC, INC

GREAT SOUNDS A/V

GREEN HOME PAINTING

HEIAR CUSTOM COUNTERTOPS

HEFEL GEOTHERMAL, INC

HERITAGE LIGHTING & FIREPLACE

HORSFIELD COMPANIES

INTEGRUS CREDIT UNION

INTERIORS BY DESIGN

J & R SUPPLY, INC

JAEGER PLUMBING

JIM HIRSCH

KLAUER METAL PROCESSING

KLUESNER & COMPANY PAINTING & DECORATING

KNAPP & HOSCH

LARSON TILE CO, LC

LUMBER SPECIALTIES

MAQUOKETA VALLEY ELECTRIC COOP

MASTERS SIDING & INSULATION

MAX SMITH CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION

MC AULIFFE EXCAVATING

MC DERMOTT EXCAVATING

MOUNTAINTOP STONEWORKS, INC

NEAL MCDERMOTT

BUILDER MEMBERS:AARON KONRARDY HOMES

B & H CONSTRUCTION

BARTON CONSTRUCTION & PAINTING

BOB PETSCHE & SONS CONSTRUCTION

CALLAHAN CONSTRUCTION

CARPENTERS CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, INC

CARR CONSTRUCTION

CEDAR RIDGE CONSTRUCTION

CLEMEN CONSTRUCTION, INC

CONLON CONSTRUCTION

GARY MILLER CONSTRUCTION, INC

GRAYBILL CUSTOM BUILDERS, INC

GRONEN PROPERTIES

GUDENKAUF & COMPANY

HEACOCK & SONS CONSTRUCTION

HELLE CONSTRUCTION

HORSFALL CONSTRUCTION

JESSE GANSEN CONSTRUCTION

JIM STEIL CONSTRUCTION

KIVLIHAN CONSTRUCTION

KLEIN CUSTOM HOMES

KYLE MUELLER CONSTRUCTION

LE CONTE CONSTRUCTION

LLOYD CONSTRUCTION

MARK GUDENKAUF CONSTRUCTION

MARK RINIKER CONSTRUCTION, INC

MARTY HELLE

MATT RELLIHAN CONSTRUCTION

MILLER DEVELOPMENT GROUP

MOZENA CONSTRUCTION

MUELLER & SON CONSTRUCTION

NADERMANN DEVEOPMENT

NAKO CONSTRUCTION, LLC

NICK MEYER CONSTRUCTION

NORTHEAST IOWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

OSTY CONSTRUCTION, INC

PETERSON & KREISS CONSTRUCTION

PORTZEN CONSTRUCTION, INC

RBM BUILDERS

RANDETT CONSTRUCTION, INC

ROBERT MUELLER CONSTRUCTION

ROLLING RIVER BUILDING SERVICES, LLC

RON SMITH & SONS CONSTRUCTION

RUSSELL CONSTRUCTION

S. STACKIS CONSTRUCTION

SCHWENDINGER CONSTRUCTION, LC

STEVE JAEGER CONSTRUCTION

TEMPERLEY CONSTRUCTION

TOP NOTCH CONSTRUCTION

VIZE CONSTRUCTION

WERNIMONT CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

WOODMOOR CONSTRUCTION

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS:A & G ELECTRIC

ABC SUPPLY

ABELN ABSTRACT & TITLE CO

ADVANTAGE SHEET METAL

ALL SEASONS HEATING & COOLING, INC

ALLIANT ENERGY

AMERICAN TRUST & SAVINGS BANK

AUDIO EXPERTS

BAKEY SEAMLESS GUTTERS

BANOWETZ FLOOR COVERING

BARD MATERIALS

BETTER ROOFING

BIECHLER ELECTRIC, INC

BLACK HILLS ENERGY

BOB HAVERLAND DESIGN

BRADLEY PLUMBING

BRUCE BETTCHER PAINTING, INC

BUESING & ASSOCIATES

CARPETLAND USA

CASCADE MFG CO

CEDAR CROSS OVERHEAD DOOR

CITY OF DUBUQUE

COMELEC SERVICES


MARCH 4-6, 2016 • GRAND RIVER CENTER

NORTHERN WINDS INSULATION

O’MEARA CUSTOM PRODUCTS, INC

OPENING SPECIALISTS, INC

PPG PAINTS

PAUL KERN INSURANCE

PREMIER BANK

PRO-BUILD

RICK SCHMIDT REMODEL

RIVER CITY PAVING

RUNDE AUTO GROUP

RUNDE ELECTRIC

SCHUSTER HEATING & PUMP CO, INC

SERVICE ONE

SERVPRO OF DUBUQUE

SISLER ELECTRIC, INC

SMITH HOME GALLERY & CABINET WORKS

SPAHN & ROSE LUMBER - DUBUQUE

TH MEDIA

TOP BLOCK AND BRICK, INC

TOP NOTCH PLUMBING, HEATING & ELECTRICAL

TRI-STATE CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION

TRI-STATE PORTA POTTY, INC

TURPIN DODGE

U.S. BANK

UBERSOX AUTO GROUP

VANOSTRAND DRYWALL & PAINTING

WEBER CONCRETE

WIDMIER FLOORING

WILLENBORG PLUMBING & HEATING

WINDOWS BY PELLA

ZEPHYR ALUMINUM



HONORARYMEMBERS:

BOB CAHILL

RON CONNOLLY

LLOYD GUDENKAUF

CHUCK HAAS

JAMES L. HEMING

GERALD PICKEL

TOM REILLY

Acri Co .................................................. 105, 106

All American Turf Beauty .......................236

Apple River Well & Pump Co ................. 242

Backyard Vinyl Company ..............229, 230

Bath Fitter.....................................................238

Batteries & Bulbs ........................................ 224

Better Roofing LLC .................................... 205

Black Hills Energy ................... 202, 203, 204

Blue Sky Solar .............................................. 135

Budget Blinds of Eastern Iowa........211, 212

Busch Satellite ....................................272, 273

Carpetland USA ..........................................130

Casey Building Solutions ..........................225

CollegePro Painters ....................................222

Collins Community Credit Union ..........158

ComElec Services ............................... 258, 259

Crestline Flag & Pole .................................. 116

Crist Fencing, LLC .......................................177

CSI Homes .....................................................190

Cummer Massonry ........................... 149, 150

Cutco Cuttlery .............................................214

Dog Watch Hidden Fence of NE Iowa .......................................................133

Dubuque Land Overhead Door ............. 245

Dubuque Mattress ............................. 183, 184

Dupaco Credit Union.................................263

DuTrac Community Credit Union .........199

Eagle Point Solar .........................................239

Energize Dubuque ......................................178

Energy Consultants Group ......................187

Exit Realty Dubuque ........................264, 265

Extreme Panel Tech .................................. 104

Fever River Log & Lumber ....................... 153

Fitzpatrick Water & Plumbing, Inc .......275

Floor Show Interiors ................................ 260

Forever Cabinets by Kendrick……....195, 196

Gerherds Store, Division First Supply ..................... 247, 248

Green Acres Storage ..................................180

Hauser Water .............................................. 115

Hefel Geothermal .......................................175

Hoeper Green Power ................................. 215

Imperial Stone ....................................233, 234

Interiors by Design ..........254, 255, 256, 257

Invisible Fence of Dubuque .....................221

Iowa Wall Sawing .............................147, 148

J & J Pool Spa & Billiards .......................... 251

Jarvis Property Restoration ....................129

Kathy Spear Landscaping ...............276, 277

Kephart - West Music ...............................146

Kilburg Welding & Fabricating ..............156

Lawn Doctor of Dubuque ........................166

Life Chiropractic .........................................271

Little Bits & Vacuums ................................223

McAleer Water Conditioning, Inc ............................. 216, 217

Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative ...............................................176

Mediacom ............................................267, 268

Mid America Basement Systems ........... 181

Midwest Pest Control ................................235

Mississippi Valley Tree Experts .............194

Molo Petroleum ................................. 261, 262

Mountaintop Stoneworks ........................168

My Pillow..................................................... 144

Noel Custom Cabinetry ............................213

Noonan Insulation .....................................252

Northern Winds Insulation ....................227

North Land Buildings ................................237

Nu Dura .........................................................179

NuLook Kitchens ........................................231

Nu-Trend Accessibility Systems ........... 200

Pella Windows & Doors ........... 161, 162, 163

Pfohl’s Blinds, Draperies & Shades, Inc ................................................. 243

Poly Raise ............................................. 127, 128

Pro-Build .............................. 125 126, 137, 138

R Foam Insulation - Community Builders ...............................192

Rettenmaier Flooring ................................266

Roeder Outdoor Power ....159, 160, 171, 172

Sam’s Club ..................................................... 193

Sam’s Well Drilling ....................................226

Schockemoehl Landscaping ....................132

Schuster Heating & Pump Co .........142, 143

Seamless Exteriors .............................154, 155

Service One .........................................249, 250

Serv Pro of Dubuque .................................136

Shawver Well Co ....................................... 240

TRI-STATE HOME SHOW EXHIBITORS

S M A R T E R H O M E G U I D E - 2 0 1 6 S P R I N G E D I T I O N

MARCH 4-6, 2016 • GRAND RIVER CENTER

16

Smith Home Gallery ......................... 169, 170

Solar Planet .................................................. 113

Spahn & Rose Lumber Co ...... 173, 185, 186, 197, 198, 209

Steve’s Ace Home & Garden ....................188

Superior Sleep Experience .............. 123, 124

Timmerman’s Talent LLC ................140, 141

Top Block & Brick.............................. 207, 208

Tri-Country Enterprises ...........................253

US Cellular ....................................................109

Versa Lok ..................................................... 206

Wausau Homes ...........................................228

Wide River Winery ...................................114

Willenborg Lawn Ornaments ............... 246

Window Depot of Eastern Iowa ............134

Window Source .................................. 111, 112

Window World ..........................................145

Zephyr Aluminum Products, Inc ............................ 218, 219, 220

S M A R T E R H O M E G U I D E - 2 0 1 6 S P R I N G E D I T I O N


17

t the dedication ceremony last year for Dubuque/Jackson Counties Habitat for Humanity’s recent

project on Washington Street, Amanda Bergfeld could not contain her tears as she shared her experience of finally having a permanent home for her family. She had put in many hours of sweat equity working alongside countless volunteers to complete her new home. This was just the beginning of her mortgage payments, but they were payments she could actually afford. She was building real equity for the first time, which she knew would be a solid financial foundation for her young family.

Every year, Habitat for Humanity affiliates around the country build thousands of homes for needy families. A typical project can last five or six months, as volunteers come together, primarily on the weekends, to com-plete the many stages of constructing a new house. But there is also a special event called a “Blitz Build,” where Habitat affiliates partner with local homebuilders to construct a home entirely in about one week.

The idea for a Blitz Build was hatched in 2002 at the Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Wake County (North Carolina). Twelve local homebuilders committed to build one house each over a five-day period. They donated their time and many of the materials needed to build the homes. The event was a huge success, so four years later Habitat for Humanity organized the first national Home Builders Blitz.

Here in Dubuque, the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate participated in that first national Home Builders Blitz in 2006. The national event involved more than 1,000 professional homebuilders, who worked to build

A

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BLITZ BUILDDubuque affiliate partners with local Homebuilders Association

Dubuque/Jackson Counties Habitat for Humanity renovated this home on Washington Street in 2015 for a needy family.


Photo by Eric Coffman

We’ll get you

premierbanking.com | 563.588.1000

Sara Lindecker (NMLS #746725)

Mortgage Loan [email protected]

Tracy Schaul (NMLS #746726)

Vice President, Mortgage [email protected]

Ready for life.

Home

459 homes at 130 Habitat affiliates. It was the largest home-building effort in the history of Habitat for Humanity. The Home Builders Blitz national initiative has continued over the years and has helped more than 1,300 families move into safe, healthy, affordable housing.

Now, ten years after that first national Home Builders Blitz, the Dubuque/Jackson Counties Habitat for Humanity is organizing another local blitz build during the week of June 6. This is the official start of the national Home Builders Blitz. Executive Director Daniel Wahlert is excited to be partnering with the Dubuque Homebuilders Association to partici-pate in this national event. Wahlert says, “the homebuilders in our commu-nity take such pride in their quality of work. It will be impressive to watch them construct an entire home on the lot at 2902 Elm Street in about one week.”

Wahlert also explains why Habitat for Humanity is so important to the Dubuque community. “Decent, stable housing provides more than just a roof over someone’s head – it provides stability for families and children,” he says. “It provides a sense of dignity and pride. It provides health, physical safety and security. And it can also increase educational and job prospects.”

In addition to the Blitz Build, Dubuque/Jackson Counties Habitat for Humanity is also partnering with local churches this year for a Faith Build at 767 University Avenue. This house will be constructed over the summer. Habitat welcomes any volunteers interested in helping out to contact the office at 565-556-2195 or e-mail: [email protected].

Dubuque/Jackson Counties Habitat for Humanity is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. The houses are then sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged.


BETTER BUILDINGS. LOWER BILLS.STRONGER COMMUNITIES.

On the path to a more sustainable future

www.trailheadenergy.org

Trailhead Energy is a Nonprofit with the mission to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy solutionsfor homeowners, nonprofits, churches, schools, municipalities and commercial building owners.

Your local guide toefficient & sustainable

homes, products,services, & contractors.

SMARTER

GUIDE.COMHOME

ith a Wi-Fi thermostat you can control your heating and cooling from the palm of your

hand. A smartphone app will allow you to change the temperature from anywhere as well as program the temperature to change at set times during the day and week.

The Nest Learning Thermostat was the first model to really tap into the power of Wi-Fi (Nest was acquired by Google for $3 billion). Their thermo-stat is still unique in that it claims to “learn” your schedule, utilizing a sensor that tracks when you are home. After several years of tracking the performance of their thermostats

and between three research studies, they claim their thermostat has resulted in average annual savings of $131 - $145 (10 - 12% on heating and 15% on cooling).

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save as much as 1% for each degree setback for a period of 8 hours. So for example, if you adjust your thermostat in the winter from 70 degrees to 66 while you’re at work, you can save about 4%.

There are now a wide selection of Wi-Fi thermostats available and some of them much cheaper than the Nest. Combine that with a $50 utility rebate and it will pay back quickly.

W

SMARTER PRODUCTS

WI-FI THERMOSTATS

Honeywell Wi-Fi Thermostat RETAIL PRICE: $120Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat RETAIL PRICE: $160 ecobee3 Smarter Wi-Fi Thermostat RETAIL PRICE: $250Nest Learning Thermostat RETAIL PRICE: $250Honeywell Lyric Thermostat RETAIL PRICE: $280

WI-FI THERMOSTAT MODELS

REBATES

Black Hills Energy and Alliant Energy both offer a $50 REBATE on Wi-Fi Programmable Thermostats.

Black Hills also offers a special $150 REBATE on a combined service of furnace (or boiler) maintenance and professionally installed thermostat.

Many of the new thermostats are very simple to install yourself. For example, the Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat has a DIY model and no “C-wire” is required.

Be sure to look for a heating and cooling professional that is SAVE CERTIFIED and a utility- approved contractor. SAVE stands for System Adjustment and Verified Efficiency and the certification assures that the contractor is properly trained.

Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat

BETTER BUILDINGS. LOWER BILLS.STRONGER COMMUNITIES.

On the path to a more sustainable future

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Trailhead Energy is a Nonprofit with the mission to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy solutionsfor homeowners, nonprofits, churches, schools, municipalities and commercial building owners. 21S M A R T E R H O M E G U I D E - 2 0 1 6 S P R I N G E D I T I O N

hen Rich and Judy Szydlowski bought eight acres of hilltop land just north of

Dubuque seven years ago, Rich knew one thing for sure: he wanted to build the most energy-efficient house he could possibly afford. At the time he bought the land, he was living in the Minneapolis area and working for the Center for Energy and the Environment. His job was helping businesses and homeowners save money through energy efficiency, so he definitely wanted to “walk the talk” when it came time to build his own new house.

The time to start building his new house finally came this year. He knew that there were a number of green building standards available to help guide the process. The most extreme energy-efficient standard, Passive House, originated in Germany. This standard focuses on “super-insulation” so that very little energy is needed to heat and cool the house, even in a cold climate like Dubuque.

The Passive House standard can be costly to achieve, however, and Rich certainly didn’t have an unlimited budget. He also knew that the cost of solar had dropped significantly in recent years, so it would probably be cheaper to install more solar than to pursue Passive House.

The green building standard that Rich decided to pursue is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program called “Zero Energy Ready Home” (formerly called DOE Challenge Home). According to the DOE, following the program requirements will produce “a high performance home which is so energy-efficient, that a renewable energy system can offset all or most of its annual energy consumption.”

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One of the keys to achieving this level of efficiency is to find a contractor that has demonstrated experience with designing and building a high performance home. Rich was particu-larly excited to find a builder that actually built the first home in Iowa built to Passive House standards. Dan Marine and Mike Nolan, with Oak Tree Homes in Wilton, Iowa, have extensive experience with green building and remodeling.

When Rich met with Dan and Mike to start planning his home, he explained that he was interested in building the highest performance home possible without going quite as far as Passive House. They both agreed that the Zero Energy Ready Home standard was the way to go. According to Rich, “I want to build the kind of high performance home that is available to most new home buyers today. I want to show both buyers and contractors that

this is possible and well worth the slight premium you pay upfront for long-term utility savings, comfort, and durability.”

One particularly challenging aspect of Rich’s future home is that he wants some very large windows to enjoy the 30-mile views, what he likes to call a “Grant Wood view” (the type of picturesque landscapes painted by the famous Iowa artist). He is planning to use special “quad-pane” windows from a Colorado manufacturer called Alpen. These high performance windows achieve insulation values of R-13, which is as much as a standard insulated 2x4 wall! Rich’s house will have much thicker walls that will be insulated to R-40.

In addition to the energy savings from an extremely well-insulated house, it’s much easier to maintain a constant temperature across all the rooms.

View from what eventually will be the living room and covered porch of the Szydlowski’s Zero Energy Ready Home.

Photo by Rich Szydlowski


ZERO ENERGY READY HOMEThe Department of Energy’s rigorous homebuilding program

That means no cold (or hot), uncom-fortable rooms. All that insulation also works as a sound barrier, making the house extremely quiet. Of course, it’s critical to work with a builder who understands how to manage moisture issues that can damage highly-insulated walls that are poorly designed and constructed.

Besides having an extremely tight and well-insulated house, the next requirement that’s key to a Zero Energy Ready Home is making sure its energy is all electric so it can all come from solar panels. Most heating systems in the Dubuque area are powered by natural gas, or propane in rural areas, but Rich is looking to a heat pump to supply his heating needs.

Geothermal heat pump systems have been growing in popularity but the ground beneath Rich’s land is particularly rocky which makes it difficult to drill the wells needed for geothermal. Instead, Rich is depending on a new generation cold-climate air-source heat pump. In the past, this type of heat pump has struggled


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to maintain good efficiency as the temperature drops, but new ones are performing extremely well. In fact, Rich knows this because he has been researching these systems through his job at Center for Energy and the Environment.

The one energy trade-off he will have to make is having a propane backup for those few days a year when it drops to extreme negative temperatures. When that happens, he won’t be truly zero energy use for the year. He also won’t be zero energy the first few years because his plan is to wait before installing a solar system. He wants to see exactly what his annual electricity use is before sizing and installing the solar.

For someone like Rich who has had a career in energy efficiency, it was important to pursue the goal of a Zero Energy Ready Home. But the benefits of an efficient, high performance home go beyond just energy savings. Rich’s home will be extremely comfortable, healthy and durable, which is something everyone wants.

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ZERO ENERGY READY HOME

RADON GAS

f you’ve recently purchased a home, chances are you were asked whether you want a radon inspection along with your

home inspection. Hopefully you spent the extra money to measure how much radon is finding its way into your new home. If you’ve never had your home tested for radon, or if your last test was more than 5 years ago, now is a good time to consider it.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, naturally occurring radioactive gas that is undetectable without special testing equipment. Leading health authorities, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), claim that radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, responsible for 21,000 deaths per year. The leading cause of lung cancer is, of course, smoking. However, the combination of smoking and exposure to high levels of radon appears to significantly accelerate your chances of getting lung cancer.

Whether or not you’re a smoker, you certainly shouldn’t roll the dice with your (or your family’s) health. According to the EPA, about 1 in 15 U.S. homes has a high level of radon, as defined by more than 4 picocuries per liter. Research has demonstrated that sustained exposure to high radon levels for a long period (over many years) is causing lung cancer. You can fight this risk by lowering the radon levels in your home.

To find out if your home has a high level of radon, you can either hire a professional to install monitoring equipment in your home for a period of time (the most accurate approach) or you can purchase a do-it-yourself kit that can be mailed to a lab for analysis. Radon levels fluctuate from day to day, so the longer you can run the test, the more accurate it will be. You’ll also want to set up the test in the lowest area of your house where you spend time. Radon levels will be highest in this area, because the gas seeps in from the soil under your house and disperses as it rises through your house.

If you discover high levels of radon in your house, you will want to hire a radon mitigation contractor. A typical approach is to run a conduit from under your house to above your roofline. A small fan attached to this conduit will pull the air from under your house and bypass the interior living space. Unfortunately, this fan will need to run constantly and add to your electricity bill. But this is a case where your health is more important than energy efficiency. One side benefit is that these systems will help keep foundations dry and lower basement humidity levels. You might be able to eliminate running a dehu-midifier, which could offset the extra cost of the radon fan.

Best practices in new home construction will include a “passive” radon system

Dealing with the second-leading cause of lung cancer

I

continued


that adds very little additional cost. Similar to the system described above, a conduit runs from under the foundation to above the roofline. It typically does not include a fan to actively move the air. Instead, the air circulates naturally, rising through the conduit because of what’s called the “stack effect.” If radon levels rise in the future, a fan can easily be added to this passive system.

We’ve only recently become aware of the significant threat of radon to our personal health. But the research has been clear about the connection to lung cancer. It’s important that homeowners test their air quality and deal properly with this health risk.

Radon Resources:> epa.gov/radon> idph.iowa.gov/radon> uihealthcare.org/radon


RADON GAS

How much of the work you do is window-related?Probably about 50%. It’s really grown. It’s only been within the last 5 years that I started it, since I took a class on restoration. I didn’t come right home from the class and jump into it, but it’s grown slowly to where it’s about 50%. The other portion of what we do is high-efficiency, green building. I’ve worked on jobs where I’ve replaced old windows before (not recently). And I’ve replaced windows that were only a few years old, so I’ve seen this type of work from a lot of different vantage points.

I imagine that sometimes replacing windows is the only option, and sometimes it isn’t. What determines the best approach?Everybody has their own opinion on when window replacement is warranted. The key thing is to consult somebody who is a window restoration professional, because a lot of times you have people weighing in on that who not only do not know how to repair windows but do not even know that it can be done. My perspective is very different from a lot of other people’s perspective on when replacement is warranted.

Is it only wood windows that can be restored?Yes, it is. And wood windows about pre-1950, because once you start introducing insulated glass into window glazing, then you’re making

the windows in such a way that they cannot be disassembled and replaced as individual components.

Are there a lot of old wood windows in this area, or is this only work you might do as part of a historic renovation project?In Dubuque, there’s a lot of pre-1950 building stock, both residential and commercial. It doesn’t have to be a building on the National Register or be deemed historically significant by anybody to warrant window restoration work.

What are the advantages of window restoration?Number 1, improved energy efficiency. Number 2, lead paint removal. Number 3, improved function. A lot of times I show up on a job and people have never been able to open the windows. They’ve lived there 10 years, and the entire time the windows were painted shut. We will get them operating, and operating well.

Is a restored window as energy-efficient as a new window?If you compare the combination of a fully restored and

weather stripped window plus a storm window to a new window, the difference in efficiency is insignificant. And the payback period for a new, replacement window is almost always longer than the window itself would last. A lot of

David Wadsworth is president/owner of Waukon, Iowa-based Wadsworth Construction. His company specializes in sustainable residential and light commercial construction across northeast Iowa.


Q & A WITH A WINDOW EXPERTRepairing old windows can often be the smarter choice.

if your door wasn’t working right, you’d just replace the door. We try to fix it. Same thing with windows. Every part of your original windows can be replaced or fixed, and they’ll last as long as you take care of them. This mindset of replacement versus repair is part of the problem. We’re just a throwaway society. People cannot imagine that their windows could be made functional again. They think they have to replace them.

Educational Resources for Window Restoration

> Window Preservation Alliance: windowpreservationalliance.org

> Green Building Advisor: greenbuildingadvisor.com

> Heritage Works: heritageworksdbq.com

There’s also science involved. If you stand in front of a big window, convection currents will form on the inside because the glass is still cold, even if it’s insulated. On a winter night, you’re going to feel a draft, and people mistakenly think that air is coming in around the window. The reality is that you just have a convection current. Blinds are a big, big help in terms of preventing discomfort in that situation.

times you’re looking at 75 years for a payback period for a new window.We talk about insulation in terms of R-value. A brand-new, double-glazed modern window might have an R value of 3, and a restored window with a storm window might have an R value of 2, so you’re talking about a very low R value to begin with, and then the difference between a new window and the original one is practically insignificant.

So why do people think that it makes such a big difference to replace their windows?People have a thing about new stuff. They’d rather pay somebody to put in something new than to fix something. And that’s becoming a bigger part of our business: We fix stuff now. Before,


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