ENERGY EFFICIENCY & DURABILITY
Product efficiency is a high priority to all homeowners. These are some of the products Ewing Builders use to make your home energy efficient and green:
Energy Star Windows
Benefits of windows and doors qualified by Energy Star lead to qualified windows being twice as efficient today as the average window produced ten years ago. One of these advantages is the ability to save up to 15 percent on your energy bills, which can eventually lead to a substantial amount. The decrease of energy usage also leads to the prevention of pollution in our environment. Other benefits of Energy Star qualified windows and doors are: increased defense against sun damage to various products in your building, greater comfort, and improved noise reduction.
TechShield Radiant Barrier
Radiant barrier is an aluminum foil product installed in buildings to minimize heat gain in the summer and loss in the winter, reducing the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling.
A layer of aluminum foil placed in an air space reflects thermal radiation and prevents up to 97 percent of the radiant heat in the panel from radiating into the attic. Radiant heat from the sun penetrates the roof of a house in the summer, but a radiant barrier blocks that radiant heat from entering the home. In the winter, a radiant barrier keeps indoor heat from escaping through the roof and walls and reflects it back into the house. As a result, your house stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Roofing
Our customers can choose from metal roofs or Elk or Certainteed 20 to 50 year composition shingle roofs. Typically a metal roof is more durable, has a longer life, and produces more energy savings. They also cost considerably more than a shingle roof. We work with our customers to determine which type will fit best into their budget and lifestyle.
Styrofoam Sill Seal
This foam gasket is a flexible polyethylene foam gasketing strip used to reduce air infiltration between concrete foundation and the sill plate. It works by compressing to seal the gaps between the foundation and sill plate. It can help to fill almost any gap, joint, crack or crevice through which air can enter. Sill Seal foam gasket cuts heating and cooling costs by filling this gap. Up to 40 percent of a home’s heat can be lost due to air infiltration, much of it through this gap. This closed-cell polyethylene foam won’t fall apart on the job site or after years of use. It provides excellent and enduring resistance to water and water vapor.
Sheathing
After the Sill Seal goes on and the walls go up, all of our homes’ exterior walls are covered in 7/16” Oriented Strand Board (OSB). This adds strength, security, another layer of insulation, and noise reduction to your home.
Some builders only apply sheathing at the corners of the structure. We believe that you're entire house should be protected.
DuPont Tyvek House Wrap
Before the siding goes on, all of our homes are wrapped in DuPont Tyvek. This weather-resistant barrier is not just good sense, its good building practice. Because it helps combat water, moisture and air infiltration that are any structure’s worst enemies. Allowed to penetrate behind siding, wind-driven rain and moisture can saturate walls, creating a breeding ground for mold, mildew and wood rot. The properties of DuPont Tyvek do not support the growth of mold or mildew. Air infiltrating from outside can create comfort-robbing cold or warm spots while increasing heating and cooling costs.
DuPont Tyvek acts like a windbreaker and wrapped over the sheathing and under the exterior siding—cut out around windows and doors and taped securely at the seams—resists air infiltration and water intrusion and makes for a more comfortable, energy-efficient home or building.
James Hardie Siding Materials
We consistently use Hardie siding materials. Not only is Hardie a green company, but their fiber-cement products will save you money. Hardie siding materials:
• Resist Damage from Wet, Humid Climates
• Resist Damage from Insects
• Resist Damage from Impact (hurricane damage)
• Resist Flame Spread
Additionally:
• Manufacturing facilities in Waxahachie and Cleburne, TX support the regional economy and reduce the environmental impact caused by transportation of materials.
• Raw materials that are extracted and processed near each manufacturing facility also reduces transportation costs.
• Raw materials are low in toxicity – wood pulp, cement, sand and water (recycled up to 4 times).
• Longer lasting materials not only require fewer resources for replacement but also reduce maintenance and repair costs.
• James Hardie siding is non-combustible in accordance with ASTM E 136. Check with your insurance agent for possible savings on your home-owners insurance.
Insulation
Insulation is an extremely important factor in keeping your energy costs down. All Ewing homes have Guardian R-30 installed in the attic and R-13 in the exterior walls. Interior privacy walls, such as those around the restrooms and utility rooms, are covered in R-11.