Infamous Bonus Room

The picture to the left is the infamous Bonus Room. It shows a thermo image of the knee wall. Note the temperature at the interior ceiling slope is 46.9 degrees Fahr. and the interior wall temperature is 67.6 degrees Fahr.

The floor to wall intersection is almost as bad with a reading of 50.7 degrees Fahr. This intersection was clearly marked as a problem on the Thermal Bypass Checklist by the home builder's inspector. But never corrected. And yet the home was labeled Energy Star compliant.

This picture was sent to the EPA for their comments. They thought that air infiltration was a problem. When the wall was cut open it revealed that fiberglass batts had fallen from the slope of the ceiling INSIDE the knee wall.

So the problem was more than just air infiltration through friction-fit fiberglass batted insulation.

Repairs have been made to this wall. However due to the difficulty of access there are certain to be areas that still leak or have insulation voids. It also is apparent that repairs are not as good as if the home had been built correctly. EPA still treats problems as building defects even though it is sometimes impossible to remedy without taking drywall completely off the wall.

Fiberglass batted insulation is an inherent problem especially when they are friction-fit and placed in stick-built homes.

Energy Star Partner Comments

The EPA recently proposed sweeping changes to their Energy * program to the Partners (home builders) in their program. EPA did allow comments from their Partner home builders. Under Quality Assurance, Training and Brand Integrity the following caught my eye:

"Respondents expressed concern that lax oversight has resulted in an increasing quantity of homes earning the ENERGY STAR without meeting the guidelines."

"Respondents requested that EPA both work with RESNET to improve its oversight role and also develop a more robust level of oversight that is independent of RESNET and involved TRUE third-party random inspections."

This means that even Energy * Partner/Home builders know that cheating is taking place on a large scale.

FRAUD IS RAMPANT, INSPECTIONS ARE LAX, BUILDERS ARE RECEIVING $2,000 TAX CREDITS BY PAYING OFF INSPECTORS!!!

AND THE EPA KNOWS ALL ABOUT THIS!

When buying a home, don't depend on a label or brand.

25 Thermal Image Pictures

There is a link on www.EnergyFraud.com at the Picture page to a PDF file from Mays Consulting that shows 25 Thermal Image Pictures of Insulation and Thermal Bypass Checklist problems.

Log on today!

Climate-Gate or Greenwashing - Pick One

Four energy inspectors provided Four different ratings and opinions as to the energy efficiency of my home. All were members of Residential Energy Services Network a non-profit corporation from Arkansas.

According to one my home was nearly 40% more energy efficient than the 2004 Building Code. But another expert said that my home was 20% not 40%.

It was claimed by the EPA that my home had a reduction in Carbon Dioxide of 13,524.3 pounds per year!

But this was from the Energy Analysis software and opinion of the expert that was proven wrong. In fact Residential Energy Services Network placed him on administrative sanctions.

So if members of the same organization can come up with FOUR different ratings, how can the EPA claim that their green build program is reliable?

Thus it is impossible to measure accurately the amount of greenhouse gas emissions anyone is saving. So much for Cap and Trade. How much money are we going to send to third world companies based upon bad science?

This picture is of the attic. It did not have good workmanship. But the home builder's rater decided to GREENWASH the inspection and label the home GREEN anyway.

Bonus Room Knee Walls

This Friday our bonus room knee walls were repaired by a local insulation contractor. The repair procedure was to cut through drywall for the east wall and cut through OSB sheathing on the garage attic access.

Photographic evidence revealed that the friction-fit fiberglass batts placed in the ceiling slope had fallen into the knee wall cavity. This was the cause for the 46.5 degree temperature recorded next to an ambient temperature of 68 degrees or a 21.5 degree cold spot in the bonus room.

It is ironic that I predicted the problem based upon what was found in the great room knee wall that had afforded easier access. Sam Rashkin of the EPA (in charge of the Energy Star program) had felt that the infrared thermo imaging photos revealed mere air infiltration problems. He was wrong and was prepared to allow the home builder to skip this problem.

The use of Friction-fit fiberglass batts without complying with the Thermal Bypass Checklist requirements of Energy Star is a recipe for disaster.

Home Builder advertised at least 40% Savings

Guarantees and promises of saving money catches everyones attention. However when GREEN is over-sold and over-rated by the EPA, Home builders, and Residential Energy Services Network Providers and Raters, everyone loses.

A home builder advertised that if you bought their home you would save at least 40% on your energy bills over other home builder homes. Instead the home cost 20% more to heat and cool due to inadequate insulation, builder fraud, inspection fraud, and a system that uses a self-serving inspection process.

EPA publishes how much GREENHOUSE Gas Emissions their Green Residential Home Energy program is saving annually. This number is totally false and misleading.

Who is to blame? I blame Congress. Who do you blame?