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Promising technologies for remodelers and small volume builders are tankless water heaters and precast foundation panels. Shown is a tankless water heater, the ESI 2000 from Envirotech Systems.
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By Dan McLeister
The variety of technologies available to remodelers and builders is enough to keep them busy full time just trying to keep up. Fortunately the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), a joint effort of the building industry and the Department of Housing and Urban Development investigates and promotes promising new technologies as well as practices that have been around for a while. PATH also provides information on installation, benefits, costs, limitations, code and regulatory issues, and availability.
PATH's annual list of the best products and approaches to building and construction is one way the organization promotes their use. The organization's Top 10 Technologies for 2004 comprise the following (listed in no particular order):
Tankless water heaters are particularly beneficial to remodelers. Since they provide hot water only when it's needed, tankless water heaters reduce or eliminate energy loss from heated water sitting in a tank for hours or days before it is used. The savings can shave 10 to 20 percent off water-heating bills.
HVAC optimization maximizes efficiency and comfort by using properly sized equipment. Optimization also includes such techniques as aerosol duct sealing to keep heated or cooled air in the rooms, not behind the walls.
Air admittance vents (AAVs) are pressure-activated, one-way mechanical venting ports that can be installed behind walls or in attics, eliminating the need for conventional plumbing-pipe stacks that vent through the roof. AAVs open only under negative pressure, created by wastewater discharge such as a toilet flushing. As soon as positive air pressure is restored, the vents close, protecting the living spaces from any sewer gasses.
Home-run plumbing features plastic plumbing manifolds, which serve as control centers for hot and cold water and feed flexible supply lines to individual fixtures or "home runs." Plastic manifolds used with flexible plastic piping offer 10 percent to 30 percent lower installation costs than conventional plumbing systems.
Frost protected shallow foundations (FPSFs) provide protection against frost heave without excavation below the frost line. Insulation placed strategically around the outside of the foundation directs any heat loss from the building toward the foundation. The system also uses natural geothermal energy to protect the foundation from cold. Shallower excavations mean lower labor and material costs than those for conventional foundations.
Precast concrete foundation panels use precast panels of steel-reinforced concrete studs, reinforced top and bottom beams, and concrete facings and allow for insulation between the studs. Putting in a typical panelized foundation takes four to five hours and requires no on-site concrete work, since the panels sit on a gravel bed instead of footings.
Engineered panelized wall and roof systems, commonly known as structural insulated panels (SIPs), have been a part of the building market for many years. Traditionally made with an expanded polystyrene core attached to oriented strand board or plywood skins, SIPs now are available with a wider variety of materials, such as light-gauge steel, aluminum, concrete and fiberglass components.
Integrated steel/wood framing systems use recycled-steel studs and joists that attach directly to wood plates and bands with the same tools and methods as conventional framing techniques. The lightweight steel members, applicable for load-bearing and non-load-bearing construction, conserve lumber, speed up construction and add structural flexibility.
Low-impact development practices for storm-water management allow natural infiltration to occur as close as possible to the original rainfall, eliminating the need for costly conveyance systems. These practices don't require any high-tech equipment, either: Permeable pavement and rainwater barrels are two examples that remodelers and small builders could use.
Shared wastewater treatment systems use a single drainfield for two or more houses instead of the standard one-house, one-drainfield approach. They're especially valuable on environmentally sensitive sites or for narrow or oddly shaped lots where there is an abundance of rock, clay or poor soil.
More information can be obtained on these technologies at www.pathnet.org.
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