Our homes consume a lot of energy—year in, year out. One of the biggest consumers of energy is the HVAC system. During the summertime, when it can get too hot, we rely more on the cooling feature. During the winter, when it can get too cold, we rely more on the heating feature. It is usually during these two aforementioned seasons that the HVAC systems works harder than usual, consequently increasing the amount of energy it consumes and driving up our utility bills.

Understandably, we are always looking for ways to reduce our energy costs. In some extreme cases, homeowners can get so discouraged by the high energy costs, they actually consider selling their homes and getting something more energy efficient.

Lakeside Building Systems can help! Considering that our world is becoming more conscious about how much energy we use, Lakeside Building Systems is the ideal company to go with for building or maintaining an energy-efficient home. Here are three great reasons why:

Lakeside Building Systems is a Certified Passive House Builder!

The term “passive house” is given to buildings that adhere to rigorous structural standards that result in an ultra-low use of energy. A passive house is designed and built with the following principles in mind:

• The use of continuous insulation throughout its envelope, while leaving out thermal bridging;
• An airtight building envelope, which consequently keeps out excess air;
• The use of high-performance doors and windows, with the latter, usually being triple-paned;
• The use of some type of balanced moisture- and heat-recovery ventilation and reliance on minimal
  space conditioning systems; and
• The minimal use of solar energy during the colder months, while increasing reliance on it during the
  hotter months.

With a Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS) Certified Builder credential, Lakeside Building Systems is qualified to carry out passive home building projects in any climate zone. The company is also well equipped to address challenges common in passive building, such as component sourcing and risk management. Moreover, we can ensure extremely resilient buildings that provide unparalleled comfort and superb air quality. Buildings that are likely to use only 10 percent of the energy consumed in traditional buildings.

Lakeside Building Systems is a Building Performance Institute Trained Envelope Specialist!

The Building Performance Institute, or the BPI, is the national standards development organization that regulates residential energy efficiency and weatherization retrofit tasks in the United States. Cited by the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program—which is a product of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—the BPI works with building science experts to ensure that they develop standards from an industry expertise consensus.

Being a BPI Envelope Specialist means that L.A.B. is qualified to quantify performance and suggest improvements for tightening the building’s envelope, or shell. Well trained professionals can conduct a thorough evaluation of the entire house, taking note of ice dams, drafts, and cold spots. After the inspection, L.A.B. can then air seal and insulate the trouble areas, thus preventing excess air from getting into the house. That way, the HVAC system does not need to work a lot harder to cool the house during the summer or heat up the place during the winter. L.A.B. can also check for incorrect air sealing and insulating and repair them accordingly.

Lakeside Building Systems Installs Blow-In-Blanket Systems!

Designed as sidewall insulation systems, Blow-In- Blanket Systems, or BIBS, consists of blown-in fiberglass. Its 1.5 inches of rigid foam board structures gives it an impressive R-value of 30.5, thus making BIBS ideal for sealing cavities behind netting. Each system is installed seamlessly, covering even the smallest gaps in a building. This feature makes it perfect for taking care of virtually inaccessible voids that are around wires, pipes, and electrical boxes. Plus, L.A.B. professionals are known to have installed BIBS in cavities of at least 17 inches in depth, which translates to an R-value of 72! Thus, L.A.B. provides top thermal efficiency with BIBS. Other advantages of the Blow-In-Blanket System include its environmental sustainability and resistance to moisture and corrosion.