Build It Tight, Build It Right - A #1920sMakeoverATL Update and our Latest News

Rate It Green Members and Friends - 

We are excited to share some hot-off-the-press updates from Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. and the #1920sMakeoverATL Deep Energy Retrofit team!  In our last project update, we focused on the "Forgotten Side of Buildings."  This news, we're moving up from ground level to talk about "Building It Tight and Right," with a great set of content about air and moisture management for beginners and experts alike.  Do you want to know more about what ACH means and why it matters, or might you want to see how a "live," in-progress project goes from being a 20 ACH50 "leakiest house" candidate to... .3 ACH50?  Why do we want to build tight anyway, and what are the best ways to get the job done?  We must also all be clear on the risks if we build tight and don't properly ventilate.  Do we have to have both air sealing and insulation ideally?  And what is a "perfect wall," anyway?  These recent reports from the site address these inquiries and more:
 

• Pros and Cons of an airtight house
• Why Air Sealing and Insulation are Both Essential
• What is ACH50, and why does it matter?
• What is a "water resistant barrier" (WRB), examples and misconceptions
• The “Perfect Wall” defined and demonstrated
• 50% of the "perfect wall" control layers with one product

Why the focus on air sealing, insulation and weatherization? If you want to improve building energy efficiency, these are the least expensive steps that deliver the most return.  As Matt Hoots points out, they're also the easiest to learn and yet the easiest also to get wrong.  So let's take care to air seal and insulate right, and to continue to share expertise, examples, and stories so others can learn from the experiences of those who have come before them.  

Stay tuned as we will keep updating!  Expect more explanations and examples of proper air and moisture management, as well as key information about ventilating right as well. It's essential to understand that as we build tighter, more energy efficient buildings, we must ensure proper air intake, circulation, and exhaust, so that we do not trap pollutants and irritants inside buildings. 

The #1920sMakeoverATL project provides a priceless opportunity to bring top building practices and real experiences and installations from the project site to your inbox.  There is so much we can all learn about building better and smarter for comfort, health, budget, efficiency, and sustainability, and also great conversations to be had about how to explain these concepts to clients and future and current green building stakeholders so we can grow demand and reach a point where everyone can work, live, learn and play in a better, safer building.  Matt and the team are making such a great conscious and conscientious effort to share their work and lessons learned - give a shout if you'd like to get involved! 

Want to learn more about the #1920sMakeoverATL Deep Energy Retrofit and learning house? Check out our ATL Project Page where you can take the first virtual tour pre-construction and check out all the project articles and videos.  Is there something else you want to be sure to learn about, or something you'd like to ask Matt and the team?  Just let us know. 

Click to read our full April 2023 news.

We look forward to hearing from you, 

Thank you, 

Allison Friedman
Founder, Rate It Green

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