By Linda Schmid
Everyone wants an energy efficient home and for good reason. Environmental concerns aside, an efficient home can save you a lot of money on your energy bills over time. An energy efficient build is one of the things that people look for when they consider building a new home, and one of the benefits of a well-built barndo is its inherent efficiency.
How Should My Barndo Be Insulated?
Efficiency starts with a well-insulated home. Insulation is meant to keep thermal energy from passing through the walls through a process called “thermal bridging.” Bridging occurs when a material conducts heat from inside the building to the exterior or heat from the exterior to the interior of the building. So in the cold winter months when your furnace or other heat source is working, insulation keeps that energy in. In the summer when air conditioning, fans or other forms of cooling are in use, it keeps the sun’s heat out.
Wood is a material that conducts energy through walls. Post-frame barndominiums, by design, feature wide open spaces in the walls between posts, so less wood in the walls means less thermal bridging. Further, the walls can be quite deep, providing the opportunity for more insulation. While batt insulation is sometimes used in these walls, the usual insulation for barndominium walls is spray foam. This type of insulation permeates every nook and cranny, creating a good seal. Ceilings may also be completed with foam creating a completely sealed building envelope.Blow-in insulation is another option for the ceiling.The traditional slab under a post-frame home will be insulated with rigid foam and a moisture barrier.
Steel frame barndominiums are a little different; they are more often insulated with traditional fiberglass batt as it is easier to work with in a steel frame. It will not be stapled in place, but wedged in place. While this is the common practice, spray foam may be used, and rigid foam can be used to wrap the exterior of the barndominium.
What Do I Need to Know About Doors and Windows?
Of course, heating and cooling energy can be wasted if windows and doors are not designed to prevent it. Ensure that the glass in doors and windows are double paned (or triple paned) and argon filled. Choose a quality brand with a good energy rating.
Are There Other Ways to Boost The Energy Efficiency of My Barndo?
Like any other home, there are other ways to boost your post-frame home’s energy efficiency and save money. According to Jimmy Abraham of Bosch Home Comfort HVAC and water heating systems use approximately 40 to 50% of the energy consumed in your home. With that in mind, consider these options:
- Air source heat pumps. Heat pumps extract energy from the outside air and use it to heat your home. This technology, which has been around for years, has the potential to save users up to 50% of their heating costs compared to furnaces and baseboard heaters. Contemporary versions of the air source heat pump can even be used in cold, northern climates; just make sure that you are using an installer who is knowledgeable about heat pumps and installation. These pumps also do a good job of dehumidying air thereby saving costs on cooling. If your barndo has no ducts, you can use mini-split heat pumps which use pipes to pump refrigerant throughout the house.
- A reverse cycle chiller, another type of air-source heat pump, uses captured energy to produce heated water which can also be used with an in-floor radiant heat system.
- Geothermal air pumps make use of the heat trapped underground to reduce your energy usage by 30% to 60%.
- Absorption heat pumps can use solar heated water, geothermal, or natural gas combustion.
- A Heat Pump Water Heater. This system heats water using the same technology as air pumps.
Abraham said that HVAC and water heaters are rated by Energy Star just like other appliances. This is a great place to start looking for an efficient choice. You can also check with an architect or an energy modeling professional.
Other Appliances will make a difference in your energy efficiency, too. Check for energy rating labels; the more stars the more efficient the appliance is rated.
Here are some appliances to consider:
- A Heat Pump Dryer. This dryer extracts energy from the air and uses it to dry clothes, using 20 to 60% less energy according to Energy Star.
- An Energy Star Certified Front Loading Washer. These machines are rated to use approximately 45% less energy and 50% less water than top loading agitator washers.
- A Convection Oven. 20% less energy is consumed with a convection oven because it contains a fan that circulates the hot air causing the food to cook more quickly.
- An Induction Stove. These electromagnetic cooktops are 5 to 10% more efficient than standard electric stoves and 3 times as efficient as a gas stove.
- A Top Mounted Freezer Refrigerator is 10 to 25% more energy efficient than a bottom mounted refrigerator.
Other Ways to Boost Energy Efficiency in Your Barndo:
- A Programmable Thermostat. Adjust your home’s temperature during the night and when you are away from home. You can program it to return to a comfortable temperature before you rise or return. If you set your thermostat back by 10 degrees for 8 hours every day in the cool weather, then set the temperature 7-10 degrees higher in the warm weather, you can save up to 10% on heating and cooling. Savings are dependent on the climate; the closer the temperature in your home is to the temperature outside, the better your savings will be.
- A solar array can be added to collect some of the free energy from the sun. If it is hooked up to the electric grid, you can even sell any excess energy back to the power company, giving the illusion of turning your electric meter backward. Even in the north, a good amount of solar energy can be produced if solar panels are placed judiciously. Think about situating panels so that they face south and will not be shadowed by trees or buildings. If trees shade panels for part of the day, trimming branches may help. According to Couillard Solar, bifacial panels can also help capture the light that is reflected to the back of the panel, increasing solar power by 5-25%.
- Direct Gain Passive Solar. Direct solar gain is derived by masonry flooring and or walls absorbing the thermal energy entering south facing windows. As the temperature drops later in the day, the absorbed heat is released into the air thereby heating the house.
- Indirect Gain Passive Solar. This approach involves a simple structure added onto the south wall of the house. A masonry wall, 8 to 16” thick under a plate of glass, absorbs the thermal energy. The heat travels through the wall at about the rate of an inch per hour so that as the day cools off the stored heat radiates into the house.
- Isolated Gain Passive Solar. This type of passive solar requires a sun room or solarium be added onto the house. This room captures thermal energy, heating up the air and transferring it into the main house through windows or apertures that open and close as needed.
- The placement of your home on the site. In the north, consider building your home so that the side of the garage or a side of the house with few and smaller windows faces north. The southern exposure is where the most natural light and heat will come in making your home naturally more energy efficient. Use overhangs, blinds, or reflective drapes to keep the sun out in the summer. In the south, avoid a lot of windows on the east or west sides of the home to keep from overheating the house.
Many of the suggestions in this article, including geothermal, heat pumps, and solar arrays can be more efficient than ever now that the Inflation Reduction Act saves investers money on the initial investement. Abraham said that the information about what is eligible can be found on many manufacturer’s websites including bosch-homecomfort.com. Other resources are listed below.
As you can see, there are many ways that you can make your barndo more efficient. The important thing is to do your due diligence and ensure that the options you choose will work for you and your barndo.
