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 Mobile ViewSTRUCTURAL INSPECTIONS & DEFECTS ADVANCED INSPECTION METHODS AIR BYPASS LEAKS AIR CHANGE RATE ACH HEAT SAVINGS AIR CLEANER PURIFIER TYPES AIR FILTER EFFECTIVENESS AIR FILTERS for HVAC SYSTEMS AIR FILTERS, OPTIMUM INDOOR AIR FILTERS, SOURCES FOR AIR FILTERING STRATEGIES AIR FILTERING CONTINUOUS FAN OPERATION AIR HANDLER / BLOWER UNITS AIR LEAK DETECTION TOOLS AIR LEAK MINIMIZATION AIR LEAK SEALING PROCEDURE AIR POLLUTANTS, COMMON INDOOR AIR SEALING STRATEGIES BEST CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES GUIDE BUILDING SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR CONDENSATION or SWEATING PIPES, TANKS COOLING LOAD REDUCTION by ROOF VENTS CRAWL SPACES DECK & PORCH CONSTRUCTION DECK COLLAPSE Case Study DECK FINISHES COATINGS PRESERVATIVES DECK FLASHING LEAKS, ROT Case Study DISASTER BUILDING INSPECTION & REPAIR SAFEY DEHUMIDIFICATION PROBLEMS DEW POINT CALCULATION for WALLS DEW POINT TABLE - CONDENSATION POINT GUIDE EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS ENERGY SAVINGS in buildings AFUE DEFINITION, RATINGS AIR BYPASS LEAKS AIR CHANGE RATE ACH HEAT SAVINGS AIR CONDITIONING HEAT PUMP SAVINGS AIR LEAK SEALING PROCEDURE APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS ATTIC LEAKS, CONDENSATION & MOLD COOLING LOAD REDUCTION by ROOF VENTS DRYER VENTING ENERGY AUDIT - How to Use a Free One ENERGY SAVINGS MAXIMIZE RETURNS ON ENERGY SAVINGS PRIORITIES ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT CASE STUDY ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT LEAK SEALING GUIDE ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT OPTIONS ENERGY STAR PROGRAM ENERGY USE MONITORING GLASS vs HEAT MIRROR SOLAR GAIN/Loss HEAT LOSS in buildings HEATING COST SAVINGS METHODS HIGH MASS TRADEOFFS, HEATING vs COOLING HOUSE DOCTOR, how-to be INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT INSULATION LOCATION - WHERE TO PUT IT RADIANT BARRIERS REFLECTIVE INSULATION ROOF COLOR RECOMMENDATIONS Skylight Energy Efficiency SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS THERMAL MASS in buildings TIMERS for ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS VENTILATION, BALANCED HEAT COST SAVINGS WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS WINDOW EFFICIENCY Features & Ratings WOOD, COAL STOVES & FIREPLACES EXTERIOR WALL SIDING TRIM & FINISHES FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP FLOODS IN buildings-mold FLOOR, ENGINEERED WOOD & LAMINATES FLOOR FRAMING & SUBFLOOR for TILE FLOOR TYPES & DEFECTS FLOOR TILE ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION FLOOR TILE HISTORY & INGREDIENTS FOOTING & FOUNDATION DRAINS FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS FOUNDATION CRACKS & DAMAGE GUIDE FRAMING DAMAGE, INSPECTION, REPAIR FRAMING DETAILS for BETTER INSULATION FRAMING DETAILS for DOUBLE WALL HOUSES FRAMING CONNECTORS & JOIST HANGERS FRAMING FASTENERS, NAILS, SCREWS, & HIDDEN FRAMING & SUBFLOOR for TILE FRAMING MATERIALS, Age, Types FRAMING METAL STUD PERFORMANCE FRAMING METHODS, Age, Types FRAMING SIZE & Spacing, Age, Types FRAMING TABLES, SPANS for DECKS FRENCH DRAINS FROST HEAVES, FOUNDATION, SLAB FRT PLYWOOD ICE DAM PREVENTION INDOOR AIR QUALITY & HOUSE TIGHTNESS INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE INSULATION CHOICES Insulation Air & Heat Leaks INSULATION FACT SHEET- DOE INSULATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT INSULATION LOCATION - WHERE TO PUT IT INSULATION MOLD INSULATION R-Values & Properties LEED GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION LOG HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY LOG HOME GUIDE Antique & Old Log Cabins Cracks, Checking or Splitting Beams & Log Homes Condensation & Moisture in Log Homes Energy Efficiency of Log Homes Leak Diagnosis & Cure for Log Houses Log Wall Height Changes R-VALUES & THERMAL MASS in LOG HOMES Sealants, Caulks, & Coatings for Log Homes Shrinkage In Log Home Walls Slab Log Cabin Siding Spline & Gasket Designs for Log buildings Spline Gaps & Gasket Omissions Types of Log Houses - Log Choices Vertical Log Walls on Cabins & Homes Wall Insulation Values in Log Homes LOG HOME WALL INSULATION VALUES ROT, FUNGUS, TERMITES ROT, TIMBER FRAME SEARS KIT HOUSES SHEATHING, Gypsum board SHEATHING Homasote & Other Board SHEATHING, OSB SHEATHING, Plywood SHEATHING, FOIL FACED - VENTS SINKHOLES, WARNING SIGNS SINKING BUILDINGS SLAB CRACK EVALUATION STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS STONE CLEANING METHODS STRESS SKIN INSULATED PANELS STRUCTURAL INSPECTIONS & DEFECTS STUCCO WALL METHODS & INSTALLATION STUCCO OVER FOAM INSULATION STUCCO PAINT FAILURES SUMP PUMPS GUIDE SWEATING (CONDENSATION) on PIPES, TANKS More Information |
Log home & log wall insulating properties: This article describes the insulating and heating properties of log homes, comparing solid log structures, slab-sided log homes, and conventionally framed homes. This series of articles provides information on the inspection and diagnosis of damage to new and older log homes and includes description of log house and log siding insulation values and alternatives, and also a description of the characteristics of slab-sided log homes as well as all other types of log home construction. We include illustrations of log structures from several very different areas and climates in both the United States and Norway. Our page top photo shows a modern kit log home constructed in New York State. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers nor with topics or services discussed at this website.© Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. What is the Energy Efficiency of Log Homes?The question-and-answer article below paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. Question and Answer: Comparison of Energy Efficiency of Log Homes with Wood Framed HomesQuestion: Log Homes, All Bark? We are planning to build a new home in several years and want our project to be totally successful and energy efficient. We have always had leanings towards rustic structures and have almost settled on a log building. All the manufacturers of log buildings stress their tremendous energy efficiency. Confused about log home energy efficiency would be describing our state lightly. Have you ever done a study of the energy efficiency of log structures or compared a log home's energy costs with a conventional, highly-insulated structure? Answer: Although log home manufacturers would like the public to believe that log homes are highly energy-efficient, they have not yet impressed us. While any home can be made energy efficient with enough insulation and tightening up the building envelope, log houses have some built-in energy inefficiencies. Questionable Log Wall R-ValuesFirst, wood by itself is a poor insulator, at about R-8 for a 6-inch-thick (average) cedar log wall. [Have you noticed that the thickness of a curved round-log wall or a half-curved D-log wall is not uniform in thickness? A nominal 8-inch solid log wall made of rounded logs has an average 6-inch thickness.] Insulation must be added to such a solid log wall even to bring it up to the R-11 insulation value of a standard 2x4 wood framed stud wall insulated with fiberglass batts. Of course you can't add insulation to a solid log home without diminishing some of the log house's original rustic appeal on the inside or outside. Also, adding insulation inside will lose the comfort benefit of thermal mass of the logs. We discuss these factors in detail at LOG HOME WALL INSULATION VALUES. Log Home Wall Air LeaksSecond, log houses invite air infiltration because they have many yards of between-log gap. It is true that log home manufacturers have come up with ingenious log wall gasketing that should stop air infiltration leaks between logs, but if you are looking for energy-efficiency, why not choose a design that does not have such a large air infiltration problem to be solved in the first place. [DJF Note: our experience with both building and inspecting/diagnosing log homes indicates that too often, especially with owner-built kit log homes, errors and omissions in the gasketing system are responsible for serious air and sometimes water leaks in the log home's walls. Similar problems occur around windows if they are not properly installed and sealed. See Leak Diagnosis & Cure for Log Houses for details. If your home, log or otherwise, is drafty, see: AIR BYPASS LEAKS, AIR LEAK MINIMIZATION, and AIR SEALING STRATEGIES.] Log Homes Have Thermal MassSolid log homes are more massive than lightweight wood-frame insulated structures, but a National Bureau of Standards study found that the energy that a log home saves in the swing seasons (spring and fall) through added mass (and comfort for occupants by heating or cooling systems needing to cycle on or off less often) does not amount to much on an annual basis. A slab-log sided home (see our photographs just below) looks like a log home on its exterior, but is built with conventional wood framing that permits high wall insulation values; this design also avoids the log home wall air leak problem. This highly-insulated log home alternative gives up the interior beauty of solid log walls, gives up the comfort of thermal mass, but gains high energy-efficiency and low heating costs. See Slab Log Cabin Siding for details.
The above question-and-answer article about the energy efficiency and comparative heating and cooling cost of log homes compared with conventional wood frame structures, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. Here we include solar energy, solar heating, solar hot water, and related building energy efficiency improvement articles reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss. Overcoming drafts and un-wanted air leaks is the first priority for making a building comfortable and for reducing heating or cooling costs in cold climates. INSULATION R-Values & Properties provides detailed estimates of the insulating values and properties of various insulating materials. Readers should see R-VALUES & THERMAL MASS in LOG HOMES, and see LOG HOME WALL INSULATION VALUES where we compare the typical insulation values of a log home with a conventional wood framed structure, and where we include a discussion of the effects of thermal mass of log homes, providing also typical solid log wall home R-values. That article also explains the insulation and energy efficiency character of log-slab-sided conventional wood-framed homes. Readers whose homes are drafty, leaky, or otherwise too cold and who have high heating bills should also see these air leak articles: AIR BYPASS LEAKS, AIR LEAK DETECTION TOOLS, AIR LEAK MINIMIZATION, and AIR SEALING STRATEGIES. Original articleThe link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below is preceded by an expanded/updated online version of this article.
Questions & Answers regarding this articleQuestions & answers about the energy efficiency and heating or cooling costs of solid log home walls. Ask a Question or Search InspectAPediaHTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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