How to prioritize an energy efficiency upgrade to an old house

Building a new house with state-of-the-art energy-efficient techniques isn’t so hard to do. Remodeling a old house to make it energy smart is a much more difficult task, but it can be done. Building-science specialist Betsy Pettit offers insights on how to update an old house for energy efficiency based on lessons she learned in three projects she worked on, with the long-term goal of renovating for net-zero energy use. In addition to details for three case studies, this article includes sidebars on the seven steps to net-zero energy use and one about the amount of insulation a house needs.

Remodeling for Energy Efficiency_FHB194.pdf