Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Exterior residential wall construction is receiving more attention these days, especially in areas now prone to dangerous weather conditions. Traditional wood-frame approaches can have difficulty withstanding extreme winds, flooding, and wildfires, and both building departments and home insurers are taking notice.

I’ve owned three homes in my life. The youngest was 41 years old when I moved in and the other two were both over 80. I chose all three based on a combination of affordability and character – I’m a sucker for period features like ceiling molding and solid-pine paneling.

Residential energy use today accounts for about 20% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions – though this figure varies widely by region and income level. Certainly, getting more of our energy from renewable resources can help reduce those emissions, but we also need to limit overall energy demand in order to meet the emissions cuts necessary to blunt climate change’s worst effects.