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Sustainable Forestry (segment #10001) Wood is widely considered to be the most durable material for construction. In fact, over twenty-five billion square feet of wood is used every year in new home construction in the U.S. Every piece of... Read More >>		Energy Efficiency (segment #10004) We all want to cut down on our utility bills, but we also want to be comfortable in our homes with the right amount of heat, power, water, and air conditioning. Could there be a way to balance these n... Read More >>

Pella Windows (segment #10006) All of the windows in the home are from Pella’s Architect Series®. These windows are double-hung, meaning that they each have a moveable top sash and a moveable lower sash to allow ventilation from ei... Read More >>		Propane (segment #10024) Everyone knows that a propane grill can be used to cook a juicy steak or hamburgers for a family barbecue, but many homebuilders and buyers have chosen propane as an alternative power source for their... Read More >>

Insulation (segment #5006) The grade of insulation makes a big difference. It's your lifetime mortgage that's affected by it. What's a lifetime mortgage? It's a utility bill. You never pay off your utilities. They're al... Read More >>		Alside Windows (segment #5013) As a homebuilder, many people ask me what type of window they should install in their new or existing house. Either wood or aluminum framed windows. But let’s talk about a third option: vinyl windows.... Read More >>

Water Cooled A/C (segment #5019) Have you ever discovered that running the water hose on your air-conditioner’s condenser unit can actually make it cooler inside your house? On a hot summer day, it can quickly cool things off by as m... Read More >>		Solar Energy (segment #5033) We’re always looking for ways to conserve energy and control energy costs. You may be able to do just that with some natural resources, known as renewable energy, now and in the future.... Read More >>

Enviro Home (segment #5036) When you think of the next generation of houses, images like a wide front porch, sloping metal roof and wood burning stove probably aren’t the first things that pop into your mind. Well, this solar-... Read More >>		Geothermal Energy (segment #5039) Did you know your own yard has the potential to be your home’s major source of energy? You could be heating and cooling your house with one piece of equipment while saving 30 to 60% on your mon... Read More >>

Radiance (segment #5043) From the most extreme heat to the most extreme cold, keeping your family comfortable at home can send your heating and cooling bills through the roof. One of the best ways to keep your home comfortabl... Read More >>		Underground Houses (segment #5063) Today, I’m on top of one of the most energy efficient homes in the country. We’re going to take a look at the advantages of building homes underground.... Read More >>

Building a Greenhouse (segment #5142) We're building a greenhouse this morning. Looks like Al Carrell did a great job on this foundation for our greenhouse. This greenhouse is really based for a do-it-yourself project.... Read More >>		Solar Vents (segment #5234) I didn’t need a thermometer to tell me it’s hot in the attic but I sort of wanted to know just how hot. Now our thermometer only goes up to 120° but you can see it'’ hotter than that. I suspect it’s o... Read More >>

Greenhouse Foundation (segment #5246) What we are using today is a space age material. It is really great. Our object today is to make a floor for a greenhouse. Normally you would think why not build it out of wood or pour a concrete slab... Read More >>		Storm Windows (segment #5247) Now, as soon as we get this window screen out of the way, I’m going to show you how to become more energy efficient. What we have here is a window that has one single pane of glass.... Read More >>

Hands Free Faucet (segment #5253) How many of you are guilty of doing this? You're rinsing the dishes off and while you're doing it getting ready to put them in the dishwasher you leave the faucet running all the time? You're wastin... Read More >>		Energy Efficiency - Lab Tour (segment #5308) Did you know that 1/4 of all the energy we use here in the United States we consume in our homes? Well, today we're here at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory new Oakland, California, where we are going to ... Read More >>

Automated Shades - Lab Tour (segment #5309) This may look like a space age garden hose but did you know this may actually be the light bulb of the future? Well, today we’re going to look at the development of fiber optic lighting and how this m... Read More >>		Stockton PG&E - Factory Tour (segment #5313) We'll be conducting two tests today: an air-duct blaster to determine where leaks may be occurring throughout the ductwork in an air conditioning system and a blower door test to determine what leaks ... Read More >>

Insulated Glass - Factory Tour (segment #5316) Did you know that windows are about the third largest purchase that people will ever make for their home? So before you spend your hard earned money for windows, you should know that the insulating gl... Read More >>		Green Building Program (segment #5346) Today, we’re in Austin, Texas, and we’re going to take a look at a green building program that teaches builders how to use recycled materials and use them for building products on your new house.... Read More >>

Framing a House (segment #5400) Skinnier walls may mean more room for you, but they're also going to cost you more money. Let me show you a few reasons why you want to go with a 2x6 exterior wall.... Read More >>		HVAC (segment #5408) Don’t settle for an inadequate heating and air conditioning system. You’ll pay for it in more ways than one. You need a professional heating and air contractor to calculate the load requirements of yo... Read More >>

High Rise Recycling (segment #5600) When you live in a single family house, taking your recycled trash to the curb is just another must-do chore, but when that curb is 25 stories away recycling can be a major hassle. Now, the folks who... Read More >>		Tankless Water Heater (segment #5603) You won't find a traditional hot water heater in the Leonard home. That's because Steve Leonard has gone tankless.... Read More >>

Recycling Yards (segment #5754) When we build a new home, we move a lot of topsoil around. It's unavoidable. Unfortunately, a great many of us don't return any materials to the topsoil. Today, I'd like to talk to you about recycling... Read More >>		Grocery Bags (segment #5863) Do the plastic bags that you bring your groceries home in seem to multiply sometime in the night? Before you know it it seems like you have millions of them coming out of your cupboards and drawers.... Read More >>

Electricity Savings (segment #5976) You should turn off the lights if you're going to leave any room for longer than 10 minutes. But the reality is, your lights only make up about 5% of your electric bill. So, here are some quick t... Read More >>		Lower Your Utility Bills (segment #6007) You can lower your utility bill by wrapping your house with Tyvek!... Read More >>

Building a Greenhouse (segment #6123) Greenhouses are not just for people who have a lot of space and a lot of money. In fact, a number of companies now make greenhouse kits that are smaller and more affordable. The one that we're putting... Read More >>		Solatube (segment #6227) If you're looking for a way to lower your electric bill, add a Solatube skylight to your home. ... Read More >>

Bryant Furnaces (segment #6318) Did you know that about 35 cents out of every dollar that you spend on heating is lost up your f... Read More >>		Affordable Homes with Advanced Technologies (segment #6336) Did you know that every time mortgage rates rise even one fourth of a percent it prevents about 325,000 people from being able to afford a home? That's why looking for ways to build affordable homes t... Read More >>

Planned P.A.T.H. Homes (segment #6340) Today I'm in Tucson, Arizona at a special community called Civano where they're focusing on new construction technologies that not only make homes more energy efficient, but make them more environment... Read More >>		Global Solar Energy (segment #6341) Did you know that the process for converting the sun's energy into electricity has gotten so advanced recently that some manufacturers are actually incorporating photovoltaic cells into shingles? ... Read More >>

Indoor Greenhouse (segment #6715) Here's a great way that you can have an indoor greenhouse.... Read More >>		Programmable Thermostat (segment #7101) Heating and cooling a house can be a major expense for homeowners. But programmable thermostats are very efficient and they can save homeowners thousands of dollars. ... Read More >>

Instant Hot Water (segment #7108) It will give you hot water right away. It will save you money on your water bill and it will keep all that water from going right down the drain. ... Read More >>		Solar Power (segment #8303) Solar power has been around since the early 1900s. But even before that, scientist Edmond Becquerel discovered photovoltaic science which is the science of turning energy produced from the sun into el... Read More >>

Geothermal (segment #8801) The “wave of the future” is a term we’ve often heard for many things, but in the case of heating and cooling your home by harnessing the power of the earth it is definitely true. Heating and cooling y... Read More >>		Solar Gate Opener (segment #8814) The owners of a rural ranch house had a sturdy fence and gate, and they wanted an easy-to-install gate opener. They chose a solar-powered automatic gate opener system from GTO.... Read More >>

Environmentally Friendly Home Building (segment #9008) This exceptional house was designed to be super-low maintenance and easy on the environment in almost every way imaginable. And the materials and construction methods they use could bring the same ben... Read More >>		Propane (segment #9035) One of the problems of having a country home like this is lack of access to gas lines. Well, we’re going to do something different here. We’re going to put a propane tank out in the back yard, but we’... Read More >>

Fireplaces (segment #9036) When we designed the Country Retreat, one thing we didn’t have to worry about was where to run the vents for the fireplaces. That’s because all the fireplaces in this home are vent-free systems, provi... Read More >>		Installing a Solar Attic Fan (segment #9102) Heat and moisture are bad for attics. When you don’t have proper ventilation in your attic, it can also raise your utility bill. A simple and cost effective solution is to install a solar attic fan.... Read More >>

Energy Efficiency (segment #ath004) If you're considering building a new home or remodeling the home that you're presently in, remember your lifetime contract. I'm not speaking about a mortgage; I'm talking about the lifetime contract t... Read More >>		Can Crusher (segment #ath397) Crushing aluminum cans takes up less space in your recycling bin. This can crusher is easy to make and could be a fun project for the kids to help with. ... Read More >>

Blower Door Test (segment #t39-5-96) Most new homes these days are built with quite a bit of insulation. But even with all that insulation, there are often little cracks and crevices that haven't been sealed up properly where different b... Read More >>		Geothermal Heat Pumps - Part 1 (segment #t48-1-96) Because the earth absorbs and stores much of the energy it receives from the sun as heat, underground temperatures below the frost line remain constant at a point between 42 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit ... Read More >>

Geothermal Heat Pumps - Part 2 (segment #t48-2-96) A geothermal heat pump is the most efficient method possible for heating and cooling your home. Compared to traditional heating systems, a geothermal heat pump generates three to four times the amount... Read More >>		Zoning Systems (segment #t48-4-96) We're back at the High-Tech House where our geothermal heat pump system is being installed. In addition to the energy savings we've talked about, there are some other advantages worth mentioning.... Read More >>