Hanson Builders, Inc.

As with any energy saving process or device, there are learned and well-intentioned people on all sides of opinion. Geothermal HVAC (heating, ventilation, cooling) systems have been around a long time in commercial applications. They are only now, in this market, starting to arouse curiosity amongst builders and consumers since the Obama Administration included a tax break for them in the 2009 Stimulus bill.

The facts on geothermal, for most homes in Minnesota, are quite clear;

It saves some natural gas, pollutes the atmosphere more, and has a "cost -recoupment" of somewhere between 25 years and never. If someone is trying to convince you of one of these systems, they may not have some facts in order.

CENTER POINT Energy is crystal-clear that a Geothermal system will not save enough to pay back in less than 25+ years, and that it actually POLLUTES MORE than a standard system.

Below the CenterPoint Energy information here, read on for a picture of a real gas useage bill from one of our new homes in Blaine: 5,000 Square Feet, Sports Court, 2 Story Great Room, 4-car Heated garage, 8 residents – LESS THAN $100/month !!

 Gas bill follow.

The monthly skinny is a look at the Twin Cities housing market for the month put out by the Twin Cities Association of Realtors.  Below is the video for the report for February 2011:

How a Zoned HVAC System Works

This technology allows you to designate specific temperature zones in multiple areas in your home. Zoning also enhances airflow in individual zones allowing your system to more efficiently clean the air and exchange stale air. And, if used properly, a zoned system also has been shown to reduce energy use by 25 percent to 30 percent because it can deliver just the right amount of conditioned air to the areas of the home that need it.

Zoning a home is actually quite simple. With central forced-air heating and cooling system in your home, we use a system of ducts that move air throughout the rooms in your home. There is a main duct combined with a series of branch ducts, which carry air to different rooms. Installed within these branch ducts are dampers that act like a door that opens and closes to allow or prevent the flow of air depending on which zone is calling for conditioned air.

To do this, a programmable thermostat is installed on each level of the home. Thermostats are placed at a central location in each zone, on an interior wall. Our HVAC contractor looks for a place where lamps, sunlight, or other artificial heat can not affect the thermostat.

If you adjust the thermostat for that zone to make it warmer or cooler, a signal is sent to open a damper for that particular level and shut the dampers that control other zones, which don’t need additional cooling or heating.

This allows just the right amount of conditioned air to go to that zone that needs it. Programming your thermostats to specific temperature conditions for each zone, or having your contractor do this when the system is installed, lets the controls and dampers take care of everything.

Damper Types in Zoned Heating and Cooling Systems

Your forced-air heating and cooling system has a system of ducts that moves air from the blower throughout the home. The system is controlled with a centrally located thermostat, which delivers the same amount of conditioned air to all the rooms in the home. This may cause some rooms in your house to be too hot or too cold. In fact, some homes can experience a wide range in temperatures from one area of their home to another.

The way Hanson Builders addresses this problem is to deliver conditioned air where it is needed, and not to places where it isn’t needed, is by adding zone control technology.

Instead of a one temperature fits all rooms approach, a zoned heating and cooling system provides improved comfort and encourages energy conservation by using a system of dampers and programmable thermostats to deliver conditioned air only to areas when they are occupied.

The damper system works differently than just closing a vent on a floor or wall. When you shut the vent, the heated or cooled air still must travel the length of the duct to reach the outlet. When it is denied an exit, the air usually sits in the pipe and becomes room temperature.

A damper is usually installed at the mouth of a distribution duct and either permits or allows airflow at that point. This maintains the pressure in the duct and redistributes the airflow to the rest of the structure. HVAC zone control dampers range in size to fit your ducts and can be round or rectangular depending on your duct style. They are powered by electricity.

Obviously, temperature and energy savings are the key benefits to having a zoning system. With fuel prices going up, zoning can help you save energy while enhancing your comfort. Zoning can pay for itself through additional energy savings. A single zoning system can save 20 percent to 30 percent on a typical heating and cooling bill. Most installations are in larger homes with an estimated savings of over 5000 kWh per year, depending on energy use and climate conditions.

Our controller units here.

Hanson Builders is one of the very last builders in our area that hasn’t switched over to Pre-finished wood floors. We think old-fashioned nail-down site-sanded-finished wood floor, 3/4" thick, has no equal for look, feel, sound, and durability. Our favorites right now are Walnut, Maple, Birch. Pictured here is Walnut being installed in to one of our Hampton plans in Plymouth. We challenge you to "feel" the differences as you shop for your new home.

We have been working on a web site overhaul and it will launch later this month. It will be the most fluid, navigable, photo-rich site in our market. Live-Chat, Blog link, . . .

What are the factors in the choice of a window?

A) Utility - Look Through it. Open it for air flow.
B) Efficiency – Thermal barrier to control temps, solar gain & elements.
C) Aesthetics – shape, side, placement.
D) Costs - Relative value of the selection made.

So let's take them one at a time.

A) Utility: It is a little known secret that about every window sold in America has glass from a single company. In Minnesota all new homes come with a window that has "LOW E", argon gas filled which simply discloses the reflective properties of the glass. "Hung" windows slide up and down, "Casement" windows crank out. We use Single-Hung units in most our homes. They come in lots of sizes, including tall 72" units, are very rigid, and don't have "gears" to wear out, jump off track, or break. All windows today come with a clad or weatherproof exterior shell. Most of the windows in our homes have enameled (painted with spray) jambs on the inside.

This accomplishes two key objectives:
1) The white (or near white) color reflects the light more and makes the home interior brighter – even on cloudy days, and
2) The enameled jamb parts are much sturdier against the sun's attempt to deteriorate the finish there. If you've been in any home over 10 years old you see the need for sanding & re-varnishing stained jambs, while enameled jambs hold up much better.

B) Efficiency: As mentioned above, we typically use a Milgard Brand single-hung window in our homes. They are tighter than a double-hung, and are some of the most thermally-efficient windows on the market at any price. They are easy to close, even for kids, and hence end up having less drafts. All homes built today must meet minimum wind-shear loads, so that is not any issue worth fretting about.

C) Aesthetics: While this is certainly the most subjective category, we generally prefer classic grid styles, shapes and sizes that "balance", and as tall a window as can fit in a room. Most of our Great Room ceilings are elevated to allow taller-than-typical windows in that space. Sometimes, we will set them about at floor height.

D) Costs & Value: This is the area we have done the most technical AND consumer feedback research around. After extensive research we learned that the "King" of windows, the Andersen brand (which we using exclusively) not only did not have the best warranty, it also commanded a premium price we were not sure was worth it. So, we lowered our homes' base price and began offering it as an option. The results were immediate and overwhelming – only about 2-3% clients were willing to pay the upgrade once they were apprised of the several other, less expensive choices. We received the message loud and clear.

In fact, 2 members of our executive team now live in homes that have our Milgard and Hayfield vinyl hung-style windows – and LOVE THEM. The Milgard Warranty is fantastic. We now have about 10 year's experience with these products and have no plans to go back to traditional wood windows – except by client request and in a few of our high-priced homes. Years ago, millwork companies switched from "solid" wood doors to particle-board-core doors with thick wood veneer. These doors look great and perform better than solid doors ever could. Window technology is much like that – these new units will perform better, cost less, and require no maintenance. Some things, like wood floor, we believe in staying with the old-fashion product and process. But with windows, the newest technologies have indeed improved the breed . . .

Further reading:

LOW E – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-emissivity
Milgard – http://www.milgard.com/windows/vinyl-windows/style-line/