ThermalBuck Installation Stories
New Construction √ Deep-Energy Retrofits √ Passive House √ Multi-Family Residential √ Architects’ Homes and Offices √ √
We’ve been across the U.S. and Canada, working with customers to show them how easy it is to install ThermalBuck. No matter what part of the country, or which climate – architects, builders, and homeowners are recognizing the benefits of building with exterior insulation, and that calls for ThermalBuck. Ideal for mineral wool, polyiso, EPS and XPS, ThermalBuck solves the challenge of installing windows with exterior insulation, and integrates with your wall assembly.
Featured Installation: Orderville, Utah
When a customer calls and tells you that the energy efficient home they’re building happens to be in one of the most beautiful settings in the Western U.S., you ask them if you might tag along and film.
Located at the crossroads of climate zone 3, 4, and 5, resting at an elevation well over 5,000 feet, this unique region provides more than beauty. It presented the opportunity to truly challenge ThermalBuck, on an energy-efficient window installation with Alpen HPP.
Homeowner Thomas Griffiths recognized 2.5″ ThermalBuck was the ideal solution to protect his investment in Alpen high-performance windows, limit thermal bridging in the building envelope, and prevent compression of the Atlas polyiso exterior insulation.
“I just wanted to have as thermally-efficient a home as I could afford. I wanted to stop all of the thermal bridging that I could.”
-Thomas Griffiths, Homeowner, Engineer, Hardware Store Owner
Planning the Energy-Efficient Window Installation
Doing most of the work themselves, the Griffiths wanted to invest that savings into large, high-performance windows, to bring the beauty of the setting into the home. They selected Alpen triple pane windows, utilizing suspended coated film technology. These insulated fiberglass frame windows offer an R-6 thermal performance, and customized glazing for each window. ThermalBuck supports the weight of the windows, insulates the mounting point, and protects the integrity of the installation.
For more videos, photos, and details about this build, read The Do-It-Yourself, Energy-Efficient Dream Home.
Bill McKnight, CEO, Energy Conservation Specialists
Featured Installation: Energy Conservation Specialists
Bill and his wife, Melinda Terpening McKnight, are passionate about history, their community, and energy efficient building. With over 20 years in the field of deep energy retrofits, Bill has achieved both BPI Accreditation and Energy Star Certification, and teaches building science at Ulster University in NY. We had the opportunity to work with Bill and Melinda on a recent net zero deep energy retrofit of a historic Port Ewen home that will soon become the new ECS company headquarters.
Originally built in 1850, the house has been in the Terpening-McKnight family for nearly 40 years, and was in danger of being torn down after a devastating fire. Bill and Melinda decided to restore it, and move their company into the space. The building will not only be energy-efficient, it will achieve net-zero certification, meaning it will consume only as much energy as it produces.
A deep energy retrofit is a whole-building approach to maximizing energy efficiency. They always include both interior and exterior insulation on the walls and roof, completely eliminating the thermal bridge through the building envelope. Thorough air sealing is crucial to achieving the desired performance. Having worked for years installing windows with rigid foam, Bill recognized the benefits of using ThermalBuck to mount his windows vs. a traditional wood buck. He chose ThermalBuck to limit thermal bridging and prevent moisture damage, but also to improve the air tightness of the building envelope.
For more videos, photos, and details about this build, read Net Zero Deep Energy Retrofit – Energy Conservation Specialists
“You couldn’t seal a wood buck like that. The payoff is substantially better with ThermalBuck”
-Bill McKnight, Building Scientist, Energy Conservation Specialists
BRINC Products Featured in GreenBuilt Home Tour
The Illinois Green Alliance has announced that its 2020 GreenBuilt Home Tour is going virtual – and we’re a part of it! This year’s event features four unique online sessions that focus on 12 different green home projects across Illinois. Each online event has a theme: passive house design, all-electric… Read more
Texas Builder’s Passion for Passive House Comes to Life
Most people would assume it makes zero sense to build a passive house in a hot, humid climate. The indoor/outdoor temperate differences aren’t as extreme as they tend to be in other climate zones. But a passive house still offers a huge performance increase from traditional building methods, and a… Read more
Tiny House – Big Impact
Our first ThermalBuck installation in a tiny house is a big deal. And when you’re lucky enough to have a passionate do-it-yourself duo like Jesse Taylor and his father Bernard working together on the project, it becomes more than a job site, it’s a story. Not Your Average Treehouse Jesse’s… Read more
Building an Affordable, High-Performance Home
Working for Habitat for Humanity is a life-changing experience. We knew going into the high-performance home build in Randolph, Vermont, that the work was important. Affordable housing is one of the most critical issues in communities all over the world – and Vermont is no exception. But what we didn’t… Read more
Training Day: GMP Rutland Innovation Home
We’re proud ThermalBuck is an important component of the most energy-efficient house in Vermont, the Green Mountain Power Rutland Innovation Home. It’s a one-of-a-kind project: a contest created by a utility company, giving away a brand new home to the winning entry of an essay competition. They’re looking for the right person who… Read more
Perfecting an Energy-Efficient Haven in Vermont
It’s a pleasure to work with architects to solve the challenges of retrofitting existing structures. When they specify ThermalBuck for their own personal projects, it becomes a real privilege. Alan Benoit, Principal Architect, Sustainable Design of Vermont, chose ThermalBuck to mount his energy efficient windows for his net-zero energy office space, and… Read more
