This is the time of year when everyone starts to notice higher energy bills and colder homes. To resist the urge to crank the thermostat a notch higher, many of us resort to more layers and thicker blankets. But with Mid-Atlantic Builders’ Energy$mart program, which utilizes the latest building science and technology, staying warm comes more naturally and at a lower cost.

In the past we have discussed how an Energy$mart home with a standard indoor air package provides cleaner air than competing homebuilders. Just as impressive is the sealant package we provide for each new home.

We start by making sure the entire ventilation system of our homes includes mastic sealed ducts that virtually eliminate air leakage. Then we customize the heating system of each home to ensure that the furnace is always placed in a conditioned space. Many builders, whose homes include a second heating zone, will put a furnace in the attic, which suffers from tremendous heat loss during the winter and cooling loss in the summer. Often times, this forces those builders to oversize their systems to compensate for those temperature losses.

With an Energy$mart home from Mid-Atlantic Builders you will get a furnace that is properly sized and appropriately located to maximize the efficiency of your HVAC system and help save you money on your utility bills. To accommodate an additional HVAC zone we don’t put extra furnaces in the attic but rather design our homes to include zoned damper systems, each controlled by a separate Trane programmable thermostat.

As we’ve discussed before, having a sealed duct system also improves the quality of our homes’ indoor air. Leaky ducts in attics, unfinished basements and over garages can allow dirt, dust, moisture, pollen, pests and fumes to enter the home. With our sealed duct system you can avoid most of those problems and significantly improve the indoor quality of air in any of our luxury custom homes.

To further avoid air leakage, each Mid-Atlantic Builders home includes a professionally installed Dow insulation foam behind all electric outlets and receptacles. In many of our communities we also include BASF’s Advanced Air Spray Seal Insulation (pictured below) that is applied to the inside of all exterior walls and significantly reduces also most all air infiltration into your home.

Additionally, we wrap each Mid-Atlantic Builders home with Tyvek House Wrap. With its Advanced Weatherization Package your new home will have better moisture control and an extra air infiltration barrier. For baths located on exterior walls, we take care to build insulated panels to reduce air leakage and increase the efficiency of the building envelope. In the garage, where a lot of energy is lost to leaks, we include an insulated garage door that eliminates drafts in and around garage entrances. Finally, to protect and insulate our foundations we use Watch Dog Foundation seamless waterproof (not water repellent) system to add extra protection against moisture infiltration to the lower level of our homes.

Clearly, building the smartest, most efficient home is high on our long list of priorities. Consider it a priority for your new home and an investment in your family’s comfort. Stop by one of our communities of new homes in southern Maryland. Visit us at Beechtree in Upper Marlboro, Woodmore North in Mitchellville or our new Villages of Savannah in Brandywine.