Stitt Energy Systems

The last step in completing your new home's energy envelope is to insulate and air seal all exterior walls and attic spaces. For frame walls and on the attic side of the Ice House Roof, we apply a light-weight, semi-rigid, soy-based spray foam. Spray foam insulates and air seals at the same time. Unlike traditional insulating materials, spray foam is less prone to gaps, compression and moisture - all of which reduce the efficiency of your energy envelope. Additional air sealing options include installing an exterior house wrap, caulking wall joints and seams, and using Zip sheathing, which has both air and vapor barriers built in.

Personal taste and the style of your home determine the style of your windows, but it's placement and your choice of frames and glass that affect their energy performance. Well-placed windows frame your best views, bring healthy, natural light into your living spaces, and reduce the amount of heating and air conditioning you need. If your best views are to the south, you're fortunate. South-facing windows are the best for collecting free solar heat in the winter. Passive solar home design takes advantage of that by placing about 50% of your windows in south-facing walls.

Exterior doors add personality to your holistically green, custom home, and you can choose from dozens of styles to get the look and functionality you want. Your door choice will also affect the performance of your home's energy envelope. Insulated steel doors come in a variety of styles, won't warp or crack, and require minimal maintenance. They're the best choice when you want security. Choose from a smooth or textured finish and how much glass you'd like - if any. We recommend all glass in doors, sidelights and transoms meet Energy Star standards when possible.

Your Stitt home foundation begins with concrete footings that meet or exceed local building codes. They're surrounded by drainage tiles or forms that carry water away from your foundation to keep it dry and free of mold. Foundation walls are formed with insulated concrete forms (ICFs) reinforced with steel. After the concrete is poured, work begins on the interior slab. A vapor barrier and reinforcing steel are put in place to create a floor that handles loads with ease and maintains a consistent, comfortable temperature.

Did you know that every home has access to clean solar energy? By making simple, yet elegant design choices for your custom home, we can help you make the most of your free solar energy. Properly shaded south-facing windows and a well-insulated, air-sealed building envelope, for example, help create a passive solar home that can almost heat and cool itself. Although simple in concept, it takes experience to combine these elements into a dream home design that suits your site and keeps you safe, comfortable, and healthy.

A Stitt home assures you of ultra-comfortable living, low energy bills, and the satisfaction of being environmentally responsible. To create a better home, we rely on experience, building science and collaboration with you and your local builder. This unique approach streamlines the design/build process into a rewarding experience for everyone. Advanced materials and techniques researched by building science professionals create stronger, healthier, more efficient homes. Energy Star and other 'green' building organizations support those advances, but state and local codes have not kept pace.

Install the Ice House Roof beneath roof decking and reduce heat in the attic-no fans or electricity needed. This flexible radiant barrier uses continuous soffit and ridge venting to carry heat away by natural convection. Begin installing panels near the eaves. Work your way up, stapling the side flaps to the trusses to create a 2 air channel between the roof decking and the panel. Successive panels overlap the ones below them by 2. This moderates the temperature and improves the efficiency of any heating and air conditioning ductwork in the attic.