10 Absolutely Stunning Country Homes that you Absolutely MUST See

Building a Sustainable Cabin

A cabin building is a step in the right direction when it comes to green building and eco-building design. Wood is a renewable building material that when sustainably managed will be available for future generations. There are many ways that you can make your cabin building and log house design more energy efficient. Insulation, heating and cooling are just some of the ways you can make your cabin building more comfortable and energy efficient. You'll want to properly plan your log house design to benefit from energy efficient construction so you can save money in the future on heating and cooling bills and ensure that your home will benefit you for years to come.

Effective Insulation Options

Insulation. There are a variety of ways to insulate your log house design. Your choice of insulation can have a significant impact on both your heating and cooling bills. Most people are familiar with the fluffy fiberglass or mineral wool batt insulation that are used to insulate both framed walls and attics. This type of insulation is probably the most popular and least expensive insulation that is used. Blanket or batt insulation can be very effective if the insulation is installed correctly. Unfortunately, that not always happens. Batt insulation is often installed by carpenters or by drywall hangers who in a rush to get the job done, do not install the insulation as it should be. A poor insulation job will have lots of voids and areas of compressed insulation where the insulation efficiency is compromised. Log house roofs, especially those with exposed beams and cathedral ceilings, will often use rigid foam sheets.

Foundation and Energy Efficiency

In some cases, the cathedral roof is made using structural insulated panels or SIPs that consist of rigid foam that is sandwiched between skins of OSB or plywood. These panels can cover a roof quickly and help to provide superior insulating for your roof. Traditionally, most foundation walls use poured concrete or masonry block. If the concrete walls are in contact with the surrounding soil, these walls can conduct heat out. The cooler walls can then lead to condensation or uncomfortably high humidity in the basement area of the log house. There are some foundation alternatives that can help to improve the energy efficiency of your basement. One way is with insulating concrete forms or ICFs which are foam forms that serve to hold the concrete and remain in place after the walls are poured. These help to isolate the concrete from its surroundings while providing insulation both inside and out.

Choosing Heating and Cooling Systems

Heating and Cooling. The heating and cooling costs for a log house account for about 56 percent of the energy costs for operating a cabin building or log house. So your choice of the heating and cooling system in your cabin building can have a large effect on your monthly utility bills. You want to start by choosing EnergyStar rated equipment, which carries the highest efficiency ratings. You want to look for furnaces or boilers that carry a 90 percent or greater Annual Fuel Use Efficiency (AFUE) rating. You also want to look for cooling equipment that has a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating or SEER of 13 or greater.

Utilizing Heat Pumps

From a cost standpoint, heat pumps will provide the most efficient systems in most climates. Heat pumps are one set of equipment that helps to provide both heating and cooling. Geothermal heat pumps can take the heat exchange technology one step farther. So instead of relying on the exchange of energy between the inside and outside air, geothermal systems use the ground air or more frequently water as an exchange medium.