| og home can be one of the most energy inefficient | | | | air through the gaps in the log home and how to |
| structures you may have. Wood no matter how | | | | prevent the escape of heat through the same place. |
| joined together may still have some few gaps which | | | | There is a way to go around this. It has been |
| will allow in air. This means during winter or summer | | | | suggested that sealing off the gas will prevent the |
| you may be loosing a lot of money through energy | | | | escape of air but with time the log can warp or rot |
| that is lost through poor structural inefficiencies. | | | | and the sealant becomes ineffective. The experts |
| Before we look critically at the factors impacting on | | | | content that if wood is properly seasoned, then this |
| your log home, we would want to look at the | | | | will not occur. They estimate that for wood to |
| construction of log housed and how they affect the | | | | effectively resist rooting and warping, it must have |
| cooling and heating of the home. | | | | been seasoned for at least 6 months. |
| You may realise that unlike traditional concrete and | | | | Again, they argue tat more air will be lost or gained if |
| brick houses, logs do not provide acute and effective | | | | you use wood or log that is not uniform. If they are |
| sealing. In a log home you have wood put onto f | | | | not uniform, then more air can pass through them to |
| each other. This means there are gasp in-between | | | | either wrongly cool or heat the rooms. The |
| the wood through which air can pass to cool the | | | | dissimilarity of the surface will allow more air to pass |
| room or heat can escape to cool the room. In either | | | | through. Some people argue that it will serve the |
| case you have energy inefficiency. This case posses | | | | energy interest of the homeowner to use the |
| a big challenge to log homes. This is means that | | | | tongue and groove type or the Swedish design to |
| whatever type of heating you provide must be able | | | | construct the walls of the home. |
| to take account of this probable loss though the | | | | There are several considerations for the log |
| wood gaps. | | | | homeowner when it comes to heating. Will he use |
| But despite this apparent inefficient use of energy, | | | | central heating or just use a fireplace. Each option has |
| there is something you ca do to make sure that your | | | | its own advantage and disadvantage. The owner will |
| log home provide you with a cost effective and | | | | have to consider the source of his energy and the |
| optimum cooling and heating. | | | | extent to which he can afford each one. He will have |
| You can place the windows at an orientation that will | | | | to consider the structure of the house, the windows, |
| ensure that you do not lose so much heart or cold. | | | | the size and even the furnishing. |
| Yo can use a type of window that is airtight and will | | | | Trying to make the log home very energy efficient |
| not allow so much heat to escape from the room | | | | may also impact on the look of the log house. If you |
| during winter. You may want to use extra insulation | | | | apply do many modifications, the outside wall will be |
| in the rooms. There is the prefabricated type the log | | | | quite flat and it will no longer look lie the log house |
| builders use. | | | | we know. This change in shape may not be of worry |
| An energy expert will be able to advise on how you | | | | if the home owner is going to use the place as his |
| should orientate the house. They will be able to | | | | owns dwelling place. If he intends to use the place as |
| design and model the house for maximum heating or | | | | part of dude ranch facility, then he may have to |
| cooling as appropriate. The designers have one big | | | | reconsider the decision as that takes away the |
| challenge in their work. How to factor in the inflow of | | | | typical circular look of the log home all. |