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Rynish Case Study
Building a Case
Bart Rynish, owner of Barton Designs, a Wisconsin-based builder and Energy Star partner, has built green homes for years. But his latest creation, combining Thermocore walls with other insulating features, set a new Wisconsin record.
The home allows an average of just 3 percent of the air to be exchanged every hour. According to Energy Star, 25 percent is acceptable. The Wisconsin building code permits up to half of the air to escape through leaks every hour — at a cost of $500 to $600 per year. With just 3 percent infiltration, the cost for this home drops to less than $15 per year, Bart said.
After testing the home, Bill Hurrle, the Energy Star rater, confirmed, “Amazing house. Tightest ever—ridiculously tight. This house will cruise on even cold winter days.”
Why Tight?
“Air tightness determines about 50 percent of your heating bill, and the other 50 percent relates to R-value,” Bart said. Thermocore panels cut costs on both fronts, with panels up to 8-foot by 24-foot to minimize joints for a tight seal, and an R-value of 24 in standard four-inch panels or R-40 in the optional six-and-a-half-inch panels used in this home.
In fact, with the insulating properties of this house, owner Ron Wesoloski chose not to install a furnace. Solar hot water warms the basement floor, which radiates heat to the upstairs. Small electric heaters help maintain air temperature, and a clean-burning wood pellet stove provides back-up heat.
On a sunny winter day, “You don't need any heat,” Bart said. “If there's no sun, just use a little bit of pellet stove. If the home were just a little further south, you probably wouldn't even need the pellet stove.”
Goodbye drafts and energy bandits. “In a normal home, you can feel wind coming through the outlets,” Bart said. ”But with Thermocore walls, the whole home is sealed up.”
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- Bart Rynish,“With Thermocore walls, the whole home is sealed.”
Builder,
Wisconsin
