Media Coverage
The May/June 2009 cover of EcoHome, a magazine focused on the green building market, features the partnership between IBACOS and studio26 homes, which led to the construction of a home in Orefield, PA that earned the NAHB National Green Building Program Gold certification.
When IBACOS is featured in the media, it helps us spread the word about delivering high performance homes that are designed and built to new standards of quality.
March 2010
City Company Foresees Homes with No Annual Power Costs
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEWAn Ohio Township homeowner's annual energy bill could be reduced to nothing if a Strip District company's plan to build a zero-energy home is successful. IBACOS, a building sciences consulting firm on Liberty Avenue, and S&A Homes of State College broke ground yesterday on a project that will combine energy conservation and production technologies to build a home with a net-zero energy cost.
Read MoreMarch 2010
Home of the Year Design Awards 2010
Pittsburgh MagazineIn the March 2010 issue of Pittsburgh Magazine, prototype homes from East Liberty Development Inc. (ELDI) received the Honorable Mention in the magazine's first-ever Home of the Year Design Awards. The awards considered features like the interior and exterior design, as well as green design principles, such as spray foam insulation, instantaneous water heaters, and fluorescent lighting. IBACOS worked closely with ELDI, as well as the builder, S&A Homes, to design and build these prototypes, which are 40% more energy efficient than code-built homes.
Read MoreJanuary 2010
The New American Home to Incorporate Energy-Saving Technologies
EERE Network NewsThe latest edition of The New American Home was unveiled at the annual International Builders’ Show in January. Continuing its commitment to energy efficiency, IBACOS provided technical support for the design and implementation of energy efficiency measures in the home.
Read MoreDecember 2009
Best Practices Research Alliance® Focuses on High Performance Home Building
Professional BuilderFounded and operated by IBACOS, the Best Practices Research Alliance gathered dozens of leaders from the homebuilding industry at its Annual Meeting, spending the day sharing best practices for aligning homebuilding companies to effectively deliver high quality, high performance homes at the production level.
Read MoreNovember 2009
Help, My Toilet is Running!
HGTVPro.com NewsletterThe November 11th, 2009 issue of HGTVPro’s e-newsletter spotlights BuildIQ's Home Care Guide in “Help, My Toilet is Running,” a section featuring help for homeowners who need to understand and repair a problematic toilet. BuildIQ has teamed up with Scripps Networks' websites to provide homeowners and do-it-yourselfers with this online guide to proper home maintenance. Visit all three Guides directly at home-care.hgtv.com, home-care.hgtvpro.com, and home-care.diynetwork.com.
Read MoreNovember 2009
Defective Thinking: Quality, as defined by builders and homeowners, is too often in the eye of the beholder
Builder Magazine"It's in the interest of builders to construct better, more durable homes," states author John Caulfield in "Defective Thinking," a Builder Magazine article that takes a hard look at quality construction from the eyes of different groups involved in the housing industry. Brad Oberg, a partner in Pittsburgh-based IBACOS and BuildIQ, offered his insight on the industry, as well as knowledge of the most common construction defects, for the article.
Read MoreMay 2009
IBACOS supported studio26 homes' efforts to build a home in Orefield that earned Eastern Pennsylvania's first NAHB National Green Building Program Gold home certification.
Read MoreApril 2009
Hovnanian Demo Home Aims for High Energy Performance
Nation’s Building News (NBN)K. Hovnanian partnered with IBACOS and Building America on its latest demonstration home, the High Performance Home, which was unveiled April 16, 2009 in the suburban Washington, D.C. area of Woodbridge, VA.
Read MoreApril 2009
Prevent Water Intrusion in Brick Veneer
Housing GiantsArlan Burdick, IBACOS Building Performance Specialist, provided his expertise for an article on preventing water intrusion in brick veneer. The article, written by sister company BuildIQ for Housing Giants magazine, covers the three most common installation errors and how to keep them from occurring.
Read MoreApril 2009
K. Hovnanian Unveils Energy-Efficient Concept Home
EcoHomeK. Hovnanian, partnering with IBACOS and Building America, unveiled its Concept House, a home that starts with the features of the company’s High Performance Home but adds new technologies that the homebuilder can test going forward.
Read MoreFebruary 2009
How Green Are Your Windows?
Fox NewsAnthony Grisolia, IBACOS Services Manager, was recently interviewed by Fox News for a national story surrounding the energy efficiency of windows for homes entitled “How Green Are Your Windows?”
Read MoreJanuary 2009
The New American Home 2009
Builder MagazineIBACOS played a vital role in helping the design team of The New American Home 2009 implement innovative strategies to conserve energy. True to form, IBACOS followed an integrated, whole-house, systems approach, optimizing how the components work together to achieve maximum performance.
Read MoreDecember 2008
New Homes to Transform Tawdry Streets in East Liberty
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteIBACOS assisted East Liberty Development Inc. and S&A Homes in an infill project in the historic Pittsburgh neighborhood of East Liberty. The new homes, which are 40% more energy efficient than code-built homes, are one phase in a long-term plan to revitalize East Liberty.
Read MoreSeptember 2008
Stop Errors that Cause Cracks in Post-Tension Slab Foundations
Housing GiantsAnthony Grisolia, IBACOS Services Manager, was featured in an article by sister company BuildIQ for Housing Giants magazine on how to prevent cracks in post-tension slab foundations. He has assisted homebuilders affected by quality issues like cracking in post-tension slabs in southwest markets.
Read MoreAugust 2008
Does a Cathedralized Attic Need a Supply Register?
Energy Design UpdateJohn Broniek, IBACOS Senior Research Associate, was featured in Energy Design Update about research he conducted on whether or not a cathedralized attic in a hot humid climate should be directly or indirectly conditioned. Broniek concludes that direct conditioning wastes energy and provides no discernable benefit.
Read MoreJuly 2008
How to Handle Cracks in 3-Coat Stucco
Housing GiantsRich Baker, IBACOS Building Performance Specialist, was interviewed for a Housing Giants article by sister company BuildIQ on how to properly handle cracking in 3-coat stucco. Baker has assisted homebuilders with identifying, correcting, and preventing construction quality issues related to stucco.
Read MoreBuilding America: Cutting-Edge Energy Research
HGTVProIn 2006, IBACOS worked with Landmark Renovation and Building Company on a research and demonstration home as part of a Building America project to achieve a maximum of 50% energy savings.
Read MoreChoosing and Installing Replacement Windows
HGTVProBrad Oberg, IBACOS CTO, offers advice to HGTVPro site visitors on how to properly choose and install replacement windows on a home. He covers the three options for window replacement, the key areas that make a window a quality window, and the pros and cons of common framing materials.
Read MoreJump Ducts Increase Energy Efficiency
HGTVProDuncan Prahl, IBACOS Senior Research Associate, lends his knowledge to HGTVPro in this article about how using jump ducts to handle return air, rather than wall or floor cavities, is a simpler and more efficient method for new homes with forced-air HVAC systems.
Read More