Installing Wall-to-Wall Carpet, Building an Energy Star Certified Home, and Saving Electricity and Protecting Electronics in the Home

Clip Summary

Bob meets Scott Howard of Dean's Carpet as he installs Stainmaster nylon carpet in one of the Mashpee, Massachusetts, affordable homes. This nylon carpet is engineered to fight off stains from kids, pets, and food. Howard uses an eight-pound rebond pad underneath that is made from recycled foam and will last the life of the carpet. This type of installation is not for do-it-yourselfers since there are so many specialized tools required. The installers fit carpet under the baseboard heat enclosure and tamp it onto the tackless underneath for a tight fit. John Livermore joins Bob to explain the Energy Star Homes program started in the 1970s by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The red blower door is in place to do the blower door test required for certification as an Energy Star Home. Certified homes must be at least 30 percent more efficient than the model energy efficiency code. Once certified, homeowners and builders are eligible for rebates and services from a consortium of utilities and energy service providers. Livermore reviews key areas of energy-efficient building with Bob, including air sealing. He repeats the builders' motto, build tight and ventilate right Damon Markowski from Leviton shows Bob the dimmers that have been installed to control light levels and save power. Leviton has also provided a built-in surge pression module that protects all of the electronic components of the home, including the cable television and phone, from damaging power surges.