Can someone advise me on products and placement.  First time I am using SIPS and uncertain as to what to consider for  a "tight house. The msg mis-spellings are now corrected since I have found my glasses and typed slower. I will be building in central Virginia.

Lisa

First and foremost you should not be drinking while driving on the forum :)

depending on what part of country you are building, use HRV (heat recovery ventilation) or ERV (energy recovery ventilation). do some google research, it is pretty simple system to design and understand.

Lisa,

www.renewaire.com has some good information on ventilation products. If you build a tight home and you have seasons where your house is kept closed for long periods of time, a ventilation system is necessary for comfort and health. Make sure your designer plans for a space for this system and also access to the unit for maintainence. Also, the units vibrate and should be isolated from the buildings structure.

Lisa,

For Central Virginia I would recommend an ERV. All types of ventilation should be sized in accordance with ASHRAE standards. Filtration can also play an important role in IAQ. Also, spot ventilation is very important for bathrooms and kitchens specifically. The # of cfm's is important for removing moisture from these areas. Lastly, just because someone says they are building a "tight" or "energy efficient home" doesn't matter unless it can be verified by a 3rd party professional. Do yourself a big favor and have a licensed HERS rater perform an Energy Star rating which includes a duct blaster and blower door test. Oh and one more thing--if you are planning on having a range hood fan, make sure it is not pulling too many cfm's as some of these can significantly depressurize your house.

Craig
www.eco-panels.com