Energy Performance in Your Moosehead Cedar Log Home
We stand behind our cedar log homes as one of the most energy-efficient log homes on the market. Three decades of log home building experience have proven that the Moosehead combination of materials and methods is the way to a truly comfortable, air-tight home. Here is a closer look at the natural features and added benefits that ensure your Moosehead log home will be cost-efficient to operate and comfortable for you and your family.
Cedar: Nature’s Natural Insulator
We understand that cedar isn’t the least expensive wood for building log homes, nor is it the simplest to source, but we believe that the cheapest and easiest options are rarely the best. That’s why we use only Northern White Cedar for Moosehead log homes — because it creates the most efficient, comfortable living experience. Known for its natural insulating properties, cedar keeps your home warm and cozy in the winter and cool and dry in the summer. This is due to the thermal mass of cedar logs, which regulate interior temperatures by gradually absorbing and releasing heat. Additionally, the basic construction method of a log home — using long spans of logs to form the walls — creates a continuous layer of insulation.
Customized CumberlandLastly — and maybe most importantly — cedar has a high, naturally occurring R-value. In simplest terms, R-value is a measure of a material's resistance to heat transfer. Northern White Cedar logs have an R-value of 9, which translates to around 1.41 per inch for our 6x6-inch log. (For comparison, 6x6-inch pine logs have an R-value of only 1.25 per inch.) The higher R-value of cedar gives it an edge when it comes to creating comfortable, well-insulated interiors.
On a related note, cedar logs are known for their thermal mass or ability to hold and release heat over time. This characteristic prevents outside heat from easily filtering into your home on hot days yet allows the warmth of the sun to warm the logs and release it into your interiors slowly during cold weather months.
Air-Tight Log Construction
While we are sold on the natural, insulating properties of cedar, we know that how you put the logs together matters too. Our construction method allows each row of logs to settle together for a tight fit, keeping air and moisture from filtering into the home.
Additionally, your roof insulation package can be upgraded from the standard 4-inch rigid foam insulation with an R-value of 30 to 5-inch for R-36; 6-inch for R43; 7-inch for R-49; and 8-inch for R-56. Depending on your needs, the enhanced insulation option can be added to walls and roof separately.
As an added measure to bolster efficiency, Moosehead offers an “Enhanced Insulation” package, which includes rigid foam insulation placed on the interior face of the log wall, which is then topped with our cedar paneling. You can choose between .5-inch insulation for a resulting R-value of 16; 1-inch for R-19; 1.5-inch for R-23; or 2-inch for R-26. (This is available on all log profiles, with the exception of our rounded Swedish Cope profile.)
Smart Design Elements
Our design team knows that an energy-efficient log home starts before the log walls ever go up. Throughout the design process, we will share our expert strategies to optimize your home’s efficiency. Thankfully, one of the benefits of a log home’s naturally open interiors is that they allow air to circulate freely, ensuring your HVAC system works efficiently and easily to move warm and cool air through your home, creating comfortable interiors
When it comes to siting your home on your lot, our team can help you determine how to best orient your home for passive solar gain. On the same note, we will help you take advantage of your home’s views while also finding ways to maintain lower energy bills. We may suggest a gable porch off of a great room, extended rooflines, or an upgraded tinted window package from Andersen for enhanced interior comfort and energy savings.