Lebert Construction, Sioux Falls,
is the builder of Sioux Valley Energy's Project E2 (Energy Efficiency).
Gregg and Culley Lebert, owners and construction managers, have a great
philosophy of energy efficiency.
Lebert Construction is a three generation family company that has been in business for over 50 years. It has always been a company standard to provide a quality home for a fair price in a timely manner. As a long-time builder, it is Gregg and Culley's philosophy to be on the job site everyday to answer questions and provide the necessary assistance to keep the job on time while ensuring quality is being maintained.
Since the 1980s, Leberts have been involved with energy efficient housing. Gregg was a department supervisor for the building construction program at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, SD. He worked closely with the Office of Energy Policy on constructing different styles of super-insulated houses.
Leberts focus on reducing air infiltration and air changes per hour, utilizing mechanical ventilation instead.
"We used new products available at the time these houses were built," Gregg says. "Insulated foam sheeting, special caulks, foam, rod-stock to seal sill, etc. All of these homes were given blower door tests to determine air leakage. It is my feeling that the E2 project is good because it involves products you can buy off the shelf and still have a leak-free home. The reason I feel that this is a good project is because quality construction and air-tightness is key to lower energy bills. An energy efficient house would have an air exchange rate of 0.5 - 1 air change per hour. Two things go together: low air-exchange--low energy bills."