Look for Me by the Question Mark

Dry Climate Forum Yosemite Question Mark Tribe

I’m in California this week at the Dry Climate Forum, hanging out with some of my favorite people in the home performance business. Gavin Healy, Dan Perunko,† Mike MacFarland, and Rick Chitwood are the ringleaders, but all 6 dozen of us here belong to the same tribe: the tribe of questioners.

I’m in California this week at the Dry Climate Forum, hanging out with some of my favorite people in the home performance business. Gavin Healy, Dan Perunko,† Mike MacFarland, and Rick Chitwood are the ringleaders, but all 6 dozen of us here belong to the same tribe: the tribe of questioners.

What questions are being asked here, you ask? Here are a few:

Why is supply only mechanical ventilation absent from discussions about the best ways to ventilate homes? I had a nice discussion with Judy Roberson about that last night.

How low can we go with duct leakage? Mike MacFarlando of Energy Docs has thrown down the gauntlet and challenged contractors to strive for the X Leakage Prize. He wants to see if it’s possible to make immeasurably small duct leakage at 250 Pascals the new standard.

Can HVAC/home peformance contractors wean themselves from service contracts? Dan Perunko mentioned in the opening session that the company he and Gavin own (Balance Point Home Performance) doesn’t do them because, “We install things that don’t break.”

Are mini-split heat pumps really the answer for low-load buildings? Some of the folks here say they can deliver BTUs of heating and cooling for less cost with conventional systems.

Why do we spend so little time on radon when it’s implicated in far more deaths each year than carbon monoxide? Dick Kornbluth, who has installed radon mitigation systems in 3000 homes since 1987, gave a great presentation on this underrepresented area.

Not only are these people asking great questions, but they go deep looking for answers. One of the hallmarks of this conference is that they want to see only results that are measured. Modeling, because it can vary so widely, is “outside the sandbox” that we’re playing in here.

I don’t care what field you’re in; if you’re asking good questions and not accepting things at face value, no matter who said them, you must be doing good work. I’ll leave the last word to Christopher Reeve, who said, with a bit of irony:

“Never accept ultimatums, conventional wisdom, or absolutes.”

 

Related Articles

The Most Important Lesson I Learned in Grad School

I DO Need Some Stinkin’ Building Science Summer Camp!

Throwing the Building Science Learning Curve for a Loop

 

Footnote

† I wrote about Dan a couple of years ago when we met at Building Science Summer Camp and he said, “Hey, I think I’ve heard of you. You’re semi-famous.”

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. The most important lesson
    The most important lesson Allison learned in grad school: 
     
    “It was simply to acknowledge my ignorance and ask questions.” 
     
    Still at it, I see ??. 
     
    Best wishes.

  2. Glued PVC ductwork/plenum is
    Glued PVC ductwork/plenum is the key to eliminating ductwork leakage. Makes more sense just to move all the ductwork into conditioned space so leaking 5% doesn’t matter much.

  3. With reference to service
    With reference to service contracts, we have never used them 
     
    This year we are rolling out a program for new construction and system changeout clients: 
     
    As long as the system has a deep filter cabinet, electrical surge protection, and semi-annual maintenance, we’ll cover warranty labor for the duration of the factory parts warranty – no extended warranty contract or cost 
     
    We, like Dan P, install things that don’t break and ensure they’ll keep running.

  4. Curt, how many customers are
    Curt, how many customers are you able to sell the deep filter cabinets to? IMHO they are essential to a systems longevity, few are installed.

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