The Four Types of Duct Leakage
It's Friday afternoon and time for some fun, so let's take a look at the four types of duct leakage. It's Friday afternoon and time for some fun, so let's take a look at the four types of duct leakage.…
The Energy Vanguard Blog
When Is 100% Efficient Not Good Enough?
You can turn electricity into heat at an efficiency of 100%! Every kilowatt-hour of electricity in turns into one kilowatt-hour of heat out. That sounds pretty good, doesn't it? The truth, however, is that electric resistance heat (toasters, baseboard heaters,…
5 Myths about Home Energy Efficiency
1. If you want to save energy, the first thing you should do is weatherstrip your doors and caulk your windows. Not true. Your house has much bigger holes than those. 2. I live in the South (or another warm…
An Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) Bonanza
As a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) Provider, I check the home energy ratings that my raters do. Recently one of the EVER raters, Jason Payne of Structured Energies, completed a rating project for a homeowner who was financing home…
Vented Crawl Spaces: Some Common Problems
I'm one of those rare people who actually likes to go into crawl spaces. I strap on my knee pads, put on my head lamp, grab my camera, and go have fun. Well, perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but I…
Energy Efficient Mortgage Presentation at RESNET Conference
Last month I gave a presentation at the RESNET Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina on the topic of the Energy Eficient Mortage (EEM) - where it stands now, what the barriers to its use are, where it might be going,…
What’s Your Home Energy Efficiency Number?
I've analyzed and improved the energy efficiency of numerous homes. The starting point is, of course, the analysis because you want to put your efforts—and your dollars—where they're going to generate the best results. I've analyzed and improved the energy…
Energy Vanguard Rater Howard Feldman Meets President Obama!
Energy Vanguard Energy Ratings (EVER), a division of Energy Vanguard, is a home energy rating provider. Last Tuesday, EVER rater Howard Feldman of Hilton Head was in a small group of builders, contractors, and energy auditors that got to meet…
Don’t Insulate Your Attic!
Well, at least don't insulate your attic until you’ve sealed the air leaks. Most attics have a lot of holes where attic air can get into the house, or conditioned air can be lost to the attic. Don’t you just…
Cash for Caulkers
Remember when President Obama said that “insulation is sexy” a while back? Well, I’m happy to report that he and Congress are pushing to make things happen in the world of energy conservation. In case you haven’t heard, chances are…