Friction Rate Is the Wrong Name
Last year I wrote some articles on duct design and one of the topics I covered was this thing called friction rate. At the end of that article, I discussed "How to think about friction rate." It confuses a lot…
The Energy Vanguard Blog
Even High-Performance Homes Get Crazy Ducts
I've posted a lot of crazy duct system photos here in this blog. Remember "Release the Kraken!"? How about "Two Jellyfish Mating"? And about three years ago I found one that instantly became my new favorite duct disaster. But those…
How to Talk Like a Building Scientist
Everyone these days wants to be a building scientist. It's the second most popular branch of the sciences, after all (the most popular being physics, naturally). So today let's discuss how you can enhance your future in building science by…
Allison Bailes Does Science on 7 Minutes of BS
Dan Morrison was my editor when I first started posting some of my articles over at Green Building Advisor. He's now on his own and one of the things he does is the 7 Minutes of BS podcast for ProTradeCraft. …
The 2 Main Problems With Kitchen Ventilation
Energy efficiency is a gateway drug to building science. When you really start learning about it, you come to the inescapable conclusion that there's so much more to making homes better than just saving energy. A house is a system,…
What Percent of Time Do You Spend Indoors?
Back in 2004, as I was immersing myself in the world of building science and green building, I took the US Green Building Council's exam to become a LEED Accredited Professional. I bought their book. I took a study course…
A Great Resource for the Nitty Gritty of HVAC
I love to share good resources and here's one you need to know about if you're interested in the nitty gritty of HVAC systems. I'm talking about HVAC School, with their various channels like their daily Tech Tips email, YouTube…
What Is the Relative Humidity When It’s Raining?
Serious question here. Have you ever thought about what the relative humidity is when it's raining? I've heard people say it's 100% because, well...because it has to be. It's raining, dammit! What else could it be?Not so fast there. This…
Professor John Straube on Moisture Physics
The 22nd annual Westford Symposium on Building Science (aka, Building Science Summer Camp) happened two weeks ago. And it began with a bang, as Professor John Straube expounded on moisture physics for half a day. I've now had the chance…
A Moisture Mystery Anyone Could Solve
Last weekend my wife and I went to Asheville, North Carolina to hear Lyle Lovett and His Large Band at the Biltmore Estate. It was a wonderful evening! Mountains, sunset, gardens... We even had four planets lined up over the…