An Old Home in New Orleans Gets New Sheathing
New Orleans is the home of jazz, Mardi Gras, and rot. I grew up about 70 miles southwest of NOLA so I know a little something about the rain and the swamps and the muggy air. It makes it tough…
The Energy Vanguard Blog
HVAC Hacks and Other Screwups — The Backstory
I love me some good bad photos. You know, good photos of bad stuff. If you've been here a while, you've seen some of the doozies I've posted in the Energy Vanguard Blog. Take Stumpy, the duct amputee or Release…
Can You Cool Your Home with Crawl Space Air?
I know it's not air conditioning season, but this story is too good to wait until summer rolls around. My friends at E3 Innovate in Nashville — you may remember them for finding the home ventilated with dead possum odors —…
The Surprising Building Science History Behind the Revolving Door
Revolving doors have been around for a century and a half. You see them at the bottom of tall buildings, which tells you something right there. They weren't invented merely to function as a way to enter and exit these…
A Tale of Two Roofs – Frost, Snow, and Attic Heat Loss
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the season of cold, it was the season of heat, it was the ignorance of what was right in front of us, it was the opening…
Unvented Gas Appliance Industry Falls Flat at ASHRAE Meeting
Unvented combustion appliances were added to the scope of ASHRAE's residential ventilation and IAQ standard (Std. 62.2) recently. The committee has begun their deliberations on the issue, and at ASHRAE's winter meeting in Orlando this month, the unvented gas appliance…
Even New Windows Won’t Stop This Heat Loss
This will be a quick article. I just want to show you four images to make a point about heat loss at windows. (I say "at" windows because we all know that windows themselves allow more heat through than the…
What Is the Best Indoor Relative Humidity in Winter?
It's been a little crackly around here lately. We're having a cold spell in Atlanta, with high temperatures right around the freezing point. As a result, the indoor relative humidity has dropped and we're getting some static electricity. Even better,…
Increasing Diversity at the Best Home Performance Conference
I love the ACI National Home Performance Conference and Trade Show. It's one of my favorite events of the year. From the first time I attended in 2005, I knew this conference was special. It's a great place to learn…
Another Way to Prevent Your Garage from Making You Sick
If you have an attached garage where you live, the odds are high that your indoor air quality is worse than a home without an attached garage. Just take a look at the photo below to see some of the…