A zero energy building is one that produces on-site at least as much energy as it uses. As I've written here before, the US Department of Energy has been mulling over the various ways to define and calculate zero energy…
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about whether homes that produce as much energy as they use should be called net zero energy or zero net energy homes. Several readers offered up another choice: zero energy homes. I've also…
Sagging flex duct is bad for air flow. We all know it. We all talk about it. It turns out there's research data to prove it, too. Texas A&M did a study a few years ago to look at the…
A typical BPI Building Analyst spends four to five days in a class learning how to do blower door testing, along with all the other stuff they need to know. HERS raters get all that but also have to learn…
Some people call it a net zero energy home (NZE). Some call it a zero net energy home (ZNE). The controversy has caused good friends to come to blows. I'm talking Building Science Fight Club on steroids! (Of course, I've…
To this point, we’ve taken a look at what exactly psychrometrics is and defined the top nine psychrometric quantities. Now we're going to delve into how we can combine those quantities and create the psychrometric chart. As you might expect,…
I have to apologize. I've been holding onto a secret for three weeks now, and I've just got to tell you about it. One of the best things that came out of Building Science Summer Camp this year was an…
The 10th annual North American Passive House Conference is just around the corner. It's in Chicago this year, a nice central location and also where the headquarters of the Passive House Institute US is located. I really enjoy this conference…
The most contentious issue I’ve written about since I started blogging isn’t bad Manual Js. Nor is it endorsing government intervention by raising efficiency standards or improving energy codes. Incredibly, it’s not even whether or not naked people need building…
My friends up in Maine came up with the concept of the Pretty Good House a few years ago, and I love the idea! Not everyone can or wants to build a LEED Platinum, Living Building Challenge, Passive House. But…