It's summer here in the Southeast. Yeah, I know we haven't reached the official beginning of summer marked by the summer solstice, but air conditioners are roaring here, and that's official enough for us. With that in mind, here are…
Spray foam insulation is an air barrier. When you use it instead of the fluffy stuff (fiberglass, cellulose, cotton), a house will be more airtight. That's good. Spray foam insulation is an air barrier. When you use it instead of…
When I wrote about the net zero energy home that Amy Musser and Matt Vande built, I was really impressed that they were willing to share the mistakes they'd made and what they would do differently if they could go…
My wife and I visited family in Florida recently and our first stop was the home of my sister and brother-in-law in Lakeland (east of Tampa). They haven't lived in the house all that long, and my brother-in-law, Jack, moved…
If you live in an older home, the walls may or may not have insulation in them. After you've tackled all the easier-to-access parts of the building enclosure, namely the floors and ceilings, uninsulated walls would be next on the…
Of course, there are more than 3 reasons that your 3 ton air conditioner isn't really 3 tons, starting with the fact that it's not 3 tons in weight. That unit refers to cooling capacity and goes back to the…
When you think of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), do you think of atomic clocks and hunks of metal that serve as standards of mass and length? Or do you think of cutting edge research in net…
Neville poked his head up through the scuttle hole into the attic and surveyed the situation. Troy immediately heard a scream erupt and had to get out of the way as Neville quickly jumped down off the ladder. Neville poked…
Let me ask you a question: Would you rather I gave you $100 one year from now or $100 right now? No brainer; it's easy to see that $100 right now is worth more than $100 in the future. Another…
Do you want a good air barrier on your house? Of course, you do. No one who knows anything at all about building science believes that old myth that a house needs to breathe. We want airtight houses, but then…