A few days ago I ran across an article about gas fireplaces on Bob Vila's website. Naturally, I wanted to read their take on vent-free gas fireplaces (sometimes called ventless, unvented, or just plain stupid). "Vent-free technology, once considered controversial,…
I talk about homes here in the Energy Vanguard blog all the time - new ENERGY STAR homes, HVAC systems to heat and cool homes, home energy audits... Today I'm going to talk about the homeless. I talk about homes…
I just finished teaching another ENERGY STAR Version 3 class for HERS raters. As usual, the new HVAC requirements generated the most discussion and raised the most concerns. I haven't heard any hard numbers yet, but I'm wondering how much…
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but yes, that photo is the gas furnace and water heater in my condo. It's an 80 AFUE (80% efficient) furnace and natural draft water heater. Notice also that they're common vented, which can be…
Fire is just so dang interesting! Its discovery by our early ancestors changed the lives of humans forever. Who doesn't love a good fire?! When I was about 8 years old, I got so fascinated with it that Bubba, my…
For about the same price as you'd pay for an iPad, you can buy a home energy audit to give to a loved one this holiday season. Yes, the iPad is sexier. Yes, the iPad is more fun. Yes, everyone…
I love Thanksgiving! It's my favorite holiday, full of memories of big meals at my grandparents' house in Leesville, Louisiana. We all sat around the big round table made by my grandfather, Allison Sr., ate way too much turkey, stuffing,…
Recently I saw an episode of Extreme Home Makeover in which Ty Pennington and crew built a house for an Iraq war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Because noise was a huge trigger for the stress attacks he experienced…
Let's take a look at this saying that some people take as truth: Those who can, do, and those who can't, teach. You know it's a lie, right? Not only does it show arrogance and complete misunderstanding of what teaching…
We've made a few videos here at Energy Vanguard and will be adding a lot more to our TheEnergyVanguard YouTube channel. Videos are great for learning about building science and home energy audits, so here are some of my favorite…