Version 4 of the ENERGY STAR New Homes program is set to be released in 2016, with a transition program already available. I learned at the 2011 RESNET Building Performance Conference that took place in Orlando, Florida, last week. Version…
OK, I'll admit it. The highlight of my week at the 2011 RESNET Building Performance Conference was getting to meet The Energy Avenger. I've been showing a video of him teaching people how to wrap a water heater for years,…
The annual RESNET conference officially starts today, but the weekend was filled with preconference sessions, committee & board meetings, and lots of networking and reconnecting. Chris and I arrived Saturday at about 4 o'clock and went out to dinner that…
Peak oil has gotten a lot of attention over the past five years or so, though many still don't know about it and most who have heard about it, I suspect, don't believe it. The basic premise of peak oil…
My grandfather, the original Allison Arthur Bailes, was an electrician, plumber, HVAC contractor ('heating & air man'), and refrigerator repairman. In the '70s when I was a teenager, I used to spend a couple of months each summer working 'on…
Guest post by David Richardson of Thermal Performance Services in the Lexington, Kentucky area. David is an EVER rater, HVAC contractor, and combustion safety instructor for the National Comfort Institute. This is his second guest post in the EV Blog,…
You may have heard somewhere that insulation works by trapping air. 'Dead air pockets' is the operative term often used. So, the logical next question, then, is, why doesn't the large dead air pocket in an uninsulated wall cavity reduce…
My grandparents in Louisiana heated their home with natural gas space heaters in all the rooms of their home. I loved them because fires are just so fun! (I'm not going to tell you about that time my friend Bubba…
Yesterday we finished up our first two-day class on ENERGY STAR Version 3 for HERS Raters. We spent the morning of the first day going over the basics - the changes, the transition from V2 to V3 via V2.5, and…
If you read my article last week, you know that most insulation materials don't stop infiltration, although it's commonly believed that adding insulation is the solution to a drafty house. That's only one of many limitations you need to be…