A Home Energy Rater Class Is Just the Beginning
So, you're about to take a class to become a home energy rater or building analyst so you can go out and do energy audits. Maybe you've already taken a class and are out there trying to make a living…
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Home Performance Flaw #212: Ducts Placed High in the Attic
The air has been thick with spring for weeks — and I do mean thick. The pollen count in Atlanta this year has set records, our highest getting over 9000. We had a warm winter and a condensed spring. Now…
Historic Preservation and Deep Energy Retrofits — Natural Enemies?
In one corner, we have a core of people who have dedicated themselves to preserving old buildings. In the other corner is a group that strives to save energy by making buildings more efficient. These two groups often charge out…
The Cable Guy Did It! — Attic Insulation Gone Awry
On one of my recent quality assurance trips for our HERS raters, I made a discovery of a building envelope problem that's best told in pictures. When I went into the attic, what I noticed first was that the blown…
Why Doesn’t Heat Flow Backwards?
Ah, the meaning of the Second Law of Thermodynamics! I might as well ask, What is the meaning of life? It's a fascinating question and one that we can approach from a lot of different angles. Since this is a…
US Green Building Council to Require All-Glass LEED Homes
New houses certified in the LEED for Homes program will be required to have 100% windows in all above-grade walls once the new 2012 update is approved by US Green Building Council (USGBC) members this summer. The LEED certification program…
Thermal Comfort: Everyone Wants It but Few Know the ASHRAE Standard
GUEST POST: As the Affordable Comfort conference kicks off today, it's appropriate to take a look at what comfort is and how we construct buildings to have the best shot at getting it. Robert Bean is an engineer in Calgary…
How Much Air Leakage in Your Home Is Too Much?
Whether you want to build a new home or fix an old one, the way to ensure that you get the best performance is to do the building envelope right. That means installing the right amount of insulation and installing…
How to Sheathe an Attic Kneewall — And How Not to
Yesterday I was doing a home energy rating for quality assurance in Augusta, Georgia, and the house I was in had a bonus room. Bonus rooms are often the least comfortable room in a house, and the main reason is…
GUEST POST: Spray Foam, Infrared Cameras, & the New Big Holes
After reading an article by Joe Lstiburek titled Just Right and Airtight, I got to thinking about what we've been spending a lot of time on lately, and that is what we call the “New Big Holes.” Of the 350+…