Remember that article I wrote about ducts installed against the roof deck and how I said it was probably the absolute worst single location for installing ducts? Well, in the comments, Dave Roberts, a senior engineer at the National Renewable…
You know what a bonus room is, right? It's more descriptively called a FROG, for finished room over garage, and it typically has vaulted ceilings and attic kneewalls (more on that later). I love the name FROG for this room,…
Trade shows can be both educational and infuriating, and there’s one product I see at a lot of trade shows that fits easily into the latter category - power attic ventilators. The variety of this device that’s been popular lately…
It's been hot here in the Atlanta area lately. Just three weeks ago we were wearing jackets with low temperatures in the thirties Fahrenheit, and now we're getting up above our summer design temperature every day. That means that a…
HVAC installers and I have a little game of hide-and-seek that we play. Of course, there are the obvious problems I find in duct systems, like the ductopus, ducts installed right up against the roof deck, and duct leakage galore.…
Back in the summer of 2003, I was finishing up the green home I'd started building in 2001. One of the last pieces we had to complete was the greywater system, and we'd already put a lot of work into…
In my last four HVAC Design jobs, I've specified ductless mini-split heat pumps. I have four more such jobs underway now. In my last four HVAC Design jobs, I've specified ductless mini-split heat pumps. I have four more such jobs…
Do you have floor joists in your crawl space that look like the one to the left? In case you can't tell how bad it really is, just click on it to see a bigger version. When you do, you'll…
My two sisters-in-law have been in town the past few days, and one of them needs to get an energy audit for the home she and her husband recently bought in Seattle. I gave her a recommendation for a company…
I had lunch yesterday with a friend who's an HVAC designer and home energy rater in North Carolina, and he mentioned the idea of separating HVAC design from HVAC contractors. For that to happen, though, HVAC contractors first have to…