The 3 Main Sources of Home Heating
It's wintertime in the Northern hemisphere and that means we're heating our homes. The new year started off a bit on the warm side, with the temperature at nearly 70° F (21° C) here in the Atlanta area. In terms…
environment & sustainability
Looking Back & Looking Forward in the New Year
Welcome to another January, this time in the year 2019. The month, of course, is named after the Roman god Janus, who has two faces, one looking backward, one forward. Because, you know, to really know where you're going, you…
A Birthday, a Report, and a Prize
Happy birthday to Willis Carrier! He invented modern air conditioning and changed the world. In his quest for a device to control humidity in the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company in Brooklyn, New York, he invented a device that changed…
New Year, New Opportunities to Make Better Buildings
Well, another year has come and gone. Out with the old, in with the new, and all that. A time for introspection and resolutions. Taking stock of where we are and plotting a course for where we want to be.…
Climate Change Is Just a Theory
So the United States has announced it's withdrawing from the Paris Accord, the international agreement with nonbinding measures to mitigate the effects of climate change. Now everyone's up in arms, speaking in exasperated tones about the travesty of this decision.…
Another Down Year for Heating Degree Days
We've had some beautiful, cool weather here in Atlanta the past couple of days. It's about 50° F outdoors as I write this. The high yesterday was only about 70° F. We're getting a few more heating degree days (HDD)…
Calculating the Global Warming Impact of Insulation
Everyone knows about the impact of burning fossil fuels on global warming. Maybe not everyone believes it, but scientists first started focusing attention on increasing carbon dioxide levels way back in 1827. The impact of insulation on global warming, however,…
Insulation and Global Warming at the Passive House Conference
At the North American Passive House Conference in Philadelphia in September, I gave a presentation on the global warming impact of insulation, an issue I've been discussing off and on since Alex Wilson wrote his paper on the topic back…
Hawking Gives Humans 1000 Years to Leave Earth
There's big news this week. No, I'm not talking about the delayed opening of ski resorts out West because of the lack of snow. And, believe it or not, it has nothing at all to do with Donald Trump. I'm…
Substituting Solar Panels for Insulation in the Energy Code
Supply and demand are two different things. When you think of an energy code, say the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), you probably think of demand, not supply. Conserving energy, after all, means reducing demand. It's related to supply only…