Why Do Million Dollar Homes Get Cheapo HVAC Systems?
I just don't get it. OK, I do get it, but it drives me crazy. It's not just that it drives me crazy, though. This is just plain stupid. I just don't get it. OK, I do get it, but…
health & safety
How to Choose a Company to Do a Home Energy Audit
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…
Combustion Safety Rule #1: Remove Exhaust Gases from House
So, I was out on a field test with a new HERS rater the other day, and we took a look up in the attic. The scuttle hole is right next to the closet where the natural gas water heater…
Can a Single CO Reading Really Confirm Combustion Safety?
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,…
Unvented Natural Gas Space Heaters Should Be Removed
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…
Making Your Home Safer with a Sealed Combustion Closet
In yesterday's article, I wrote that atmospheric combustion appliances should not be inside the conditioned space of a home. If you have a furnace or water heater that draws air from the room, uses it in the combustion process, and…
3 Problems with Atmospheric Combustion Inside the Building Envelope
A lot of houses have atmospheric combustion appliances. What that means is that a lot of houses have the potential for problems with atmospheric combustion, including serious health and safety problems as well as higher energy bills. First, let me…
4 Products for Enhancing Air Flow in Dryer Vents
After I wrote an article this past week about the problem of restrictive wall caps reducing dryer vent air flow, I heard from David Williams, a fellow resident as well as a contractor who's done a lot of work here…
Halloween in Your Home – Scary Stuff You May Not Want to See
In my last article, I wrote about how I've learned so much by visiting the parts of houses that most people don't like to go into themselves. In that article, my focus was on the problems with the attic kneewall. …
Heat Pump Water Heaters: A Better Way to Heat Water with Electricity?
Last week, I was a judge in the LightHouse Awards green home competition put on by the Hilton Head Home Builders Association (HBA). Along with my fellow judges, I visited two homes in the Hilton Head area. We saw a…