I've spent a lot of time in attics looking at problems with insulation, air sealing, HVAC systems, and ductwork. I've also seen why so many bathroom ventilation fans don't move much air. A typical bath fan is rated to move…
Allison Bailes has covered the topic of air conditioner sizing frequently in his blog posts and will be presenting a mini-workshop on the topic in the Dallas/Fort Worth area next month. Building Savvy magazine is sponsoring the presentation, which will…
One of the most frustrating parts of my job as a Home Energy Rating (HERS) provider is dealing with the size of air conditioners installed in ENERGY STAR homes. My frustration has spilled over here in the Energy Vanguard blog…
A recent discussion on LinkedIn got me thinking about this question again. If you've spent any time here in the Energy Vanguard blog, you know that one of the things I do a lot is point out bad HVAC design,…
You'd think with all the articles I've written about bad duct installations that it'd be hard to find more to write about here. After all, I've told you about stumpy (photo left) and panned joist return ducts and what may…
When I was up in North Carolina this past summer, I went to a restaurant that had the duct you see in the photo here. You may not be aware, but this duct design has a fatal flaw. Well, it's…
Here's a house we designed for a builder in the historic Grant Park neighborhood in Atlanta, which should be completed by January 1, 2012. The home is 2-stories, has 4-bedrooms and 3-and-a-half baths, and is just under 2,200 square feet. The builder decided…
Air conditioners don't last forever. Shocking, I know. The good news, though, is that if you have an old air conditioning system, replacing it should save you money. Efficiency has improved a lot since that old hunk of metal and…
Ah, so what exactly is this hidden flaw? "My HVAC guy put a zoned system in my house and told me it was the cat's pajamas," you may be thinking about now. Or maybe your HVAC installer described it as…
At Building Science Summer Camp a few weeks ago, I heard from Sam Rashkin that changes to the ENERGY STAR Version 3 guidelines and implementation schedule were on the horizon. This week, the EPA announced those changes—and some are rather…