Confessions of a Building Science Zealot
Hi. My name is Allison, and I'm a building science zealot. I preach the gospel of building science, yet in my own life, I fall short of the perfection I exhort others to attain. Yes, I once built a green…
HVAC
Have You Seen What’s in Your Hotel Room Air Conditioner?
You just never know what you'll find in a hotel room. I'm a curious guy so I have to check things out, and this week I found some interesting stuff in the air conditioner of the room they gave me…
What Is the Best Way to Deal with Crawl Space Air?
If you have a home with a crawl space—or are building or buying one—you have several options on what to do with that particular foundation type. Most crawl spaces are vented to the outdoors, but over the past decade, encapsulating…
The #1 Question to Ask before Putting Spray Foam in Your Attic
Earlier this year I got a question about a home that had spray foam insulation in the attic. Nothing unusual about that. A lot of builders and homeowners are going with spray foam insulation because of the airtightness benefits. But…
Alexander Bell to Lead HVAC Design Division at Energy Vanguard
Energy Vanguard has hired Alexander S. Bell to head the HVAC design team as well as to help with training, consulting, and quality assurance. Andy, as he is known, comes with two decades of home building experience, first with Casas…
Don’t Try This Recycling Trick at Home!
I confess that, back in the '80s, I might have done the same thing this couple did. I remember reading Mother Earth News and Practical Homeowner magazine articles about folks who collected discarded materials to use in their existing homes…
Why Are Your New Homes Missing out on the $2000 Tax Credit?
Psssst. Want a $2000 tax credit for that energy efficient new home you're building? A lot of home builders have taken advantage of this incentive since it was introduced in 2005. (37,506 homes got that $2000 in 2010 alone.) The requirements…
5 Inescapable Reasons HVAC Contractors Need to Be in Home Performance
After a nice dinner at La Palette in Toronto one evening, I began walking down Queen Street as I headed back toward my hotel. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied a piece of paper on the ground.…
The Shocking Truth About Heat Pumps
Should you use natural gas heating rather than a heat pump in your home? Some say the interest in heat pumps is fueled by irrational exuberance. Others say that because they require supplemental heat, heat pump performance is not acceptable.…
Warning: Skipping This Step with New HVAC Systems Can Lead to Misery
The typical new home gets a heating and air conditioning system that's about two times too large. Look, I've discussed oversized air conditioners many times before. Most HVAC contractors use a rule of thumb that says they should put in…