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Building Science 4 Dummies: Radiant Barriers
A Radiant Barrier (RB) is a product designed to only block radiant heat transfer from happening and is rated based on its reflectivity & emissivity values per ASTM C 1313. In order to qualify as a...
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Building Science 4 Dummies: The HERS Index & Score
HERS or the Home Energy Rating System is the industries benchmarking tool for modeling a home’s energy use. The system is comprised of two parts; an index and a score. The index is linear with two...
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Building Science 4 Dummies: Pascals & Pressure
The pascal aka “Pa” is simply a unit used to measure pressure on a manometer. In this context, pressure (p) is the measurement of force acting on a unit area with respect to (WRT) another. One example...
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Building Science 4 Dummies: The case of the Sweating Toilet
Ok, we know the toilet really isn’t sweating over the burial at sea of one aforementioned Barbie doll, performed with full military honors by none other than one little Timmy… so why is it sweating?...
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Building Science 4 Dummies: NFRC Labels (Windows, Doors, Skylights)
The NFRC or National Fenestration Rating Council basically tests & labels glass products used on buildings like doors, windows, and skylights. The label will include who the manufacturer is, a...
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Building Science 4 Dummies: Mold
Just mentioning the word mold or as it is known across the pond as “mould” is enough to send some people directly into panic mode. With the toxic mold scare from years ago many insurance companies...
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Common Sense Building: Making Sense of Radiant Heat (FAQ)
We originally started this series on Radiant Heat with an article entitled “Don’t just jump on the bandwagon” & followed it up by a guest post from Todd Vendituoli on his installation of an under...
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Energy Savings & Efficiency 101
I love salesmen, the ultimate bringers of truth, justice, and the American way. Oops… I’m sorry about that & yes you can wipe the coffee off your monitor – I promise no more bad jokes. In all...
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Industry Standards 101
When reading over a contract or talking to almost any contractor there are three items you will generally hear or see; your project will be built to code, we will follow accepted industry standards,...
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BS4D: Ice Dam’s, Icicles & Attic Condensation, Oh My…
Living in Arizona, I used to love traveling up to Flagstaff especially during the winter months. One of my favorite places was the Little America as not only did they have a huge roaring fire, an...
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BS4D: The truth behind a watched pot never…
While “a watched pot never boils” has been proven to be incorrect, did you know there is an interesting phenomenon that makes that perception feel like reality? How about water can be at 32° F and...
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The Home Builders Energy Efficient Tax Credit – an FAQ
The Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 (aka EPAct) established a $2000 tax credit for eligible contractors / builders for every new home sold that is certified to meet certain “energy efficiency”...
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Resistance is futile – Conversion Factors
While no one can say those in the “Green” / Energy Efficiency fields march in lock step like the Borg, I couldn’t resist using that line from Star Trek. The reason, well it appears that a big part of...
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BS4D: Air Barrier’s
An Air Barrier is technically defined as an item that has been tested to only allow for a certain amount of air to pass or permeate through it. The official standard is that an item should have an air...
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BS4D: But my house needs to breathe…
When it comes to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) there is a ton of good information out there & likewise there is a ton of bad information out there. While many of us might have thought that the corner...
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BS4D: Ventilation Strategies
Let me start off with one quick key point to keep in mind, ventilation is not about energy savings; rather it is about the building occupant’s health, safety, & comfort. Yes, the choices one makes...
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BS4D: Saving on Heating Related Energy Costs
For the bulk of the year, energy costs are not a big concern to many and instead most calls relate to comfort, safety or health issues. We are now starting to get to an interesting time of year of when...
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Conservation or Restoration
I couldn’t help but take this shot when I was in Chicago the other day as I loved the architectural detail & how it stood out from the other buildings. While some work was definitely going on...
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BS4D: Duct Testing 101
Lately there have been some interesting discussions on exactly what is required for a duct test, especially as it relates to rough in tests & ducts located outside the conditioned envelope. Many of...
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Notes from the field: Always double check your settings
When one starts off doing energy audits, it generally takes them awhile to get a set system in place so they don’t forget a step. One of the biggest issues for many is making sure there diagnostic...
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