Let's talk about the blower door today. It's one of the most important tools for quantifying air leakage in a house. That, of course, is related to energy use, comfort, indoor air quality, noise, and durability of a home. The…
What you see in the photo above is common at construction sites. Once a house gets framed, the next step is drying it in. For the walls, that means installing a drainage plane. The one they used on this house…
![A Little-known Component In Most Water Heaters Holds The Key To Decades Of Service [Photo Courtesy Of Larry Weingarten]](https://www.energyvanguard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/new-and-old-anode-rods-1200.jpeg)
A water heater is a significant investment, no matter what kind you have. When you install a heat pump water heater, it's even more important to keep it going as long as you can. So how do you do that? …
If you have moisture problems in a house, it's likely that they began outside. And there are two primary places to investigate once you go outdoors: the roof and the ground. The basic rule for controlling water on the outside…
Over the past seven years or so, I've written a bunch of articles about high-efficiency filtration. I've covered everything from how filtration fits into a good indoor air quality (IAQ) plan to why high-MERV filters often don't work to the…
Let's take the next step in understanding filtration efficiency today and talk about Clean Air Delivery Rate. You know that the really small particles, especially those that are 2.5 microns and smaller (aka PM2.5), are the most important indoor air…
The most noticeable thing about an air conditioner is that it blows cool air into the house. When you come indoors after doing yard work on a hot summer day, that may be all that matters to you. But air…
I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone complain that their air conditioner runs all the time. Now, it's certainly possible that an air conditioner running continuously has a problem. But is the simple observation of continuous operation…
![Meet The New Introverter Heat Pump, Comfortably Keeping Its Distance While Silently Keeping You Comfortable. [Image By ChatGPT]](https://www.energyvanguard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/introverter-heat-pump-introvert-at-a-party.png)
You know those heat pumps that seem to be doing their best impression of a jet engine every time they kick on? Or the ones that aggressively blast you with cold air like they’re trying to prove something? Well, the…
Yeah, I'm talking about a heating and cooling load calculation. Or in HVAC-speak, an ACCA Manual J. It's a way of calculating how much heating and cooling a house needs. The calculations use the details about the house to determine…