The Optimism of Pessimism in the Age of Peak Oil
Five years ago I read a book that freaked the hell out of me - The Long Emergency by Jim Kunstler. I was drinking a lot of peak oil kool-aid that year, but that book really got to me in…
The Energy Vanguard Blog
Between In & Out – Where the Interesting Building Science Happens
Up and down. Left and right. Good and evil. Black and white. The world is full of such dichotomies. Often, however, what happens between the endpoints of a spectrum is the most interesting. As a physics graduate student, I studied…
A Huge Heat Loss Flaw – A Lesson in Energy Efficient Design
When my wife and I moved from Tampa to Atlanta in 2008, we decided to try high rise living. We were living in a 1916 bungalow, which we loved dearly, and looked forward to something fresh and new. Something that would…
How Hot Is Your Roof? – Insulated Rooflines and Shingle Temperature
One of the most common questions I get when I describe homes with insulated rooflines is, "What does that do to the shingles?" Some roofing companies have made a lot of noise about this topic, saying that if the shingles…
The Future of HERS Rater Training and Building Science Education?
I've been involved in the home energy rating field since 2003 and have witnessed a lot of growth. When I went through the HERS rater class, there were only a handful of HERS rater training providers and maybe a couple…
A High Performance Home is Defined by the Process, Not the Products
Geothermal heat pumps. Tankless water heaters. Spray foam insulation. Because of all the hype around 'green' products, it's easy to focus on the details and miss the big picture. Geothermal heat pumps. Tankless water heaters. Spray foam insulation. Because of…
It’s Not Just the Box – High Efficiency HVAC Includes the Ducts
I realize that the deck is stacked against me, but I'll make another plea for HVAC contractors to stop putting crappy ducts on high efficiency heating and cooling equipment. Last week I looked at this issue with my in-laws' house.…
The Telltale Sign of Infiltration
Do you have light colored carpet in your home that has dark edges where it meets the baseboard? If so, don't beat yourself up so much for not being a good enough house cleaner. The problem is probably in your…
A Bad Duct System Trumps High Efficiency HVAC Equipment
In the past two years, I've helped my parents-in-law make dramatic improvements in their home. Two years ago, I tackled their building envelope, encapsulating the crawl spaces, sealing the air leaks, isolating the mechanical room, and adding insulation. One year…
Heating or Cooling – Which Costs You More?
I love to ask people here in Atlanta and other parts of the Southeast if they think it costs them more to heat their home or to cool their home. The answer I get is almost always the same -…