Whether you're brand new in the community of home energy auditors, home energy raters, and home performance pros or have been in it for years, these two events are at the top of the heap for learning and networking. Whether…
In yesterday's article, I wrote that atmospheric combustion appliances should not be inside the conditioned space of a home. If you have a furnace or water heater that draws air from the room, uses it in the combustion process, and…
A lot of houses have atmospheric combustion appliances. What that means is that a lot of houses have the potential for problems with atmospheric combustion, including serious health and safety problems as well as higher energy bills. First, let me…
Speaking of things that drive me crazy (we were, weren't we?), here's another one - people confusing the roles of insulation and air barrier. The people I'm talking about are not homeowners, though. I'm talking about contractors, builders, and journalists…
Yesterday we began our latest HERS rater class, training a new group of home energy raters. We have 11 students this time, mostly from Georgia but also one from Virginia and one from Tennessee. We spent the first half of…
Recently I've learned of two people running their heat pump in a way that costs them a lot of extra money. With heat pumps, there's an extra setting on the thermostat.* In addition to heat, cool, and off, there's a…
Last week, I did my first webinar. Along with Jason Payne of Structured Energies and EEM Training, I discussed the Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM), theory and application. I handled the theory side, and Jason, who's actually done a bunch of…
The new Georgia energy code, based on the 2009 IECC, moves our state a step ahead of other states. The major new requirement is that all new homes be tested for infiltration rates with a Blower Door. As far as…
Put your hand out, palm up. Believe it or not, you're now holding about 200 pounds of air in your hand. You may have heard that standard atmospheric pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch. Your hand is probably in…
This is the second article of a two-part guest post by David Butler of Optimal Building Systems in Arizona and a frequent commenter in the RESNET BPI group on LinkedIn. I've known David for a couple of years now, and…