Why Your Hot Water Takes So Long
A lot of people complain that it takes a long time to get hot water at one or more of their hot water fixtures. In my case it's the kitchen sink. I've measured it many times, and it takes two…
The Energy Vanguard Blog
Water Heating Is a System, Not Just a Water Heater
What’s the first image that pops into your when you see the term “water heating”? It’s probably a water heater tank. Depending on your interests or what you have in your home, perhaps it’s a tankless or solar water heater. …
The 3 Safest Ways to Insulate the Top of the House
I recently finished writing the chapter on the interaction of structure and control layers in my book. The last part was on the various ways to insulate the top of a house. The most common, of course, is to have…
Condensation on Storm Windows: A Lesson in Condensing Surfaces
It's been muggy in Atlanta this week. We've had dew point temperatures in the low to mid 70s Fahrenheit. I live in a 60 year old house, so the combination of high humidity and air conditioning can mean condensation. Currently…
We Need Higher Ventilation Rates. But How High?
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things, including my view on higher ventilation rates. A few years ago, Joe Lstiburek of Building Science Corporation pushed hard for lower ventilation rates. He believed ASHRAE's residential ventilation standard (62.2) resulted…
Building Science Term of the Week: Ratio Rule
The purpose of my Building Science Term of the Week feature is to provide a basic definition of a term you may have heard without going into all the whys and wherefores. Last week I probably went a little overboard…
How’s the New Home Electrification Movement Going?
On the new home electrification front, the Home Innovation Research Labs released some interesting data this month. You may have noticed that going all-electric with buildings and transportation has become a thing in the past few years. Climate change is…
An Insulated Sheathing for Building Enclosure Control Freaks
Building enclosure control freaks know that a good exterior sheathing can make a huge difference in performance. Controlling the flows of moisture, air, and heat requires good control layers. A lot of materials and methods will get you there, but…
Building Science Term of the Week: Grains of Water
Every area of building science has its jargon. And I'm not just talking about the acronyms, initials, and abbreviations that get thrown around casually. I've been making a list of the most interesting, useful, or stupefying BS terms and giving…
Building Science Term of the Week: Flux
At first glance, the word “flux” looks like it may not be appropriate in polite company. In fact, though, it’s a word used in physics all the time. Flux comes from the same Latin root that gives us “flow.” The…