The Most Neglected Part of HVAC Design
My book (A House Needs to Breathe...Or Does It?) has three sections. The two that take up most of the book are on the building enclosure and the mechanical systems. But the one that I lead with is called Start…
The Energy Vanguard Blog
Platform Return Problems in Polluted Places
Last the week I attended the HVAC/R Symposium in central Florida. Three of us from Energy Vanguard went, so we rented an Airbnb. Of course, one of the first things we did upon arrival was scope out the house, especially…
Ventilating With a Super-Efficient ERV
Well, it's official. It may have taken 3.8 years to make it happen, but my Zehnder ComfoAir Q600 energy recovery ventilator (ERV) is running now! I started it up on 29 December, so it's been helping to clean my indoor…
Better Filtration for Your Heat Pump Water Heater
Surprise! Your heat pump water heater has a filter that needs to be cleaned. But you probably already knew that if you're reading the Energy Vanguard Blog. It's a thin little filter whose primary job is to keep larger particles…
Reading the Roof After a Snowstorm
Do you know how to read a roof after a snowstorm? When you do, it tells you something about how good the building enclosure is. We had that opportunity here last weekend. We got 2 or 3 inches of snow…
Building Science News & Trends for 2025
Several years ago, I heard something really interesting at a talk by a self-described futurist. It's an interesting "Futurists," she said, "look at weak signals and try to figure out which ones will become strong signals." I hadn't thought…
Energy Vanguard’s 2024 Retrospective
It's been a big year here at Energy Vanguard. In previous year-end articles, I've focused mainly on what happened here in the blog. This year, however, I'm expanding the retrospective to include other stuff. I'll start with the blog, then…
Do You Have an IAQ Plan for Thanksgiving?
So you've got a bunch of people showing up this week to spend a day or two or three with you. In a perfect world, no one brings any illnesses with them to the party. But what if they do…
![A Quality Control Failure Led To A Strange Border At Bill Spohn's Home [Photo Courtesy Of Bill Spohn]](https://www.energyvanguard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/spohn-home-sidewalk-grade-mistake.jpg)
The Lost Art of Quality Control
I'm sure you've heard the saying, measure twice, cut once. It's easy to take it too literally and think it applies only to things you cut. In reality, it is THE maxim of quality control. It means think, check, and…
How Airtight Can You Make an Older House?
One of the best things you can do to improve your home is to make it more airtight. Yeah, it's good for energy efficiency, but that shouldn't be your main motivation. It's good for indoor air quality. A good air…