The most interesting topic we covered in my first semester of college physics was fluid dynamics. I found it fascinating, especially Bernoulli's principle. The most interesting topic we covered in my first semester of college physics was fluid dynamics. I…
2005 was an important year for me. Not only was I learning how to do Manual J load calculations, crawl space encapsulation, and home performance contracting, but I also drank peak oil kool-aid by the bucketful. I read everything I…
In 2003, I finished building a high performance home and moved into it. Shortly thereafter, I enrolled in a HERS rater class and got myself certified as a home energy rater. So, with all that experience plus my background in…
[Guest post by David Richardson] [Guest post by David Richardson] There are certain events that you can mark as life changing. For me, one such event would be the three day training class that I took back in May of…
I just read "How I (Almost) Saved the Earth" by Scott Adams, the cartoonist who created Dilbert, and, although it was funny, it was also a sad and telling account of the home energy rating industry. Adams recounted the frustration…
I visited a new house earlier this year that had a basement wall that looked fine* at first glance. At left you see this wall, with its 2"x4" framing and fiberglass batt insulation. That wall you're looking at, though, has…
When I wrote about my trip to the Southeast Building Conference in July, I mentioned how some products on display there really annoyed me because they're either bad to the bone or overhyped. The main one in the latter category…
My grandfather (yes, the first of this line of 3 Allisons!) was an electrician, plumber, and HVAC contractor, and I had the great fortune of being able to spend a month or two every summer from the time I was…
If you're in the market for a new heating & cooling system and you're looking at heat pumps, make sure you understand how they're rated for efficiency - and which rating is more important for you. If you're in the…
Yesterday, our first HERS rater class students had their first shot at the national HERS rater test. I'm happy to report that 100% passed the test, and the high score was 98%. Yesterday, our first HERS rater class students had…