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Energy efficiency is a gateway drug to building science. When you really start learning about it, you come to the inescapable conclusion that there's so much more to making homes better than just saving energy. A house is a system, you know. There's moisture and comfort and indoor air quality...
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Back in 2004, as I was immersing myself in the world of building science and green building, I took the US Green Building Council's exam to become a LEED Accredited Professional. I bought their book. I took a study course at Southface to prepare for the test. And that's when I learned a...
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I love to share good resources and here's one you need to know about if you're interested in the nitty gritty of HVAC systems. I'm talking about HVAC School, with their various channels like their daily Tech Tips email, YouTube videos, quizzes, and a podcast. It's all free.
Bryan Orr (shown below...
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The 22nd annual Westford Symposium on Building Science (aka, Building Science Summer Camp) happened two weeks ago. And it began with a bang, as Professor John Straube expounded on moisture physics for half a day. I've now had the chance to hear him present on mechanical systems for low-load homes...
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Serious question here. Have you ever thought about what the relative humidity is when it's raining? I've heard people say it's 100% because, well...because it has to be. It's raining, dammit! What else could it be?
Not so fast there. This is something we can actually look up on a weather app...
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Last weekend my wife and I went to Asheville, North Carolina to hear Lyle Lovett and His Large Band at the Biltmore Estate. It was a wonderful evening! Mountains, sunset, gardens... We even had four planets lined up over the stage: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus.
While in Asheville, we spent...
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Building Science Summer Camp, officially known as the Westford Symposium on Building Science, took place this week. I'll write more about it next week, but to give you a flavor of it, here are a few photos from the 2018 event.
On Saturday afternoon, I sprouted a rainbow out of my head. That's...
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Last year I wrote five articles in a series on duct design and ever since, I keep getting requests to continue it. Well, those of you looking for more in this area, you're getting your wish. I've listed and linked the others in the series below so you can go back and read them first if you'd like...
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Nope. Today is not the first of April. Nor is this one of those special April Fools' Day articles I write at random times. This one's real. A white noise generator has now been used in at least one home to reduce indoor humidity. And no, this isn't an amazing scientific breakthrough either....
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Here we are in the middle of air conditioning season. So why don't we chop down some myths and misconceptions about ceiling fans. What got me on to this topic was a video of a fan with blades that hide on top of the fan when the fan is turned off. Sounds clever, but it's a ridiculous idea....
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