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Crawl Space Encapsulation
If you're here to learn about how to close up, seal, or encapsulate your crawl space, you're in the right place. The links below take you to our pages on the various aspects of this topic, so start clicking.
Crawl Space Building Science
One of the biggest advances in building science over the past decade is the research that proves definitively that vented crawl spaces are bad. If you've ever been in one, you know it's true. They're damp. They're dark. Critters have easy access to them. The batt insulation falls down. The air smells musty & moldy. And the crawl space communicates with the house, so that bad air (and the occasional critter) gets into the living space above.
Psychrometric Chart-Summer Air
The psychrometric chart below shows what happens when warm, humid air enters a vented crawl space. For more about this, see our blog article, Vented Crawl Spaces and the Psychrometric Chart Are Not Friends.
Diagnostic Testing
A complete and accurate analysis of home performance should include diagnostic and performance testing. Performance testing gives you a number that you can use to see how one house compares to others or to some program criterion. For example, a performance test indicates that the duct
Green Home Building
From 2001 to 2003, I put in countless hours designing and building a green home in Carrollton, Georgia. It's a beautiful house and one of the best high performance homes in the Southeast. It's got very little infiltration (1.7 ACH50) and no duct leakage.
Acronyms & Initials
Coming across unfamiliar acronyms and initials in building science, green building, and home performance can make understanding difficult.
Home Energy Ratings
A home energy rating (often called a HERS rating) is an official analysis of a home's energy performance that includes the following: