Whether you live in a house, an apartment, or a condo, your HVAC system is probably oversized. In fact, it's not uncommon for residential systems to be 2 or even 3 times larger than they should be (although they don't…
![House Burping Means Opening The Windows To Increase Ventilation, But It's Got Problems. [by Catalina Dondiuc, CC BY 2.0]](https://www.energyvanguard.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/open-window-house-burping-luften-ventilation.jpg)
Some years ago in a previous century, I spent the month of January in Germany. It happened to be a winter of extreme cold, with a low temperature of -40 degrees† at one point. And yet, my German companions liked…
![Static Electricity Can Happen When The Indoor Humidity Is Very Low. But Do You Ever Need A Humidifier In An Airtight House? [Photo By By Dave Fayram, CC BY 2.0]](https://www.energyvanguard.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/static-electricity-low-humidity.jpg)
In our HVAC design work at Energy Vanguard, we sometimes try to talk people out of things. I've discussed this in regards to makeup air systems for range hoods, but today let's look at a different one: humidifiers. We don't…
![Various Ways To Install Ducts Overhead, Including Buried Ducts [Image Credit: IBACOS]](https://www.energyvanguard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/attic-duct-system-configurations.jpg)
Think about moving cold air through a hot attic or hot air through a cold attic. Building codes require only a measly R-8 insulation on the ducts. It may seem natural to bury those ducts beneath the attic insulation to…
![Demystifying Dehumidification Requires Looking At A Lot Of Different Factors [Courtesy Of Santa Fe Indoor Air Quality Solutions]](https://www.energyvanguard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ventilating-dehumidifier-jigsaw-puzzle-1000.jpg)
Does it seem like your house is more humid than you remember it (or other houses) being in the past? If so, you may be right. It turns out that a lot of factors contribute to how much dehumidification you…
Those of us in humid climates know the importance of having good dehumidification along with good cooling for comfort. Dehumidifiers, however, blow hot air into the living space. So what happens when you add a dehumidifier? A lot of people…
Bringing an attic within the building enclosure that defines the conditioned space has a lot of benefits. By having the insulation and air barrier at the roofline, the attic stays close to the temperature in the living space below. That…
The most noticeable thing about an air conditioner is that it blows cool air into the house. When you come indoors after doing yard work on a hot summer day, that may be all that matters to you. But air…
I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone complain that their air conditioner runs all the time. Now, it's certainly possible that an air conditioner running continuously has a problem. But is the simple observation of continuous operation…
We're doing some new things here at Energy Vanguard. We've had a YouTube channel since 2010 but haven't done much with it. So one of the new things is working on putting out new videos every week. Here are the…