![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…
Over the past seven years or so, I've written a bunch of articles about high-efficiency filtration. I've covered everything from how filtration fits into a good indoor air quality (IAQ) plan to why high-MERV filters often don't work to the…
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…
Yeah, I'm talking about a heating and cooling load calculation. Or in HVAC-speak, an ACCA Manual J. It's a way of calculating how much heating and cooling a house needs. The calculations use the details about the house to determine…
Let's say you're faced with the decision of sizing an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) or heat recovery ventilator (HRV). You've already decided you're going with a balanced ventilation system with either heat and moisture recovery (ERV) or just heat recovery…
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…
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…
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…