The Most Neglected Part of HVAC Design
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…
HVAC design
Energy Vanguard’s 2024 Retrospective
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…
A Fistful of New Building Science Videos
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…
What’s the Correct Air Flow for an Air Conditioner?
Air conditioning is a wonderful thing. Now that warm weather is returning here in the northern hemisphere, ACs are getting turned on and cranked up again. The air in a house gets warm because of the heat coming in through…
Heat Pump Basics
Whether you're thinking of getting a heat pump or you already have one, knowing these heat pump basics can help you get the right heat pump and operate it properly. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) here in the US has…
Do You Really Need That Much Window Area?
Windows are thermal bridges in pretty much every home. The best windows available have an R-value of only about 12. More affordable windows are in the R-3 to R-6 range. Wall R-values are in the 13 to 15 range on…
Cooling Load Variation With Changing Temperatures
Sizing an air conditioner (or heat pump) shouldn't be left to guesswork. That's why we have engineering protocols like ACCA Manual J for calculating the amount of cooling load a house experiences. Among the factors that contribute are the outdoor…
Will a Heat Pump Work in an Old House?
The question of heat pumps in old houses is coming up a lot lately. With the great electrification upon us, heat pumps are quickly becoming the number one choice for space heating. In fact, data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and…
The Top 10 Articles in the Energy Vanguard Blog in 2022
It's been a good year in the Energy Vanguard Blog. Counting this one, I've published 46 articles during the year. Of the previous 45 articles, I think the following might be ten most important ones. This is just my own…
Heat Pump or Furnace: Which Is Better for Comfort?
With all the incentives for heat pumps and the talk of electrification these days, you may be thinking of going with a heat pump. Heat pumps can work in both new and existing homes. But can you be comfortable with…