An Air Conditioner Does at Least 4 Jobs
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…
indoor air quality
7 Steps to Good Indoor Air Quality
Breathing clean, healthy air at home doesn't happen by accident. And it's not something you can buy a magic product to do for you. No, it's the result of understanding the basic measures that work to keep your air clean. …
A BTU Is A BTU…Or Is It?
Since we're on the topic of energy, let's extend last week's discussion of electric resistance heat efficiency. I've sometimes told people that "a BTU is a BTU." (For the rest of the world, the conversion is simple: "A joule is…
How to Size an ERV or HRV
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…
Ventilating With a Super-Efficient ERV
Well, it's official. It may have taken 3.8 years to make it happen, but my Zehnder ComfoAir Q600 energy recovery ventilator (ERV) is running now! I started it up on 29 December, so it's been helping to clean my indoor…
Building Science News & Trends for 2025
Several years ago, I heard something really interesting at a talk by a self-described futurist. It's an interesting "Futurists," she said, "look at weak signals and try to figure out which ones will become strong signals." I hadn't thought…
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…
Do You Have an IAQ Plan for Thanksgiving?
So you've got a bunch of people showing up this week to spend a day or two or three with you. In a perfect world, no one brings any illnesses with them to the party. But what if they do…
How Airtight Can You Make an Older House?
One of the best things you can do to improve your home is to make it more airtight. Yeah, it's good for energy efficiency, but that shouldn't be your main motivation. It's good for indoor air quality. A good air…
Ductless Mini-Splits Can Get Nasty Inside
Have you ever used a flashlight to look up into the part of a ductless mini-split where the air blows out? I should have done that a lot sooner than I did. It turns out these heat pumps can get…