Bath Fans Can Make Indoor Humidity Worse
Bath fans are a big topic in building science. How do you get good air flow through them? Should you insulate the duct? Is it OK to use an ERV extract vent instead? Can they work as part of a…
ventilation
The Case for Home Ventilation Specialists
You'd think that HVAC companies would have this locked down. The V in HVAC, after all, stands for ventilation. But ventilation falls below duct systems for many contractors. And duct systems are below what's in the box that makes the…
Radon Mitigation Basics for an Older Home
I've been telling you the story of radon in my Atlanta home for three years now. In April 2023, I got the results of my first radon test. In July of that year, I installed a continuous radon monitor to…
18 HVAC Design Mistakes in Custom Homes
At Energy Vanguard, we've designed HVAC systems for thousands of homes across the United States. We've made our share of HVAC design mistakes, of course. And we've learned from them. We've also been in a lot of homes with HVAC…
![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)
The Lunacy of House Burping
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…
Source Control Comes First for Good IAQ
There's no mystery about how to achieve good indoor air quality (IAQ). But there's a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding. If you listen to know-nothing influencers, you might think all you need to do is buy whichever magic device they're…
![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)
Is a Humidifier in an Airtight House Ever Needed?
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…
![How Many Installation Problems Can You Identify In This Photo Of An Energy Recovery Ventilator In An Unconditioned Crawl Space? [Photo By Robert Jordan Of Achieve Home Energy Advisor]](https://www.energyvanguard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/energy-recovery-ventilator-erv-bad-installation-1.jpg)
11 Ways to Screw Up an ERV Installation
How many ways can one screw up an ERV installation? Surprisingly many, as it turns out. And to look at their work, it seems that some installers think that maximizing those installation errors is the goal. I'll get into the…
Going Deeper With Your IAQ Knowledge
Do you know what two things are required for air to move from one place to another? Do you know why that's important to indoor air quality (IAQ)? Do you know what types of pollutants are best removed by filtration? …
The 6 Worst Indoor Air Pollutants
Consider the multitude of air pollutants you could inhale. You're probably inhaling some of them right now. Which of them, though, should you worry about the most? Well, IAQ researchers have begun addressing that question. The early work is showing…