Energy Vanguard Blog
It’s Called an Air Conditioner — Not an Air Cooler!
As I sit here on a nice cool May evening, getting ready for my trip to New England tomorrow, I'm thinking about sweat. And that makes me think about air conditioning. It may seem like it doesn't make sense, but when you twist your mind around in just the right way, it does. Really! And what I'm thinking about air conditioning is that maybe we just need to stop talking about how many tons of air conditioning a house needs. Because there's a serious...
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Can Energy Efficiency Programs Stay Ahead of Energy Codes?
Smart people in the home-building industry have a saying about codes: A code-built house is the worst house allowed by law. The implication behind that statement is that if all you're doing is meeting the code, you're probably short-changing the people who will live in the house. The folks at the International Code Council (ICC) are doing their best to make sure that that barely-legal house is worth living in.
Consider this
If I told you that your...
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We Are the 99% — Design Temperatures & Oversized HVAC Systems
We're making progress! With the all the emphasis on energy codes and energy efficiency programs like ENERGY STAR New Homes, more homes are getting Manual J heating and cooling load calculations these days. The intent is that the heating and cooling systems installed will be sized properly because oversized systems have problems (poor dehumidification, short cycling...). But just because an HVAC contractor does a Manual J, that's not a guarantee that...
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Rain Barrels, Chickens, and Walking the Sustainable Living Talk
I write mostly about buildings and the people who fight about them: the crazy things I find, the good things I find, the super-secret Building Science Fight Club, how I don't need no stinkin' Building Science Summer Camp. Just your standard energy geek fare. Occasionally I talk about peak oil and the Long Emergency. Aside from the few articles I've written about the green home I built, with its greywater system, reclaimed materials, and passive...
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Don’t Miss This Opportunity if You’re Replacing Windows
It kills me when I see homes getting their windows replaced. No, I'm not referring to the FTC's recent slamming of the window industry for their overblown claims of energy savings. I'm talking about how a large number of window replacements miss a big opportunity that would help ensure they reduce energy usage as much as they can.
If you're getting a window replaced completely, not just replacing the sashes, the trim comes off and the old window...
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