Category: Mechanicals

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How to Temporarily Heat a Structure During Construction

We are just coming into the heating season (lucky us).  If you live in a northern climate and you’ve made a career out of construction, or even if you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you may need to temporarily heat a space your working in.  In this post, I’m going to discuss several different heating fuels, the amount of heat they can provide along with current costs, and how the choice of the temporary heating system can affect a building.

Continue reading “How to Temporarily Heat a Structure During Construction”

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Mechanicals-Electrification of Heating Systems

Did you know, there are a few areas in the country where a homeowner no longer has the option to hook to a gas line when building a new home?  These communities have banned all gas installations in new construction.  A growing trend or community overreach?  Time will tell.  That said, I’ve been hearing a lot of noise lately about electrification in new construction.  Homeowners and builders are giving some consideration on how to condition, that is heat a home using only electricity as the fuel source.
Can this be an effective option in a cold or very cold climate?  Continue reading “Mechanicals-Electrification of Heating Systems”

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Construction Design-HRV or ERV

Balanced mechanical ventilation is code required in all new construction in my home state of Minnesota.  Indoor air quality has become a big topic with today’s pandemic.  My market uses HRV’s or heat recovery ventilators almost exclusively.  They work great at supplying the home with filtered fresh air and at controlling indoor humidity levels.  You can read more about HRV’s here. Continue reading “Construction Design-HRV or ERV”

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Mechanicals-Floor Warming

When working as an energy auditor, I often see homeowners using under tile floor warming as a supplement heat source.  When working on custom tile jobs, I often install these systems.  These all electric heat sources add comfort by warming the tile, but can they be used as a source of heat for a room in a northern climate?  What do they cost to operate?  This weeks topic, electric floor warming. Continue reading “Mechanicals-Floor Warming”