Occasionally, when conducting energy audits and assessments, a customer will make a statement to the effect that they believe their windows are the main issue with why they are experiencing high energy costs. They are hoping to replace all their windows to lower the heating (or cooling) bills. Continue reading “Energy Audit-Really Good Windows”
Construction Materials-ThermalTight
I learned about a company called BRINC Building Products, Inc a couple years ago. They had developed a solution for how to attach windows when using exterior insulation. Normally we would build a wood buck to move the rough framing out to the plane of the exterior insulation. Continue reading “Construction Materials-ThermalTight”
Energy Audit-Blower Door Testing-A Deep Dive
I’ve talked about blower door testing several times on Green Building Advisor and on this blog. This discussion will dive deeper into blower door testing, when it should be completed, the different tests done with the blower door, and interpreting the information. Continue reading “Energy Audit-Blower Door Testing-A Deep Dive”
Construction Design-Continuous Exterior Insulation
You would think that in my very cold climate of Northern Minnesota, we would be putting as much insulation in our walls and roofs as possible. Not the case. The majority of new homes I blower door test have the code minimum R-21 of wall cavity insulation Continue reading “Construction Design-Continuous Exterior Insulation”
Opinion-5 Reasons to Own A Blower Door
By now most of us know what a blower door does and the basics of how they work. All energy auditors and raters own one. A few insulating contractors I know also have purchased their own blower door. As a contractor, does it make sense to invest a sizable amount of money and then take the time to learn how to operate this piece of test equipment. Continue reading “Opinion-5 Reasons to Own A Blower Door”
Energy Audit-Advanced Blower Door Testing-Zonal Pressures
Most of us by now know what a blower door is. A tool to measure the air tightness of a house. I’ve owned my Minneapolis Blower Door since 2009. Many states have adopted mandatory tightness testing on all new construction. In my area, the minimum is three air changes per hour at 50 Pascals (3 ACH50), Continue reading “Energy Audit-Advanced Blower Door Testing-Zonal Pressures”
Construction Design-Code Minimum House-Mechanicals
At the time of this writing, construction on the code minimum house is coming to an end. This has been a fun and rewarding project for me because not only was I able to design much of the home, I was also directly involved in the construction. Continue reading “Construction Design-Code Minimum House-Mechanicals”
Building Science-How to Test a Bath Fan.
Recently I was at a house conducting an energy audit when the homeowner indicated they were experiencing high humidity in the master bathroom. The windows were fogging up and they had some mold growing in one of the ceiling corners. They operate a bath fan regularly but it didn’t seem to remove any moisture. Continue reading “Building Science-How to Test a Bath Fan.”
Opinion-Who’s Responsible?
Whether you’re a homeowner acting as a general contractor or a licensed contractor who’s building to make a living, certain decisions and policies need to be set in place and communicated with workers and sub-contractors performing tasks on the jobsite. Who’s responsible for doing what. Continue reading “Opinion-Who’s Responsible?”
Construction Materials-Humidex Garage Ventilation
Last winter, during the International Builder’s Show in Las Vegas, I found a garage ventilation system that I thought would work well for humidity control in my very cold climate. Continue reading “Construction Materials-Humidex Garage Ventilation”