There are many fuel options to choose from for heating a home. Natural gas, if available, is currently one of the cheapest. I’ve also seen fuel oil, propane, electric, wood, and even city produced steam systems heating homes in Northern Minnesota. They all have advantages and disadvantages. Today, I am going to discuss heating fuel costs and heat outputs. Continue reading “Mechanicals-Heating fuels”
Building Science-“Breathe”
In this blog, I’m going to discuss building tightness and the code dealing with air leakage. The 2012 International Residential Code for One and Two-Family Dwellings is the current code in force for the state of Minnesota at the time of this blog. Chapter 11 deals with energy conservation, what most in the building industry call the energy code. The code on building air leakage states: Continue reading “Building Science-“Breathe””
Case Study-A High Electric Bill
Welcome to my 4th blog. Today, I’m going to talk about something that I’ve seen in the field. An energy audit that I conducted several years ago. Continue reading “Case Study-A High Electric Bill”
Building Science-Thermodynamics
Building science 101 is going to be a continuing discussion about building science and how it relates to building in a cold climate. We must start at the beginning, which unfortunately has to do with physics. A nasty word, but I’ll try my best keep things simple. The basics of building science mostly deal with the laws of thermodynamics. Continue reading “Building Science-Thermodynamics”
Northern Built – An Introduction
Hi, my name is Randy Williams, welcome to my first ever blog post.
I spend a lot of my time thinking about and working in the construction industry. I started in 1996 as an apprentice electrician working for my brother before becoming a state licensed journeyman electrician in 2000. In the late 1990’s, I helped my father, who had built several homes and commercial buildings for himself, start a new home for his sister. In 2005, my dad, brother and I started a company called Willcon Inc, short for Williams Construction. We officially became a licensed building contractor. I learned a lot about the construction industry in those first few years.