Working as an energy auditor, I am often in homes that require dehumidification. Controlling the humidity level within a home is very important for indoor air quality and the durability of the home. Continue reading “The Energy Audit-Dehumidifiers”
Building Science-R-value
In our northern climate, how quickly a structure loses heat is dependent on three factors, the first is transmission heat loss which includes the difference between inside and outside temperatures, called the delta T, and the resistance to heat flow, or R-value of the building assemblies. Continue reading “Building Science-R-value”
The Energy Audit-Energy Costs
Most of the energy audits and assessments I conduct are because of a high bill complaint. Some homes have heating related issue, some have specific equipment adding to costs, some, the homeowner just needs a little education. When looking to decrease energy costs, where are the best places save? The Department of Energy has categorized and estimated the energy used by the typical American home…
The Energy Audit-Light Bulbs
The first commercially available incandescent light bulb was a product of Thomas Edison and has been available since the late 1800’s. They remained, for the most part, unchanged for the first 100 years. Continue reading “The Energy Audit-Light Bulbs”
Building Science-Humidity
What is humidity? According to Wikipedia, humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. A nice, simple explanation that all of us can understand. Now look at the chart below. Continue reading “Building Science-Humidity”
Mechanicals-Heating fuels
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.