Caulking Selection and Installation

Selecting caulk Caulk fills and seals narrow and consistent joints between building materials. Selecting the best caulk requires recognition of the substrate materials (the materials bordering the joint), the gap size, weather exposure, and joint movement from...

Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning

Lead is a dangerous poison. Widely used in the paint and plumbing pipes of residential homes until 1978, lead poisoning remains one of the most serious residential health risks. Lead was also used in gasoline until 1996. Depending on how near your home is located...

IAQ Rating System

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is of great value to homeowners, builders, energy auditors, and codes-and-standard bodies. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) is developing new IAQ metrics that will provide an easy-to-understand IAQ score. Audiences for IAQ Metrics IAQ...

Economizers and Free Cooling

An economizer is a part of a building’s cooling system that uses cool outdoor air to cool the building instead of operating the air conditioning compressor.   An economizer is an optional feature to an HVAC air handler that draws in outdoor air and mixes it with...

Homes Need Ventilation

Most modern homes need mechanical ventilation systems to provide satisfactory indoor air quality. Many poorly ventilated homes have mold and mildew growing in wall cavities, high levels of airborne chemicals, combustion byproducts, or high utility bills. It’s...