by srmi | Nov 25, 2022 | Energy News
Airtightness and Resistance Effects Most of the hazardous particulates enter the home from outdoors. The airtightness of a home is the most important factor to minimize airborne particles, known as PM2.5, in indoor air. PM2.5 means particles of less than 2.5 microns...
by srmi | Nov 7, 2022 | Energy News
Masonry air leaks Masonry materials must be airtight and have airtight joints between the building assemblies to function as air barriers. Masonry roofs, walls, and floors may or may not be airtight. For example, concrete block isn’t itself airtight. Joints between...
by srmi | Oct 20, 2022 | Energy News
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...
by srmi | Oct 4, 2022 | Energy News
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...
by srmi | Sep 21, 2022 | Energy News
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...
by srmi | Aug 22, 2022 | Energy News
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...
by srmi | Aug 10, 2022 | Energy News
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...
by John Krigger | Jul 29, 2022 | Duct Air Sealing, HVAC: Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps
Click the image to see the laminated double-sided chart. Urgent comfort problems drive AC service calls. HVAC technicians should upsell service calls to include a thorough energy-efficiency tune-up. Customers appreciate the extra benefits of electricity-cost savings...
by John Krigger | Jul 22, 2022 | Uncategorized
Multifamily buildings usually have relatively tighter enclosures than single-family homes. They also have less exterior surface area per unit of floor area. Furthermore, the multifamily-building exterior is often quite weather-tight to resist rain and wind....
by srmi | Jul 3, 2022 | Energy News
What is draft? Draft is important to combustion efficiency and safe combustion. If draft isn’t adequate, chimneys can backdraft or spill. We measure draft between between two places in a combustion heating system. For example, we measure draft between the a...
