by srmi | Apr 15, 2016 | Energy News
Old and new water barriers Once upon a time, builders stapled 15-pound asphalt felt to wall and roof structural sheathing as a water-resistive barrier (WRB). The 2012 International Residential Code (IRC) still specifies: “one layer of No. 15 felt… or other approved...
by srmi | Mar 28, 2016 | Energy News
This is a two-part blog about hygric buffering, cellulose wall insulation, and moisture problems in high-performance buildings. Why not to install cellulose insulation in deep wall cavities Cellulose shrinks, slumps, and dries very slowly after wetting. Deep wall...
by srmi | Mar 2, 2016 | Energy News
Introducing 29 New RESNET CEU Courses Attention raters, rater trainers, and RESNET training organizations: Saturn Resource Management now offers 29 new short courses that qualify for RESNET CEUs. These short e-learning courses mix media such as slides, slide...
by srmi | Jan 29, 2016 | Energy News
We’ve been dealing with the ASHRAE ventilation standard for a while. 62-89 goes way back. We used that one for a long time, and it worked well enough. After we taught our students how to use 62-89, they could understand it and implement it. Then came 62.2. We...
by srmi | Jan 5, 2016 | Energy News
Focus on the Envelope Home owners and builders seldom give the building envelope the priority it deserves. The insulation, air barrier, windows, and doors are the most important features of a new home. These envelope features determine a home’s energy efficiency...
by srmi | Nov 19, 2015 | Energy News
KM’s History Knowledge management has a long history, including apprenticeship programs, discussion forums, corporate libraries, professional training, mentoring programs, and now data bases designed to manage knowledge. Computers and software have enhanced our...
by srmi | Nov 10, 2015 | Energy News
What is a credit? Saturn uses a formula to calculate how many average hours of student effort that a lesson or course requires. Of course, effort hours differ among different students, but our calculation is a good average. The easiest way to understand the convoluted...
by srmi | Aug 28, 2015 | Energy News
What the EPA Says EPA’s new final rule on Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units “Energy is transmitted, not electrons. Energy transmission is accomplished through the propagation of an...
by srmi | Apr 13, 2015 | Energy News
The Experimental Findings Building Science Corporation (BSC) published a recent report that spawned a Journal of Light Construction (JLC) article called “Moisture in Fat Walls”. Two of the three walls studied are double walls with R-values in excess of...
by srmi | Dec 17, 2014 | Energy News
This post is a revised version of the last post about Evaluating Combustion Air. The changes are a result of the many discussions I had with the experts in the previous post. You know who you are. Thank you. I continue to value your suggestions. Feel free to comment...
