by srmi | Dec 4, 2012 | Energy News
Worldwide Northern Hemisphere prosperity was so high for so long that many of us forgot just what’s essential and what’s not. Now with the economic downturn and disappearance of jobs, people are becoming more independent and resilient. What is Simple...
by srmi | Nov 27, 2012 | Energy News
The combustion safety testing part of Chapter 8 of the RESNET standard is being revised and we are wrestling with all the issues raised in your blog post “Questioning Worst-Case Depressurization Testing”. I have sent a link to this blog to the RESNET...
by srmi | Nov 13, 2012 | Energy News
I recently read some legal documents and technical standards that reminded me how much I hate the word shall. Dictionary definitions of shall include: must will can should intends to Why would anyone use such an ambiguous verb in documents that are supposed to give...
by srmi | Nov 5, 2012 | Energy News
Over lunch a few days ago I stopped by the hardware store and picked up a Pro-Lab do-it-yourself, short-term radon gas test kit. Cost was $12.99 with $30 paid later for analysis. The kit was hanging next to other DIY test kits. Asbestos, lead, long term radon, radon...
by srmi | Nov 1, 2012 | Energy News
Biomass energy, especially woody biomass fuels, is our cleanest combustion solution to heating buildings and generating electricity through combined heat and power (CHP). Unfortunately, there is no powerful lobby to promote biomass heating or CHP. So most people do...
by srmi | Oct 25, 2012 | Energy News
I have followed all the discussions on LinkedIn, and your SRMI blog, on Questioning Combustion Safety Testing and Combustion Safety Testing and Risk Elimination. I am a civil engineer with many years’ experience managing commercial, institutional, and public...
by srmi | Oct 22, 2012 | Energy News
I recently attended the Women in Home Performance (WiHP) breakfast in Pittsburgh at the ACI Mid-Atlantic Conference. Just prior to the conference, Amy Fazio (CEO of ACI) had graciously agreed to become my mentor—mentorship being one of the priority goals of WiHP. I...
by srmi | Oct 19, 2012 | Energy News
For the past fifty years, we’ve convinced our youth that a college education is the answer to finding a useful and rewarding career. While millions of college students study anthropology, English, history and other subjects not directed toward essential careers,...
by srmi | Oct 17, 2012 | Energy News
Am I wrong or are health mandates, such as combustion safety testing and ventilation, crippling home performance and weatherization? The American quest for risk elimination wastes billions of dollars annually. For example last week,...
by srmi | Oct 15, 2012 | Energy News
Approximately half of all energy used in the U.S. is consumed within buildings. Half of that energy is wasted because of shortsighted design, sloppy construction practices, and careless building operation. Energy conservation in buildings is the easiest and best...
