Description
This field guide documents the author’s first-hand experience, starting in the mid-1970s. Over 300 expert technicians, who specialized in insulation, air sealing, windows, HVAC, moisture management, and low-cost cooling contributed their experience to this field guide.
During the Arab oil embargo of 1974 and President Carter’s 1977 promotion of energy conservation, America began discussing energy security. Saturn Resource Management began publishing books about energy conservation in 1988. 1994 Saturn began customizing weatherization field guide for energy retrofitters, who worked in energy-conservation programs throughout the Pacific Northwest. The bankruptcy of a large nuclear plant in Washington state motivated these large conservation programs.
Backed by 50 years of on-the-job experience, the field guide’s step-by-step procedures now direct the retrofit of site-built homes, manufactured homes, and multifamily buildings nationwide. The procedures evolved from energy-conservation programs, sponsored by the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and utility companies. Between 1994 and 2024, 40 different State-and-utility weatherization programs adopted a version of this field guide, customized to local climate, housing types, and established practices.
Every participating weatherization program contributed their experience to the field guide. These weatherization programs assembled review committees who examined the draft and suggested changes, based on codes, standards, and their own tried-and-true practices. Local experts argued over minute details of the procedures in this field guide. Technologists from the Department of Energy reviewed each of these customized field guides, to confirm agreement with DOE’s-and-EPA’s retrofit standards that are backed on government research.
Readability, navigation, and content
- A trusted source of instructions, used currently by thousands of professional retrofitters.
- Plain-English writing, fortified by abundant illustrations, charts, and tables.
- Quick navigation by the field guide’s index and cross references.
- No ambiguity or speculation – only time-tested step-by-step procedures.
- Complies with DOE’s Standard Work Specifications (but contains no hyperlinks to the SWS)
- Includes sections on: Health & Safety, Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation, Combustion Heating, Low-Cost Cooling, Heat Pumps, Weatherization Materials, and Insulation and Air Sealing for all kinds of building assemblies.
Author Bio
John Krigger is the founder of Saturn Resource Management, and a nationally recognized expert in the field of energy conservation for buildings. For over 35 years, he has and authored publications, developed online training curricula, and presented seminars on energy-efficiency, maintenance, durability, and health and safety for buildings.
John combines years of hands-on energy-service experience with solid academic knowledge. He is the author of 10 books on energy efficiency and approximately 40 shorter publications. His publication, Residential Energy: Cost Savings and Comfort for Existing Buildings is a training manual and textbook used by energy-training centers, vocational schools, and colleges throughout North America.
John has extensive experience researching and developing training manuals and field guides for energy auditors, energy raters, architects, engineers, technicians, government technologists, industry representatives, and the general public. He consults for national laboratories, state governments, utility companies, and other energy organizations. Besides being an author, John is also a technical illustrator, photographer, videographer, and desktop publisher.
