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 | Jan 9, 2014 | Energy News
Why heat pumps aren’t the answer to space heat yet I talk to people who are convinced that the future of heating and cooling is heat pumps. If you have a passive house and you heat and cool with an on-site PV-powered heat pump, you are living this ideal...
by srmi | Jan 5, 2014 | Energy News
The combustion-testing paradox in our industry The recent literature review by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, titled: Assessment of Literature Related to Combustion Appliance Venting Systems, asserts that worst-case depressurization testing isn’t likely a...
by srmi | Aug 18, 2013 | Energy News
Irrational Exuberance about Heat Pumps The Passive House and Net-Zero movements have spawned some irrational exuberance about heat pumps. When you build a home that requires less than 5 BTU/hr per square foot of floor space, you can often heat and cool it with...
by srmi | Jun 23, 2013 | Energy News
Questionable Guidance from the IRC The International Residential Code (IRC) identifies two different ways to build a new-home crawl space that resists frost heaving: place the footings below the frost line (historical frost-depth) or heat the a home to 64 degrees for...
