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Archive of posts tagged air condition

Heat Pumps Installed and Operational

In earlier blogs we talked about sizing and selecting two heat pumps for the house. Here are some pictures showing the completed installation of these two heat pumps. The outdoor units are mounted on the side of the house. One indoor unit is placed at one end of the downstairs living room, the other at []

California 2013 Building Energy Code To Become Effective

The California Energy Commission started issuing building energy efficiency standards (codified in Title 24, Part 6 of the California Code of Regulations) since 1978. Updates are made periodically as newer technologies and products become available, and new energy efficiency requirements change. The latest version, commonly known as the 2013 Title 24, was recently completed and []

Sizing the Heating and Cooling System

With the energy efficiency measures we are taking: air sealing, more insulation, triple-pane windows, etc, we know that the HVAC (heating ventilation air condition) requirement will be much lower than most houses in the neighborhood. Normally a detailed calculation using the ACCA Manual J (Heating and Cooling requirement calculation) and Manual D (duct size calculation) []

Saving Energy Without Spending A Penny

Want to reduce your energy use and save money? It is a lot easier than you think. Many people use a lot of energy because they are accustomed to leaving most of devices running 24/7 when energy was cheap. But times have changed. Energy is getting expensive. In addition, energy generation causes air pollution and []

Energy Efficiency Companies Keep Innovating

15 startup companies pitched their energy saving and management innovations at the PG&E hosted Emerging Technology Open Forum on July 24, 2012. I found three of them particularly interesting and useful to homeowners. Verdigris Technologies – Their product and service can tell you detail electric usage down to every single piece of appliance, including each []

Selecting High Performance Windows

There are over 100 million homes and approximately 20 billion square feet of clear glass residential windows in the U.S. Most of these homes are more than 30 years old, and as a result, the market is growing for replacement windows with energy efficient insulating glass units (IGUs). High performance options are now readily available []

Conservation Comes With Comfort

A couple of months ago, I visited an early adopter of green remodeling in the Bay Area. She has been making changes to her home since over a decade ago, before energy efficiency gets on the minds of most people. Starting in the late 1990’s, she had windows changed to dual pane units, installed attic []

The Terry Project: Cellulose Insulation and Energy Modeling

The latest work done on Cathy’s house is the application of insulation. They have decided to use blown cellulose to fill the exterior walls and the cathedral ceiling. The cellulose insulation is expected to yield R-13 for the walls and R-38 for the ceiling. The