Archive of posts tagged air leakage
Where Does the Heat Go
Tom (our project partner and energy specialist) took some infrared (IR) images of the house to demonstrate where heat leaks most. Here we show each IR image side by side with a normal camera image. The different colors in the IR images show the different temperatures over the structure. Usually the reddish/yellowish colors indicate warmer […]
Energy Improvement Opportunities
This is a 100+ year old house. Obviously there are many energy efficiency shortcomings (hence many improvement opportunities). The house has been vacant for over 2 years so we don’t have the latest operational information. Exterior Walls. Before taking the walls apart, we already expect little to no insulations for houses of this age. The […]
Windows: To Replace Or Not To Replace
It is difficult to decide whether to replace those old windows. Sometimes only few windows out of many in a house are beyond repair. New windows cost a lot of money – $6000 to $23000 for an average home to replace all windows. Here are some considerations: Energy Efficiency Today, most windows are made of […]
Get Your Air Duct In Line
When I was learning about energy efficiency, I saw many photos, slides and videos of leaky and crushed ducts. Many home performance contractors also said that it is common that ducts in homes are leaky, crushed, broken apart or constricted. I’ve heard about them. I’ve seen many evidence of them. Now it hits close to […]
Want A Warm Floor?
A friend of mine recently had some renovation done for her one-story house, including replacing the flooring. The energy-conscious contractor sealed the perimeter of the concrete slab to cut off any air from infiltrating. Next he placed a layer of water barrier over the concrete to stop moisture from rising. He then placed a layer […]
Choosing A Whole-House Ventilation System
Increasingly, because of either code changes or customer demand, builders are having to take a closer look at whether the new, tight houses they build have adequate ventilation. Many builders would like to provide something better than just a few bath exhaust fans but aren’t sure how to design a simple ventilation system that is […]
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 […]
Weingarten House at San Benancio – Energy Conservation without Sacrifice
“Freezing in the dark”, is how Ronald Reagan characterized energy conservation. I’ve been thinking about energy matters for about thirty years now and don’t think conservation must mean sacrifice. One goal with this house was to demonstrate that it’s possible to meet the current challenge of sustainability and do better than we have done in […]