Dr. Joe Lstiburek Ph.D. of the Building Science Corporation is considered by many to be the godfather of the building science industry. An internationally recognized expert and author on moisture related building issues and indoor air quality, he is one of the world’s foremost authorities on energy efficient construction techniques. All that aside, he also has [...]
Archive for May, 2010
A debate is brewing in Washington D.C. between Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the nations two largest mortgage lenders and proponents of PACE or Property Assessed Clean Energy programs like California’s AB811. If you recall from previous articles on this site, PACE programs provide loans to property owners to fund energy efficient and renewable energy upgrades [...]
When contemplating improving our home’s performance it helps to have a general guideline or ordering of priorities when making the decisions that provide the most benefit for our investment. It’s important to look at the house as a system where each part interacts and ideally works together with the rest. If we ignore this interaction and focus our attention on single source solutions, at best we miss opportunities to leverage our decisions and in the worse case cause unintentionally negative results.
Prop 16 – Is SMUD At Risk?
May 21
The simple answer to that question is yes. In addition SMUD customers are also at risk. In the Sacramento area few would dispute we are fortunate to have SMUD as our electricity provider. SMUD has been rated #1 in customer service among both publicly and investor owned utility providers in California by J.D. Power and [...]
The last post in this series discussed the benefits of a comprehensive energy audit as a starting point for any serious energy improvements. Not only will the information gathered assist in putting together an effective game plan, it will be required for most incentive programs including SMUD‘s Home Performance Program and Home Star. The [...]
With the emphasis on energy efficiency and upcoming local opportunities like SMUD’s Home Performance Program and AB811 funding, I thought it might be helpful to provide some information on what you can expect during an energy audit. Part of the reason being an audit will be required to take advantage of the larger incentive levels in most [...]
First lets look at some ways a remodel can affect your whole house. You might be planning to do a simple kitchen or bath remodel. You would never think that it could affect the other areas of the your home that aren’t included in the remodel scope of work. Many of the neighborhoods I [...]
In case any of you are wondering whatever happened to this project or if it ever started, I thought I’d give a quick update on where we are in the process. No, unfortunately we haven’t started construction on the project yet. Yes, we are still planning to get going as soon as HUD and the powers that [...]
Many families experience comfort and health issues in there homes and don’t realize that there are solutions to those problems. You shouldn’t have to freeze in winter or broil in summer because the comfort systems in your home don’t operate correctly or cost a fortune in utility bills. You shouldn’t have to deal with drafty [...]
Water Friendly Landscaping
May 10
Traditional landscape practice emphasizes the use of large expanses of lush, green lawns together with planting areas of non-native ornamental plants, shrubs and trees. While these techniques result in landscapes that are pleasing to the eye and perhaps evoke memories of tropical vacations, they also require large amounts of water, fertilizers and labor to maintain.
Efficiency First is reporting this afternoon that the HomeStar legislation which would provide incentives for home energy retrofit projects passed the U.S. House of Representatives today with bipartisan support. The HomeStar Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 (H.R. 5019) passed with a vote of 246-161. Though this is a major milestone for this legislation and the [...]
Infrared Thermal Imaging
May 3
Originally developed by the U.S. military as an advanced weapon sighting technology FLIR or Forward Looking Infra Red thermal imagers were eventually adapted by firefighters to aid in identifying hidden fires in walls and looking for victims in low-visibility smoke environments. Unlike x-ray technology infrared does not see through a material but graphically measures subtle [...]
