The most effective and straightforward method to estimate a home’s air leakage is to place it under a test pressure and measure how much air it takes to maintain that pressure. This is best accomplished with a blower door.
Archive for category Building Science
Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend a contractor orientation for the SMUD Home Performance Program. I wanted to share some of the details of the program as they stand right now. Please keep in mind minor modifications may be made to some of the details of the program as they get closer to [...]
In an assembly where components have different R-values, thermal bridging occurs when the component with the lower R-value spans from the inside surface to the outside. A wood framed wall is a perfect example of this. The studs have an R of 1.0 per inch of thickness, compared to fiberglass batt insulation at 3.5 R [...]
The federal government’s stimulus package provides tax credits for an assortment of energy efficient home improvements. These range from building envelope improvements like air sealing and insulation through windows, heating and cooling equipment all the way to renewable energy projects like PV solar.
In the previous post in this series, we outlined some of the cause and effect of inadequate and uncontrolled infiltration. Let’s talk about some solutions to those problems. Source control Often an effective first step available to most households is source control. Store pollutant sources such as paints, solvents and other chemicals in a cabinet [...]
It’s a given that a green home should provide its occupants with superior indoor air quality, but the reality is all homes need good ventilation to exchange indoor air often containing moisture, odors and pollutants with fresh outdoor air. Thanks to environmental programs such as the Clean Air Act and other regulation our outdoor air [...]
What comes to mind when you think of energy efficiency?
It’s also important to keep in mind that energy efficiency isn’t about giving up things like comfort and convenience. It’s about getting more out of the resources we already use. We can enjoy a comfortable, well-lit home while being energy efficient and saving money too.
In an earlier post we calculated the minimum whole building ventilation requirements for a 2000 sf home under the 2008 Title 24. What are our options for controlling the ventilation system? It depends on the type of ventilation system we have selected. If it as simple as using a bathroom exhaust fan as our continuous [...]
Simply put, yes it can. Traditionally, wood framed structures supplied needed ventilation and moisture control by infiltration through the building’s shell. This worked well except there was a trade off: excessive heat loss and cold drafts. Even with the addition of insulation, excessive air infiltration across fiberglass batts renders them ineffective at preventing heat loss. Fast forward a few years. In [...]
Before I weigh in on the question of windows and energy efficiency, let me first say that there are plenty of great reasons to upgrade your windows. Aesthetics would be high on the list, along with improved function and definitely resale value. It’s a no-brainer that all things being equal, you would choose house A [...]
According to the Building Performance Institute, building performance is a systematic approach to improving the comfort, health, safety, energy efficiency and durability of our customers homes and places of work. Comfort is improved by treating the building as a system of processes…
On Friday of last week we were finally able after months of hard work to submit our package of paperwork to HUD for review. This has been the culmination of an extraordinary effort led by Sacramento architect Michael Malinowski AIA and his staff at Applied Architecture Inc. Worthy of particular credit is Nitisha Gilra LEED AP a member of…
