BS4D: Ice Dam’s, Icicles & Attic Condensation, Oh My…
Living in Arizona, I used to love traveling up to Flagstaff especially during the winter months. One of my favorite places was the Little America as not only did they have a huge roaring fire, an awesome buffet, a great Christmas light display, but some of...Read More »
Air Sealing: The Duct System
For many the easiest way to describe HVAC / Forced Air system is to equate it to one’s own heart. With that in mind, the duct system in one’s house is comparable to the veins & arteries in your body. The supply ducts bring nicely conditioned air to all the...Read More »
Air Sealing: Attic Floor Insulation
Adding more insulation in your attic is often seen as one of the easiest ways to help save money and increase comfort in your home. While this is generally true, all too often the items need to be done are either simply overlooked &/or buried. That is one reason why...Read More »
Air Sealing: Attic Baffles
Ever wonder why your outside walls feel so bloody hot during the summer, and oh so cold during the winter? Well unless you have an older home with no insulation, in many cases it isn’t the actual wall, but a popular cost saving measure that is taken by...Read More »
Air Sealing: Sealing those Attic Penetrations
In our last few articles we have been focusing on the attic; namely creating an insulated attic hatch, and creating a means to store items & walk through the attic without disturbing blown in insulation. We have been spending a lot of time focusing...Read More »
Air Sealing: Attic Walkways & Storage
In the last article we did in our Air Sealing series, we were dealing with an issue many people with regular attics have – namely an un-insulated attic hatch. In this article we are going to deal with two other problems many homeowners have; and that is a...Read More »
Air Sealing: The Attic Hatch
In our ongoing series on Air Sealing, we are going to focus on the dreaded attic hatch, or as Allison Baile’s of Energy Vanguard so eloquently calls it, “A Mind-Blowing Hole in Your Building Envelope.” Instead of crunching the numbers as he did, one...Read More »
Duct Testing - FAQ’s
In layman’s terms, what is a duct test?
A duct test is simply hooking up a specialized fan & checking to see how “leaky” your duct’s are.
(More below the picture)
How does one perform a duct test / what should I expect to see?
Using a calibrated fan & connector as...Read More »
Air Sealing: The Hot-Roof Option
In our ongoing series on Air Sealing, we are going to pop into the attic for the next few articles. Not only is this a great time of year to work in your attic, but with all the recent snowstorms, those fun little red arrows on...Read More »
Guest Video: Insulating your Basement
Last year we started a series on Air Sealing that took a look at some of the basics like; how to find the leaks inside your house, what tools and basic materials required to air seal your house, and some Read More »
Safety Sunday: Raccoons, Squirrels & Mice, oh my…
In our latest article, we were reviewing the EPA’s “Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades” and a section came up on pests. Seeing we are now nearing the wintertime, many animals are now searching for areas to hibernate, nest, stash their nuts, and even...Read More »
Building Green Homes: Step 9 – Insulation
In this series on Looking Back & Looking Forward, we are reviewing a green home we built over 2 years ago, the lessons learned and more importantly, how we can utilize those lessons on future builds. In the past articles, we have covered quite a few...Read More »
Air Sealing: Materials & Methods for sealing common leaks (Part 2)
In our prior articles on Air Sealing, we covered how to find the leaks inside your house, along with what tools and basic materials required to air seal your house. In this second part of this article, we will be dealing with tips &...Read More »
Air Sealing: Materials & Methods for sealing common leaks (Part 1)
In our prior article on Air Sealing, we covered the benefits, the concerns, and how to find the leaks inside your house. In this first part of this article, we will mainly be dealing with the tools, materials and methods required to air seal your house. In the...Read More »
Air Sealing: Benefits, Concerns, & How-To Find the Leaks
Air can easily leak in and out of a home through cracks, joints between different materials, where holes have been drilled to allow pipes and wire to enter the structure, and many other openings. Some of the popular areas for air leakage is around doors, windows, attic access...Read More »
