Posts Tagged ‘home energy audit’
January 15, 2013
Some of you out there may know builders, home inspectors, Realtors, Bankers and Students, or may be one yourself. Well, we all have something in common, “homes!” We live in them, own them, rent them, some work on them and we sure know when they are not working right.
Making a home comfortable safe and healthy takes a lot of work, and I think it only helps if we share that knowledge. That is why we help educate homeowners on how they work and don’t work and how we can make them better.
Maybe you, or someone you know, is in a profession that could benifit from a little insight into building science. Maybe you are looking to explore new career opportunities. This could be a first step towards great things. The certificate is a preview of some of the things one needs to know for the professional level certification our advisors obtain and we live by here at GreenHomes America.
At GreenHomes we pride ourselves in the training and certifications our employees will attain as well as sharing their knowledge with our customers. The study guide for the certificate is over 200 pages. And more information can be found here: http://www.bpi.org/professionals_certificate.aspx
Even if you are not interested in a certificate in building science, BPI has some good information for homeowners and explains why we do what we do, check it out!
Thanks,
Jason.
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Tags:BPI, builders, building science, career opportunities, careers, education, energy audits, home energy audit, home inspection, home inspectors, new job, professional level, real estate
Posted in DIY, Efficiency, Energy Audits, Energy Geeks / Energy Policy, Home, Homeowners | 1 Comment »
December 24, 2012
Thanks to the hard work of a team of researchers in Norway (near the North Pole) and the Netherlands, Rudolph’s red nose has been explained. The recently published, observational study: Why Rudolph’s Nose is Red, involved both human subjects as well as two reindeer. The study shed light on Reindeer’s nasal structure, and how it is ideal for sleigh pulling while flying and facing extreme temperatures.
These sure are great images! I can’t help but think of the insight we get when looking at homes under infrared. Missing insulation, uncontrolled air flow patterns, moisture issues, and electrical concerns are all problems identified by a skilled technician. Maybe our advisors at GreenHomes America don’t understand the microvasculature of the nasal septal mucosa of reindeer, but they do know homes!
May you all have a safe, warm, healthy and happy holiday.
From each and every one of us, Merry Christmas!
Jason
Images from: http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e8311
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Tags:air-sealing, BMJ Group, Christmas, home energy audit, home performance, infrared thermography, insulation, IR, reindeer, Rudolph's red nose
Posted in GreenHomes America, Home, Lighting and Appliances, Wild Stuff | 2 Comments »
December 11, 2012
Some may have heard the expression before: “Proper Planning Prevents Pretty Poor Performance” or possibly a less pleasant version, but I will leave that to your imagination. Permutations previewed in this photo provide possibilities for a plethora of problems, primarily CO poisoning!
Please provide proper ventilation for atmospheric combustion equipment such as the water heater shown here. 
This is common configuration for a water heater, drawing combustion air from its surroundings, but it can create problems!
Pressures in a house can change and affect equipment like this. Our predecessors discovered that it was more pleasant when smoke from the fire went up the chimney. It’s more than pleasant but imperative!
This chimney shown is going downhill before it goes up, the primary problem! Our heating equipment needs to be vented properly or those gasses enter our homes. Consider having your combustion equipment checked as part of a whole house assessment.
Please, a plug, poke, or paltry plea, proper planning provides prime performance, and prevents poisoning (CO that is!).
Pthanks,
Jason
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Tags:carbon monoxide, CO poisoning, combustion safety, home energy audit, indoor air quality, indoor air quality issues, Six P's, water heater
Posted in Energy Audits, Health / Safety / Indoor Air, Heating & Cooling Tips, Water Heaters / Hot Water, Wild Stuff | Leave a Comment »
June 14, 2011
A recent study from the Institute of Medicine identifies how climate change affects the environment in our homes which has an impact on our nation’s health. It is Ironic that when the weather gets worse, we seek shelter indoors from extremes outside and in doing so still potentially put our health at risk. It is also reassuring that as a Home Performance contractor our work on homes is just what the “doctor ordered”. Most of the issues raised in the report are exactly the things we keep an eye out for with health and safety in mind. Every job we do starts and finishes with testing to ensure your home is a safe haven.
The report identifies 5 major issues:
Indoor Air quality: People don’t think all the cleaning chemicals under the sink amount to much but they can. We tend to leave all sorts of chemicals in our homes, leave connections to garages full of thing we shouldn’t breathe. We also have combustion appliances in our home which left un-checked can cause issues with CO. Our advisors keep an eye out for these conditions, it’s an integral part or health and safety for us.
Dampness and Moisture: Extreme weather conditions outside lead to more frequent issues in our homes as water gets in where it shouldn’t. Cooling systems can contribute to moisture issue if not handled properly and certainly basements and crawlspaces do too. There are fixes for spaces with moisture issues that we sometimes ignore until it’s too late.
Bugs and Bugs: weather and climate change can influence infectious diseases and pests and expanding the area where they flourish. A new “bug in town” will lead to new exposure for some of us and possibly an increase in pesticides previously not used before. Moisture in our home can lead to issues with mold and other pests. A home should be a healthy haven not a petri dish.
Thermal Stress: High heat especially for those not prepared or more susceptible such as the elderly, will experience thermal stress almost exclusively inside. With temperature extremes come power outages compromising our ability to run cooling systems. Treating our buildings by insulating against the heat helps buffer your home.
Building Ventilation, Weatherization and Energy use: As we experience climate change and weather extremes it gives us good reason to weatherize but it must be handled with expertise and always with a mind towards health and safety. No longer can we tighten up a home or insulate it without thinking about the whole house. GreenHomes America makes sure that every home is left a healthier home at job’s end.
“Fixing” old buildings with new methods can create new problems if not done properly. Being a BPI accredited company means we are committed to quality and accountability. A comprehensive Home Assessment with solutions provided to you from our team of experts will offer the safest answers to the ever changing environment inside.
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Tags:air conditioning, carbon monoxide, climate change, energy-efficiency, health and safety, home energy audit, home performance, IAQ, indoor environment, Institute of Medicine
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
June 8, 2011
There’s been a Heat wave across parts of the country, wild fires blazing and the season has just begun! So I thought it would be good to build on the tips Mike mentioned last week. Here are a few things you can look at to keep your cool as we head into summer:
- Keep the heat out! During the day, if it’s cooler inside than outside, keep windows shut. And keep window shades down to block out direct sunlight. Open the windows at night if it’s cooler outside than in. Solar shades can help.
- Ceiling fans (and other fans) help you stay comfortable—but only while you’re in the room. The fan motors actually generate heat, so turn them off when you’re not there.
- Use a bath fan vented to the outside to remove the heat and moisture created by showering. If you don’t have a bath fan, have one installed its useful for many reasons.
- Mike recently talked about keeping cool in the kitchen; use an exhaust fan to remove heat and moisture created by cooking. This has the added benefit of removing pollutants, especially if you cook with gas.
- Use efficient lighting and appliances. Incandescent and halogen lights actually use most of their energy creating heat instead of light. Not only does this means you’re overpaying for lighting, but in the summer you’re creating a lot of unwanted heat in the rooms you’re trying to keep cool. Compact florescent light bulbs are good LED’s are even better.
- Do you have a forced air heating or cooling system? If so, make sure to seal and insulate the ductwork in attics and crawl spaces. As much as 30% of the air you cool can escape outside through leaky ducts.
- Insulate and air-seal your attic. In the summer, temperatures in the attic often climb to more than 140o. Proper insulation can keep this heat from conducting down into your home, but first… Remember that your insulation only works if air isn’t moving through it. Seal around chimneys, flues, plumbing penetrations, and recessed lighting, for example. See our earlier post Insulate to Stay Cool .
- As we mentioned recently with a central air-conditioner it’s important to keep it tuned up—EPA and DOE recommending maintenance every year. If it’s more than 10 years old, consider replacing with a high-efficiency unit, one that at least qualifies for ENERGY STAR. If you buying a window air-conditioner or dehumidifier, look for the ENERGY STAR, too.
- Planting deciduous trees on the south and west sides of a house can help keep your home cool in the summer. In many parts of the country, maples, oaks, and birches are good trees to consider. Because they drop their leaves in the fall, they let sunlight through to help warm your house in the winter. Landscaping is about more than looks!
- New low-e windows with a low “solar heat gain coefficient” (SHGC) can block the heat from the sun but may be a costly measure if that’s the only reason you’re replacing them.
To really find the trouble spots in your home, and to be sure that they’re addressed properly, get a comprehensive home assessment. GreenHomes America can provide this, and GreenHomes trained and certified crews can even install your improvements.
And remember that after a home is tightened up, combustion equipment like furnaces and water heaters should be tested to make sure they’re running safely and efficiently. GreenHomes does this testing on every project it completes.
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Tags:air conditioning, air-sealing, energy-efficiency, heat wave, home energy audit, insulation, LED lighting, windows
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
January 31, 2011
First Tunisia. Now Egypt. Many are concerned about instability moving to other areas. Unrest in the Middle East is adding uncertainty in oil markets–and higher prices. Prices jumped a few percent on Friday. Talk radio this morning had a couple predictions of oil moving as high as $150/barrel in the next couple of months. That seems like pure speculation to me, but I don’t think it’s crazy to expect oil prices to climb. They nosed up to near $100/barrel already today in London.
This is certain to increase talks of energy policy in Washington. I got “news” for homeowners, though. We’re not going to drill ourselves out of this one. That may help, but by itself, it’s not a solution. And if you’re a homeowner who heats with fuel oil (like many in the Northeast or Upper Midwest in particular), a decision to start drilling in every possible location in the U.S. probably doesn’t help you for at least a couple of years if at all. It won’t take a lot of perturbation in the market to see fuel oil price to spike to $4-5/gallon. And that could devastate homeowners, with monthly energy bill perhaps even exceeding mortgage payments.
I may sound like a broken record on this, but your household’s security is tied to energy-efficiency. Collectively, so is our national security. You should take a hard look at making improvements right now. Don’t panic. But take the right steps, make smart investments in air-sealing, insulation, furnace, boilers, etc. and protect yourself and your family from instability in the world markets.
Thanks,
Mike
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Tags:$100/barrel, Egypt, energy-efficiency, home energy audit, oil prices, Tunisia, unrest in Middle East
Posted in Economics, Energy / Efficiency / Renewables, Energy Geeks / Energy Policy, News, Oil / Coal / Natural Gas | 1 Comment »
January 7, 2011
It is usually around this time of year that people start to realize that they need to do something about their home heating system. You have probably already received your first major heating bill of the year, and are no doubt conscious of the fact that things are only going to get worse in the months to come. So what are your options?
Many people are surprised to find that a well-qualified and equipped HVAC contractor can successfully complete work on your house in the dead of winter. If your wallet is already feeling the strain of the heating season the first thing to do is to have a home energy audit. And contractors who use IR technology to complete energy efficiency audits are actually happy to do this in winter because the high contrast in in-door to out-door temperature (generally) leads to high quality IR images.
In many cases increasing insulation in your attic and walls, and sealing cracks and gaps that allow hot air to escape and cold air to enter, will have the most bang for your buck, and can lower your bills more than replacing the heating system in your house. There are some cases, however, when forking out the dough for a new heating system is the best bet.
Choosing a heating system is not nearly as easy as it sounds—especially since many homes have systems that weren’t properly spec-ed, sized, or installed. The local climate, the architecture and existing infrastructure of your house, the cost of the system, and the cost and availability of different fuels will all come into play in your decision. The many choices available and the long-term nature of your decision is why it is important to have a professional guiding you through the process.
Even if you are a competent handy-person and have done your research in order to choose the best system for your house, it is advisable to have a professional install the unit, or at the very least do a comprehensive check of your work to ensure the safety of your home. Carbon Monoxide in the home is extremely dangerous and not something worth risking.
If you need a new heating system for your home you might be a bit baffled by all options available to you. In the next few week I’ll explain some of the more common heating systems available to you.
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Tags:boiler, carbon monoxide, energy audit, energy-efficiency, furnace, home energy audit, home heating, replacing boiler, replacing furnace
Posted in Air-Sealing, Boilers, Energy Audits, Furnaces, Insulation | Leave a Comment »
November 14, 2010
As part of our new website approach (stay tuned, the new version should go live before Thanksgiving), we have begun populaing the GreenHomes America YouTube channel with some classics, some new videos, and there are several additional pieces being shot right not in the field. Do feel free to check ‘em out!
Thanks,
Mike
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Tags:energy audit, green homes, GreenHomes, GreenHomes America, home energy audit, video, YouTube
Posted in Energy Audits, GreenHomes America | Leave a Comment »
Some of you out there may know builders, home inspectors, Realtors, Bankers and Students, or may be one yourself. Well, we all have something in common, “homes!” We live in them, own them, rent them, some work on them and we sure know when they are not working right.
