
Spotlight Article:
Bailey Family Earns Bragging Rights
Our attempt to improve the energy efficiency of our home began in 2008, after the electrical portion of our utility bill soared over $400. We had long been resigned to a steep energy bill, in part because ...
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Energy Ratings for Rental Units
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If a property’s energy use were made visible, would that be sufficient incentive to convince landlords to invest in energy-efficient capital improvements? That’s the question ... [continue reading]

Weather Data Getting Cloudy
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In the last two decades, researchers have relied increasingly on computer programs such as DOE-2 and BLAST to analyze building energy use. For example, simulations can be used to extrapolate building energy performance from limited measured energy data, or to weather normalize predicted savings in energy management or shared savings contracts. [continue reading]

Solving a Chimney Moisture Problem
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In September 1998, roofer Kevin Fischer, carpenter/painter Bill Coyle, and I were called to help out on an 80-year-old, three-story, wood frame house located in southern New Jersey. [continue reading]

Calculating Water Heater Energy Use
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Have you ever wanted to calculate how much energy a water heater would use annually in a given household? To make this task easier, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has developed a straightforward equation that produces results close to those of simulation programs--without their baffling complexity. [continue reading]

Program Assesses Contractor Work in California
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A new project will use building diagnostic equipment and techniques to assess the installation quality of energy features in new California homes. [continue reading]

Insulation in the heating system--A Source of Black Stains
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Stains in homes have many different sources. In my job as an industrial hygienist, I have seen a wide variety of substances that can create stains, including mold growth, vehicle exhaust, combustion appliances, tobacco smoke, cooking fumes, and even candles (see "Black Stains in Houses: Soot, Dust, or Ghosts?" HE Jan/Feb '98, p. 15). [continue reading]



Macie Melendez
Adventures in Blower Door Testing
When Steve Mann (of Home Energy Services) asks you to come along for the first blower door testing in a ...



























