Spotlight Article:
When Above Average Is Not Good Enough
Let’s imagine two neighboring families on a residential block—the Joneses and the Smiths. Their homes are of comparable size and age, and both are families of four, living typical middle-class lifestyles. ...
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Home Energy Audits--Only a Web Site Away
Fifteen forward-looking utilities are offering their residential customers a chance to perform energy audits on their own homes, any time of the day, for free. The customers can simply go to the utility's Web site, enter their utility account number, and spend 30 minutes answering questions on-line about their home, appliances, and usage patterns. [continue reading]
Massachusetts Audits: MORE SMILES THAN SAVINGS
Massachusetts is the hold-out. When the federal Residential Conservation Service law expired in 1990, most states got rid of mandatory home energy audits. But a 1980 state law still requires Massachusetts electric and gas utilities to provide home energy audits to customers on demand, paid for by a surcharge on energy bills. [continue reading]
Pressure Pans: New Uses and Old Fundamentals
Duct leakage continues to be one of the biggest home performance problems, so duct sealing retrofits are in steady demand. Here at Ecotope and Delta-T, we've discovered a way for advanced duct sealers to speed up their diagnostics. [continue reading]
Sick Houses: Using Diagnostic Tools to Improve Indoor Air Quality
"Sick building syndrome" is caused by everything from dangerous molds to meteorological occurrences. Improving the indoor air quality of these buildings calls for careful diagnostics and even more careful removal of and repairs to problem areas. [continue reading]
THE CASE OF THE CO LEAK: Solving the Mysteries of Carbon Monoxide Exposures
A colorless, odorless, flavorless, nonirritating gas, carbon monoxide (CO) causes more poisoning deaths today than any other substance. [continue reading]
The Rage for Aquaria
Residential energy auditors often dismiss or overlook aquaria in their assessments. Yet nearly one in every 12 households owns at least one aquarium. [continue reading]
Power Factors Revealed
When it comes to power, not all electrical appliances are created equal. To find out how much power an appliance consumes, energy auditors occasionally multiply line voltage by the current reading obtained from a clamp-on ammeter. [continue reading]
Data Loggers: An Interview with Some Heavy Users
The first data loggers were human. When labor was cheap, students and others were hired to sit next to wattmeters and record the reading every 15 minutes. Data loss occurred for various reasons, such as boredom. [continue reading]
Building Performance Journal Editors
Our Blog Has Moved
Thanks for your interest in contributing a blog to the Building Performance Journal (formerly Home Energy magazine). We’re ...
Jim Gunshinan
Is Energy Efficiency an American Value?
Energy efficiency is good for the economy, good for families, good for workers, and good for the environment.
