David Eakin's Page

"Here's a very recent article on Green Building Advisor that reinforces the issues to this problem: Green Building Advisor article"

"Dennis, I agree that occupant usage skews historic energy usage records, but what better way is there for a potential home buyer to get a "ballpark" picture of energy usage?  I have also seen some interesting technology shelved due to…"

"Dennis, I well understand the difference in operating costs, but I was referring to the general perception (sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly) of total cost of ownership, which includes initial purchase price, running costs, anticipated repairs…"

"Elisa, I am seeing a radical shift in viewpoint among many Americans in general - that from an "owner" mentality to a "renter" mentality. An owner thinks about maintaining their physical possessions in good working order; in…"

"Sandra, Who places photos in the MLS? Real estate agents. What is the real estate mantra? "No house is a bad house, it just needs the right customer" regardless of how terrible the condition or how large an energy hog. No real estate agent…"

"Chris, Thanks so much for the link to Houzz - I was completely ignorant of it until now. Huge repository of remodeling info/photos/contractors. But I wonder how visible it is to the general public, and it doesn't look like many home…"

"OK - he kept the boilers, but the labor to extend the returns to every radiator would have been a tremendous labor/material cost (not to mention eyesore). And how did the hot water get to the radiators?  He would have needed to add at least 2…"

"I am also very interested in the comments as I have been living in a 1930's two-story home with a single-pipe steam/natural gas system for over 30 years.  I have also done some extensive air sealing and insulating (but I know more can…"

"Tom, I'd like one also! Like you, I am where I am - in a 1930's double-wythe brick house with a great deal of large windows.  So you do what you can; where it makes sense.  I switched from oil heat/domestic hot water to natural…"

"Tom - but at a rate of about 760,000 total new homes built in the USA (which, again, will be with us for the next 100 years), it is a very small success.  And now with Energy Star for New Homes V3, many previous builders are dropping from the…"

"I wish the USA had a singular building code like you do in the UK.  I'm not familiar with the details of your building code, but it is much easier to update/change/enforce if there is only 1. And if energy costs keep doublling every 5…"

"Noah, I am a little further north than you, also have a BPI cert, have a business mgmt degree (from Eastern) and have been working as an auditor for about 3 years now.  Listen to the responses - audit only is not a good business…"

"Patrick, You don't mention the ages/physical conditions of the HOs, but I'm assuming they would not like an onerous Spring/Fall fan install/removal routine.  I have seen several dual-fan window units that seem to be fairly light…"

"Forget about the storm door - it is already sinking huge amounts of heat to the outside in winter and does not add much of an air seal in the present desired condition.  I'd concentrate on the wood entry door - block off the outside…"

"Chris,  How do you know that these two advertising methods are the most successful for you? Have you done a stratification survey with your clients to see how they came to you originally?  If not, do not rely on some other party's Web…"