March 2013 Blog Posts (19)

There are not as many contractors out there as you would expect that are current with the most recent, and always updating, residential building code.  Particularly when it comes to the sizing limitations for HVAC equipment, most contractors consider this minimum requirement by law nothing more than a nuisance.  There is nothing more frustrating to see in a quality control role than a system that was sold, sized, and installed prior to the start of the system design process.  Completing a…

Ok, I have had a couple programmable thermostats in the past... But, once again about 11 months ago I was doing my weekly (sometimes daily) stroll through the neighborhood 'big-box' home improvement store and back in the back past the garden section there is this little…

What house has a built in energy meter?  The YesHaus of course!  This is like having a speedometer on your home and a way to record and measure your energy use.  What better way to know where you stand and what to expect on your bill?  The image you see is from an actual YesHaus reading that we took on March 21.

Look at how low the readings are on each gauge shown. This screenshot of the actual dashboard indicates a predicted home heating cost of only $9.19 for the…

MyEnergy.com

This site is supposed to be the next big thing. You give it your electric co. and water co. names and passwords. It delivers a free & pretty usage report to you. It promises you all these local friends that you will get together with at the local speakeasy to talk about home…

Things are really moving along on the Proud Green…

Background

Ok, back in November 2012 I stumbled into my local 'big-box' home improvement store with an extra $1,000 USD to burn and without any research or pre-planning I purchased 35 LED bulbs to replace my incandescent and CFL bulbs. I was way tired of continually replacing a couple CFLs time and time again and the 25,000-50,000 hours of lifetime sparked my interest and put a $1K hole in my wallet. At a burn time average of 3-hours per day that is 22-45 years of…

A sudden Change in the routine is very common; some are predictable while others are not. Even if predictions are made they are not sure to happen and a great example for this would be weather conditions. It is unpredictable and even the most effective of meteorologists cannot predict what weather condition ahead of 2 weeks. One unanticipated major storm can bring heavy rains and some inches of water could make flooding an anxiety for homeowners a lot of thus for those dwelled in low-lying…

Since Oct. 2012, maize prices impacted via a series of things like executive policy improve, maize storage, and provide, stay emerging in Jilin province, the biggest commercial crop manufacturing base in China. Outbreak of month and windstorm impacted provide of maize and also accelerate expected maize value. Many maize processing apparatus suppliers complain in regards to the emerging price and insufficient maize provide. Farmer suffered from month and windstorm mentioned that they needed…

Reposted from i.e., the Center for Energy and Environment's Innovation Exchange blog -- http://mncee.org/Innovation-Exchange/ie/

Some energy efficiency improvements can create safety concerns, so our…

When it comes to nature, it is a must that you go by its way to survive. Likewise natural disasters can’t be stopped but taking effective measures for it will help you continue to exist. With regards to flood it is a must that you protect your house in order to survive after it is all over. In view of the fact that, your home is usually your most valuable asset, it is important to be alert when hiring a foundation repair contractor to work on it.…

If you haven't been paying attention, LED's for the home are dropping in price like crazy. 

I first put up a post on the best LED A19 bulb for 60-W and 40-W replacements with pricing pulled from Amazon.

But then Cree came out with their bulb and totally blew the field…

The announcement below highlights a very exciting opportunity in the multifamily housing industry. We still have a need for more Multifamily Building Operator applicants. Specifically, we are seeking individuals who have experience with multifamily buildings in the following capacities:

• Oversight and management of third-party contractors for equipment maintenance, repair, and installation
• Tenant engagement through apartment inspections and management of…

Friends and Colleagues 

I'm happy to announce the release of my new book, "The Homeowner's Energy Handbook".

The book is written for a varied audience and is split between energy efficiency and renewable energy topics. I hope it might be something that you or your customers might find…

Before BPI Certification, this problem probably would not have been noticed or understood. The home occupants were a 96 year old woman and her elderly & disabled son.…

Check it out: From Wine to Worms.

What do you guys think?

We are an energy consultancy business based in Scotland, UK, our building codes are tightening and becoming more onerous, many issues you guys have been dealing with for many years are now part of our codes: air tightness thermal imaging and modelling of buildings to name a few.

My objective is to find like minded experienced consultants and or potential product partners to work within the UK & Ireland

Atlanta, Georgia has a reputation for getting pretty darn hot, but it can also get pretty dang cold (No snickering from you Northerners, please!). Believe it or not, Atlantans use more energy to heat their homes than they do to cool them. The design temperature set by …

The dramatic decline in the price allows renewable energy to become increasingly competitive with fossil fuels worldwide, according to a recent survey conducted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA ).



 The report, published at the time of holding the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, made projections that the cost of manufacturing technology for more types of renewable energy sources will continue increasing to fall in the coming years.…

Most of us will agree that it’s technically feasible to build homes that consume dramatically less energy than today’s typical home. And in most locations we can build a home that draws net zero energy from the utility. But it’s economics that makes us hesitate. Specifically, it’s the value of those energy savings. Can the additional investment be offset by anticipated reductions in energy costs? It’s the same thing for retrofits of existing homes: Do the lower energy bills justify the…