What Is A Home Energy Rating?
Home Energy Ratings A home energy rating involves an analysis of a home’s construction plans and onsite inspections. Based on the home’s plans, the Home Energy Rater uses an energy efficiency software package to perform an energy analysis of the home’s design. This analysis yields a projected, pre-construction HERS Index. Upon completion of the plan review, the rater will work with the builder to identify the energy efficiency improvements needed to ensure the house will meet ENERGY STAR performance guidelines. The rater then conducts onsite inspections, typically including a blower door test (to test the leakiness of the house) and a duct...Continue Reading!
111011 Be The Building Scientist
Be The Building Scientist Not Just The Lab Rat BTW you get to be the Rat too! Read on to learn more about our latest project. Many in our industry bemoan the fact that there isn't much unbiased & practical data available. Even government funded research tends to have a "laboratory" feel and sometimes fails to give the practical conclusions needed by decision makers. Although we have produced some surprisingly low bills and many happy buyers and renters, it is not quite at the level of a scientific study. The two ends of the spectrum regarding research are the government or university funded study...Continue Reading!
3405 N. Miami Solar Insallation Part 4
Part 4 of a 4 part series on GreenEarthEquities’ solar installation on our rental property located at 3405 N. Miami Fresno, CA 93727. With an already amazingly tight shell seal and insulation package, as well as our trademark Mini-Split HVAC, this 3 Watt Solar System brought the energy usage to near zero! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDuo7Lrt9R4[/youtube]Continue Reading!
Shell Sealing: 1810 Norris Drive E Fresno CA
Discussions on wall and shell seal insulation, literally from the ground up. Dozens of pictures taken from video (one of many soon to be available for G.E.A.R. subscribers) of what shell sealing underneath a house looks like. We also review today's Blower Door testing of the same property as well as answer any of your questions about how this project's progressing. To download this Webex presentation click here. To watch this audio/video presentation you'll need to install the FREE Webex .ARF Player for either Windows or Mac. Continue Reading!
3405 N Miami Fresno CA: Interior Energy, Wow & Done
See for yourself the interior portion of our 30 point Energy, Wow & Done Packages in our beautifully energy wise renovation of a foreclosed home located at 3405 N. Miami in Fresno CA. Originally outfitted with our signature Dual zone Mini-Split HVAC this property is a testimony of how desire and know how can transform neighborhood blight into beauty and efficiency. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dkyFGb9NkM[/youtube]Continue Reading!
Energy: Conserve It, Or Capture It?
I'm sure you've noticed there are two poles of belief about what's important in Residential Energy Conservation ... Basically Conservation or Renewables. The Conservation Camp says, "Design it right, Build it tight, Vent it right, Insulate the heck out of it, and your heating and cooling costs will be so low that you wont really need Renewables (solar, wind, etc). This is the mantra of most Home Performance groups and it makes a lot of sense ... especially in new construction. It's a little more difficult to go "all the way" in retrofit situations where the...Continue Reading!
Oops! I Forgot The Most Cost Effective Green Measure!
On Tuesday's Webinar, I relented and gave a "Top 10" list of Home Performance Measures. As I explained, the danger in this is that not all houses are the same and so they rarely fit perfectly into this type of prescriptive thinking. Even more dangerous is to rely on the list and because everything is checked off, not bother thinking about, "What else could I do?" My challenge was to have everyone think of what they would put on their Top 10. What to add, What to subtract? Even before the end of the webinar, my...Continue Reading!
“Top 10” Home Performance Renovations? What If You Had To Choose?
That was exactly the question that one of the readers from Sacramento asked me last week. I thought it was a good question and worthy of writing an article about. But first the disclaimer and a few caveats. Us humans love lists, especially Top 10 lists. They can be an aid to thinking, especially for the one who has to think them up ... but they can also limit the thinking process if you just follow the 10 point recipe, without thinking why each of the Top 10 made the cut, and whether those same criteria are...Continue Reading!
Green? Greenwashed? Or Just Miss A Few Details?
A Southern California "Green Renovation Home" just got a lot of press and a Congressional Award.... and then the "rest of the story" came out. The home was called Net Zero but actually turned out to be an Energy Hog. What Happened? Here's the article (From a British source.... seems to be arm's length observation) This is exactly the type of press that we dont need in our emerging industry. What can we do to prevent it? See my previous post HERE, agreeing with Henry Gifford that checklist based renovations can miss a few seemingly small pieces...Continue Reading!
Deep Energy Renovation: How Deep Can You Go?
How deep can you go in Deep Energy Renovation? Can you cut the utility bill 50%? 75%? 90%? Can you go all the way to Zero? Where the energy bill is Zero? Can you go even further, and become an energy producer? Of course with enough renewables such as photovoltaic solar or wind power, we can go all the way to Zero and even become a net energy producer. Of course it's possible, especially if you have an unlimited budget. Maybe a research grant or...Continue Reading!
By Dave Robinson
By Jack Frost
By Andrew Martinez
By Debra Little