Energy Wise Wish List 110118
What Would You Ask For? I've been invited to a meeting of national thought leaders. We are being asked to show what we are doing to reduce energy use in the United States. I'm working on my presentation and would like to hear your thoughts. My contact at DOE has visited Fresno and knows what we do, so he knows that my presentation will be "outside the box" and quite different from most of the rest of the presenters who will be promoting certifications, rebates, ratings, etc... none of which we use. Rather our message is basically, "turn the American free enterprise spirit...Continue Reading!
Decisions Making: Energy Wise & Otherwise 110125
503 Scott Clovis CA Options Tonight Rob and I will discuss the decision making processes that are going in to our current renovation project at 503 Scott in Clovis, CA... especially around the Comfort System. Of course we would like to have all the decisions made before we start, but this one threw us a curve... A buyer came along. We love buyers and having the job pre-sold. (That happens about half the time) But buyers almost always want to change things. This one assured us that she wouldn't want to change very much, and at first she didn't. Now, most recently she...Continue Reading!
Manual J The Easy Way 110201
Manual J and HVAC WrightSoft Last week we discussed how the buyers request to condition her garage, 444 more square feet, brought the Manual J load calculations front and center to our thinking. Before, we knew the smallest Mini Split Heat Pump would work. Now, we had to know our total heat load exactly. Could we still get the job done with the smallest Mini Split? Our HVAC contractor, Gary Richardson re measured and confirmed everything and fired up his WrightSoft Manual J computer program and confirmed that we could still heat and cool the project, even after they convert the...Continue Reading!
Success Stories: Lee Siebert 5815 E. Shields Fresno CA 110222
80 Year Old House Flipper This is our friend, Lee Siebert at 5815 E Sheilds. You may have met Lee at the last field trip. Lee liked the house and saw so much potential ($47K in "our" neighborhood where we've been selling for $160)... so we sold it to him. He's now more than half done, learning Home Performance as he goes along, and excited to get on to his next one. He's chosen to do most of the work himself and says he's lost 20 pounds. We'll have photos of work in process and interview Lee tonight. This will be...Continue Reading!
Getting Started in Energy Wise House Flipping: Q & A 110301
Energy Wise Flipping Do's and Dont's I've received two requests in the last week from people just starting out on the road to saving the planet as energy wise investors. GreenEarthEquities wants to make Green Residential House Flipping as easy and painless as possible for those ready to start saving the Planet one foreclosed house at a time. So this Tuesday's webinar will be dedicated to answering their questions and some of these: What do I do first? Where do I find the money? How do I find the right realtor? How do I know a good realtor? When am I ready to start making offers? Is the...Continue Reading!
Forum on Dry Climate Home Performance 110308
Expo Notes Dave sends his greetings from Redding California's Forum on Dry Climate Home Performance. This years expo features some of the best minds in the business hoping to develop a strategy on practicing and teaching the "house as a system concept." Experts in "building science" are expecting to find common ground in implementing energy wise concepts through continued education, offering technical solutions and fostering a teamwork mentality. Recognizing the right approach to high performance must deliver true measured results, these industry leaders are looking for the what really works in the marketplace. As the first of several March seminars and speaking engagements...Continue Reading!
Energy Wise Insulation 110315
503 Scott Shell Sealing & More Dave will be in the air on the way to Atlanta to speak with some DOE folks. So Rob and Rogelio will be bringing an update on the 503 Scott project. Both additions are done. The roof with high and low venting is done. The pool's plastered, and the Mini Split is installed. There will be lots of photos of the special ductwork inside as well as some unique methods of shell sealing and clear view of what happens when there is broken plumbing under a slab. This is going to be a really great call,...Continue Reading!
REWG Webinar 110317
Green Renovation and Profits Dave Robinson, principal of GreenEarthEquities will speak about the unique opportunity to do deep energy retrofits presented by the current wave of foreclosures. This is an opportunity for Green Hearted Investors... not so much for contractors. Dave will share how his firm has bought, renovated and sold a dozen homes with 30 to 50% savings and even 90% on one Near Zero Energy Home. He will point out the significant advantages that the Investor has over the typical Home Performance Contractor and the different approaches to Home Performance that each will bring to a project. To download this...Continue Reading!
Manual J Calculation Training 110322
Manual J Envelope Variables A look at a project that is being renovated right now. Andrew, Fred, Roxy and Victor are working away on a triplex in York, Nebraska, so we'll have photos and stories of Planet Saving Adventures from the heartland. Most importantly, we'll run a Manual J calculation to see if the project can be heated and cooled by the 25 SEER Fujitsu Mini Split Heat Pump. It's the most efficient model readily available... the only problem is that the largest the most efficient model comes in is 12,000 btu. We'll be tweaking all the envelope variables that are still available...Continue Reading!
503 Scott HVAC and Plumbing 110329
503 Scott Project Manager Update Dave's speaking at the ACI National Home Performance Conference in San Francisco today so our project manager and I will be hosting tonight's webinar. Be sure to look him up and say hi if you're attending. Rogelio Covarrubias will providing a hands on update on our extensive 503 Scott, Clovis CA energy wise renovation. Two weeks ago we discussed our standard whole house shell sealing and insulation procedures. Tonight we'll continue with picture documentation of several HVAC choices and plumbing hurdles we faced on this property. I'll be hosting once again and Rogelio will be available to answer...Continue Reading!
By Dave Robinson
By Jack Frost
By Andrew Martinez
By Debra Little