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The Hardest Insulating Job Ever
I’ve done a bunch of home weatherizing and insulating projects over the years; let me tell you about the worst.
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Drainage on Exterior Walls
Last week I wrote about “deep-energy retrofits”—strategies for dramatically reducing the energy consumption of an existing house. In northern climates, such retrofits often involve adding a layer of rigid insulation…
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Deep-Energy Retrofits
Starting in the 1970s, following the first energy crisis, major weatherization programs were launched to tighten up American homes. The Weatherization Assistance Program of the U.S. Department of Energy, which…
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How Tight is Too Tight?
As houses get tighter, they becaome less able to 'breathe' on their own -- they need mechanical ventilation. Put another way, energy efficient houses deserve healthy indoor air.
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How Much Insulation is Needed?
Standard residential construction in much of the country is 2x4 framing with fiberglass insulation, achieving a paltry R-10 or so in the walls. If insulation is installed at all on…
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Getting Ready for Winter?
But summer has hardly started! As we fire up the grill and hope that the rain will let up enough for us to enjoy summer, we should also remember that…
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One Year Later
When I started writing this weekly column for the Brattleboro Reformer one year ago this week, the price of oil was spiraling to an all-time high of $147 per barrel.…
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Waiting for Hot Water
Over the past several weeks, I’ve written about water conservation as a strategy for saving energy and examined a number of water heating options. This week, we’ll look at the…
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Off-Peak Electric Water Heating
Twenty-five years ago, if you had predicted that I might be suggesting that electric water heating could be a good option, I’d have asked what you were smoking. I agreed…
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Using Your Heating System to Heat Water
Continuing our series on water heating, this week we’ll look at two options for heating water with the home’s central boiler. First some terminology: boilers heat water or produce steam…
