This week I was honored to be included in Leah Thayer’s “Best Practices” post on Daily 5 Remodel. For those of you who may not Leah she has earned the respect from many of us in the building & remodeling industries over the last 20 years as an award-winning business journalist. She grew up in […]
Ventilation Strategies for Renovating & Retrofitting Work
When one is renovating their homes, one has to deal with a simple fact of life – dust is going to get kicked up. The issue doesn’t simply stop with dust though, as asbestos, mold, lead, animal droppings and other items might also be involved. To top that off one also has all the fumes […]
Safety Sunday: Building Safety Month; Energy & Green Building
May is quiet an interesting month – one of the most notable items is it’s the only month in the year where the first lands on a day not shared by any other month & the same also applies to the last day. So for example, in 2012 no other month starts on a Tuesday […]
Going Off-Grid in the 21st Century – Taking out the Trash
For many of us we simply bag up the trash, throw it in the container outside & it’s handled. For many living in very rural areas there might not be any service, which is where many of the current off-grid homes are located. This generally leaves many individuals to consider of 3 well known options; […]
RIP: The Recessed Light
Last month we started a new series where we figuratively get to place certain myths, misconceptions, or products to rest. Within the last month with a spate of ice dams, problems trying to insulate around older ones, the costs to replace, and many locals trying to come to terms with the new Energy Code, many […]
Day 3 & 4: AEE CEA Training & the Test
Ahhh, traditions… Just like the other classes, I have written about, we are combining the last two days together which generally includes a final written test. So when is 150 questions, not really a 150 questions – well, that is when you take the CEA test. However, before we get to the final test, let’s […]
Day 2: AEE CEA Training
Talk about flying, whereas yesterday we only covered three chapters, we knocked out five of them today and finished early. The bulk of these chapters all dealt with the Heating and Cooling of the building, with a crash course on motors and drives thrown in the middle. As a quick FYI – the picture above […]
Day 1: AEE CEA Training
Wow, don’t you just love all these acronyms? In short, AEE stands Association of Energy Engineers, and the CEA stands for Certified Energy Auditor. But wait, didn’t you just become certified by RESNET & BPI just last year? While, I was not planning on taking any classes during this year, with the exception of a […]
Insulating your Basement
Last year we started a series on Air Sealing that took a look at some of the basics like; how to find the leaks inside your house, what tools and basic materials required to air seal your house, and some tips & tricks on how to seal up the air leaks inside your house & […]
Energy Myths & Why the ball needs to be carried!
“Truths, half-truths, and nothing but lies”, “are they blind, wearing shaded or rose colored glasses”, “is it a myth, misconception, or…”, are just a few terms you might here from someone that is either really involved in or looking into the “green” arena. In many cases, it can be hard to tell as many of […]