Energy Efficiency Posts

HVAC Helper – A Glossary for Homeowners

March 9th, 2015

HVAC HELPER A glossary for homeowners or business-owners thinking about heating, air conditioning, and home performance AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) – AFUE is the rated efficiency of a combustion furnace. For example, a 95% AFUE model loses 5% of its produced heat up the chimney. In other words, $1 of fuel combusted in an […]

Comfort, Customer Service, DIY, Duct Problems, Ductless Heat Pumps, easy, Energy Efficiency, Furnace Replacement, glossary, Healthy Home

Home Performance Financing 101

February 6th, 2015

Is all this talk about Energy Upgrades and Home Performance getting you down because you’d love to make improvements to your home, but lack the finances to make it happen? Believe it or not, we were in the same boat (even though we both work in the industry). We were aware of the enormous benefits of […]

Clean Home, CNG, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Financing, Green Living, Health, Healthy Home, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Incentives, Indoor Air Quality, PSE Rebate, rebates, Sick House, Weatherization

Annual Furnace Service (Part I of our Annual Maintenance Series!)

December 31st, 2014

Most of us are pinching pennies after the holidays. This means that home maintenance services that aren’t absolutely necessary often get pushed to the back burner. I’ve heard many folks (myself included!) wonder things like “Is annual maintenance really necessary for my furnace,” or “couldn’t I do that myself and save some money?” These are great questions! Let’s demystify annual HVAC […]

Allergies, Annual Maintenance, Clean Home, Comfort, DIY, Dust, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Furnaces, Health, Home Performance, Indoor Air Quality

The Right Ventillation Keeps the Home (and you!) Healthy

October 16th, 2014

A Heat Recovery Ventilator efficiently sends fresh, healthy air into a tightly sealed home, while removing stale air that can cause a slew of health problems. And it does all this while capturing the heat of the discharged air and warming the fresh clean air at the same time. This article from 360Chestnut accurately describes the importance […]

Clean Home, Duct Problems, Energy Efficiency, Green Living, Home Performance, Ventilation

The Real Deal on Energy Saving Gadgets

August 28th, 2014

This is probably the best article I’ve read for an overview on all those heavily pushed gadgets and doodads that get sold as “home energy solutions.” From ACHR News Do Energy-saving Products Actually Save Customers Energy? HVAC Contractors Need to Educate Consumers By Joanna R. Turpin August 18, 2014 All homeowners want to save money on […]

attic fans, Energy Audit, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Home Performance, Insulation, radiant barrier

Home Performance: More Than an Energy Audit

May 26th, 2014

Forward thinkers understand Energy Auditing. An energy auditor looks at your energy useage, your house and prescribes behaviors and equipment that will help bring down your total energy consumption. What most people are confused on is what makes Home Performance different. A recent video by Corbett Lunsford of the Chicago Green Dream Group spells it […]

Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, heat flow, Home Performance, Home Testing, IAQ, Indoor Air Quality, moisture, negative pressure

The Most Stringent Building Energy Standard in the World

May 9th, 2014

Passive House (Passivhaus in German) is the most stringent building energy efficiency standard in the world. It is not just an energy code or energy design but is integrated with the architectural design of the building to create a wholistic approach to reducing the building’s heating losses and thus decrease the need for expensive mechanical heating […]

Blower Door, Energy Efficiency, Energy Use, ERV, High Efficiency, Home Performance, Home Testing

The Importance of Air Sealing Attic Penetrations

April 30th, 2014

Can light sealing by CAZ Energy Services. Photo: Hunter Hassig Many times when homeowners are looking at home improvement solutions for cold spots or high energy bills they think insulation. While insulating your attic and crawl space sub-floor up to code standards is very important for whole home comfort and energy efficiency it is insufficient […]

Comfort, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Home Performance, IAQ, Indoor Air Quality, Understanding Energy Efficiency

Light Bulb Buying Guide

March 14th, 2014

Before energy saving light bulbs were so readily available, we would purchase light bulbs based on how many watts or how much energy they used. With newer light bulbs you can achieve the same level of brightness for while using up to 80% less power. When shopping for bulbs today, look for lumens not watts. […]

Comfort, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, Lighting