High Efficiency Posts

Spring Maintenance Checklist

March 20th, 2017

Is your house ready for spring? Although this winter has brought us an unusual amount of school-canceling, perilous-driveway-navigating, and downright gloomy weather, spring is inevitable. And while this light at the end of the tunnel may seem miles and miles away, the last thing we want is for the warmer weather to take us (and […]

Air conditioning, Annual Maintenance, Blog, Crawl Spaces, Healthy Home, Healthy Homes, High Efficiency, High Efficiency Systems, Home Improvement, IAQ, Indoor Air Quality, Insulation, moisture, Mold, Windows

Go Geothermal

February 21st, 2017

Looking for an efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly heating/cooling system? A geothermal heat pump is the greenest way to go. The basics Even though the air temperature fluctuates a significant amount over the seasons, the ground absorbs nearly half the suns energy, keeping a more consistent temp under the surface. Geothermal heat pumps take […]

Blog, Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Geothermal, High Efficiency, High Efficiency Systems, Incentives, ROI, savings

How important is a “Home Energy Checkup”?

January 20th, 2016

Only if you believe that a “leaky home” can waste money And you should! Whether you are heating or cooling your home, leaky homes can waste your hard-earned dollars! The best way to evaluate your home is to have it professionally tested. Home energy assessments, home energy audits and home energy check-ups are all pretty […]

Blower Door Testing, Community Energy Challenge, Energy Audit, Energy Efficiency, Energy Star, Fuel Costs, Heating, High Efficiency, Home Improvement, Understanding Energy Efficiency

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

Understanding Efficiency Ratings of Furnaces

July 18th, 2013

A central furnace or boiler’s efficiency is measured by annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). The Federal Trade Commission requires new furnaces or boilers to display their AFUE so consumers can compare heating efficiencies of various models. AFUE is a measure of how efficient the appliance is in the energy in its fuel over the course […]

AFUE, Cascade Natural Gas, CNG, Condensing Furnaces, Furnace Replacement, High Efficiency, rebates