Home Performance Posts

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

Heating Emergency or Scheduled Upgrade – 5 Things to Expect from Your HVAC Comapny

December 3rd, 2014

Recently my Facebook feed has been full of posts beginning “We woke up to a 50 degree (or thereabouts) house! What a time to be left in the lurch!” Murphy’s law says that many families will experience heating problems on the coldest days of the year. However unfair this may seem, I’ve found myself commenting that not all […]

100% Satisfaction Guarantee, Carrier, Climate, Comfy Home, Customer Service, Furnace, Home Performance

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

BPI CEO: Kids Suffering in Our Unhealthy Homes

July 1st, 2014

Our Homes Suck – And That’s Why Our Kids Have Sinus Problems By: Larry Zucker (CEO of the Building Performance Institute) We all know about how stack effect works in homes, but during presentations, I’m always surprised by how many hands are raised in response to the question: “How many of you think you can […]

Air Changes, Air Sealing, Blower Door Testing, CHEE, Filtration, Healthy Homes, Home Performance, IAQ, Indoor Air Quality, Mold

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

Are Windows a Priority?

December 27th, 2013

One of the first industries to jump onto the energy efficiency bandwagon was the window industry. Claims of huge energy savings and increased comfort are touted by the industry as advantages to replacing old windows. While these claims definitely have merit, according to a study done by Michael Blasnik & Associates window replacements fall low […]

Air Changes, Duct Sealing, Home Performance, IAQ, Understanding Energy Efficiency