Because James Brown says so…

August 27th, 2014

The first thing you need to watch when researching home performance: You may now continue your education. Professor Brown has completed his lecture.

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Surprising Facts About Indoor Air Quality

March 24th, 2014

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Air Ducts: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

March 18th, 2014

Your air ducts are one of the most important systems in your home, and if the ducts are poorly sealed or insulated they are likely contributing to higher energy bills. Your home’s duct system is a branching network of tubes in the walls, floors, and ceilings; it carries the air from your home’s furnace and […]

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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. […]

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Sick Building Syndrome

March 11th, 2014

Do you value the health of your employees? More and more office employees are complaining about sick business syndrome (sbs). The EPA defines the term as ” situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause […]

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