The most rigorous way to locate duct leaks is with a blower door or similar analysis performed by a professional. This analysis measures the magnitude of your duct leakage and identifies its location. Some companies offer ductwork sealing services with a follow-up blower door check to ensure duct leakage has been reduced to acceptable levels.
A [...]
Occasionally found in duct systems that use joist spaces or other parts of the building structure to channel air flow, blind-alley ducts occur as a result of mistakes made during installation. A blind-alley duct leads nowhere (except possibly to the outside) while the register it was supposed to serve has no source of heat. The [...]
Benefits to Builder:
To the builder, energy efficient homes mean greater profitability. Energy features usually add less than 1% to 2% to construction costs, but greatly increase the marketability of a home. According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders, energy features are a major consideration of today’s home buyer.
Most energy features [...]
Batch water heaters are simpler than any other water heating system, including active, thermosiphon systems, or conventional water heaters. However, they provide less hot water, usually only 15% to 40% of a family’s yearly demand. Batch water heaters combine the collector and storage tank in one box. The box has insulated sides, a glazing cover [...]
The United States could generate as much electricity by 2050 as that flowing today from all of the country’s nuclear power plants by developing technologies that tap heat locked in deep layers of granite, according to a new study commissioned by the energy department.
There are already dozens of power plants worldwide that have long exploited [...]
An energy audit’s purpose is to identify places in the home where energy is being wasted and prioritize the projects needed to fix them.The end result is intended to reduce the amount of energy the home needs to operate and keep occupants comfortable. While the word “audit†may sound ominous, a home energy audit is [...]
Attics should be ventilated year round, to reduce the build-up of heat and moisture. In winter, attic ventilation expels moisture that might otherwise accumulate and deteriorate insulation or other building materials. Don’t be tempted to seal the vents to conserve energy. Sealing them could cause costly moisture damage. In summer, proper ventilation reduces roof and [...]
The easiest answer to the question of where to seal air distribution systems is “just about everywhere.” Here are the key locations to be sealed, in order of priority:
A. Disconnected components, including tears in flex duct, and strained connections between ductwork.
B. All seams in the air handling unit. Also seal the holes in [...]
Air systems use ductwork to distribute heated or cooled air throughout the home. The duct system is a collection of tubes that distribute conditioned air to the home’s rooms. This system can make a big difference in both the cost and the effectiveness of heating and [...]
EAST AMWELL, NEW JERSEY: Michael Strizki heats and cools his house year-round and runs a full range of appliances including such power-guzzlers as a hot tub and a wide-screen TV without paying a penny in utility bills.
His conventional-looking family home in the pinewoods of western New Jersey is the first in the United States to [...]
For most homeowners, the spring cleaning “to do” list should include making sure the home stays cool as the weather gets warm. This may mean inspecting or replacing current air conditioning systems, or possibly installing a new air conditioner.
In any case, the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) contractor selected to inspect, upgrade or install [...]
If too little outdoor air enters a home, pollutants can accumulate to levels that can pose health and comfort problems.
Unless they are built with special mechanical means of ventilation, homes that are designed and constructed to minimize the amount of outdoor air that can “leak” into and out of the home may have higher pollutant [...]
The air-tightness of a home is often indicated by air-change rate; the number of times the home’s air changes over with outside air. For example, if the amount of air that enters and exits in one hour equals the total volume of the heated part of the house, the house is said to undergo one [...]
Health effects from indoor air pollutants may be experienced soon after exposure or, possibly, years later.
Immediate effects may show up after a single exposure or repeated exposures. These include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
Immediate Effects
Such immediate effects are usually short-term and treatable. Sometimes the treatment is simply eliminating the [...]
Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and drains more energy dollars than any other system in your home. Typically, 44 percent of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling. What’s more, heating and cooling systems in the United States together emit over a half billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere [...]
Electric heating systems can be operative but not practical. Your inspector’s concern may have related to efficiency and cost of operation, rather than function.
Electric radiant heat was commonly installed in homes built from the mid-1950s through the early ’70s. In those days, the price of electricity was nominal, and few foresaw the major escalation of [...]
Indoor pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air are the primary cause of indoor air quality problems in homes.
Inadequate ventilation can increase indoor pollutant levels by not bringing in enough outdoor air to dilute emissions from indoor sources and by not carrying indoor air pollutants out of the home. High temperature and [...]
Active water heaters use solar panels or collectors to trap the sun’s heat. Water running through the collectors increases in temperature as it absorbs heat. The warmed water is then pumped to a storage tank. These systems are called “active,” as opposed to “passive,” because they use electric pumps to move the water from the [...]
Lower Water Heater Thermostat and Save Your Energy Bill :-
One of the quickest, easiest and surest energy saving measures is lowering the thermostat setting on your water heater. Although some manufacturers and installers set water heaters at 140°F, settings between 115° and 120°F work fine for many households. That’s about midway between the “low†[...]
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a current buzzword in the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Industry.
We hear about Legionnaire’s disease outbreaks traced to the air conditioning system. Buildings are highlighted on the news as making their tenants sick and it’s referred to as sick building syndrome. Individual homes are linked to increases in allergies [...]
There are several types of radiant heating systems available, including low- and line-voltage electric systems and hydronic floor heating systems.
Under Floor Heating Systems
When heating small areas or under tile, electric heating cable systems make the most sense. The advantages and benefits are far superior to hydronic heating for these types of applications. Electric cable [...]
The average U.S. household spends about $1,300 each year on utility bills. While there are a number of factors that affect energy consumption – efficiency of major appliances, thermostat settings, etc. – it is possible to make a home more energy efficient, creating the potential for big savings on future bills.
Simply by choosing Energy Star-rated [...]
The federal government recommends that homes be weatherized in order to reduce the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling. While weatherization is underway, however, steps should also be taken to minimize pollution from sources inside the home.
In addition, residents should be alert to the emergence of signs of inadequate [...]
Heating a home can be an expensive proposition. Fortunately, several techniques are available to assist us in lowering our energy costs while improving our heating efficiency. The most obvious things to consider include insulation, landscaping, window upgrades, careful selection of appliances, and a properly sized and working heating system.
For safety reasons, any modifications [...]
A Decent Home can be defined as: One which is wind and weather tight, well ventilated, worm and has all modern facilities.
A Decent Home must also meet the following criteria:
• The current statutory minimum standard for housing
• Be in reasonable state of repair
• Have reasonably modern facilities and services
• Provides a reasonable degree of [...]
The ongoing HVAC industry trend toward designing products that both provide cleaner air and do so more efficiently is trickling into the consumer consciousness. “There’s a growing awareness by homeowners about indoor air quality issues and the impact indoor air has on allergies,” says Steve Brown, vice president of marketing at Beutler Corp., a Sacramento, [...]
THE DUCT SYSTEM, used in air heating and air cooling your home, is a collection of tubes that distributes the heated or cooled air to the various rooms.
This system can make a big difference in both the cost and the effectiveness of heating and cooling the home. The duct system can have an important [...]
The following are sources of information about indoor air quality (IAQ) and pollution. Check the availability, prices, and additional shipping and handling charges for publications before ordering. This list was reviewed in March 2000.
Organizations
The American Indoor Air Quality Council (AIAQC)
P. O. Box 11599
Glendale, Arizona 85318-1599
Phone: (800) 942-0832; Fax: (623) 581-6270
Email: info@iaqcouncil.org
World Wide Web: http://iaqcouncil.org
Description:
AIAQC promotes [...]
If you have a natural gas furnace, or any type of fuel-burning appliance, regular professional maintenance can literally save your life.
A properly functioning gas appliance produces harmless water vapor and carbon dioxide, which are vented out of the house. But if a heat exchanger is cracked, a flue pipe is plugged or if [...]
Humidity is the condition of the atmosphere in relation to the water vapour it contains and is a fairly complicated subject to deal with fully, but a few brief notes will help you to understand enough of the subject for our purpose.
Water vapour is always present in the air in varying amounts, [...]