The US census bureau puts the world population at just shy of 7 billion people. Of these 7 billion, the number who will pay your utility bills is probably even smaller than the number who have been in your kitchen. Today we’re going to kick off the first in a series looking at people who don’t pay your utility bills, […]
All posts tagged Performance
What the heck is attic air-sealing?
What the heck is attic air-sealing? We get that question a lot. The striking thing about attic air-sealing, is that it’s probably the single most beneficial thing you can do to your house. Per dollar spent, air-sealing will result in the biggest energy savings. It will also improve comfort, by reducing the temperature discrepancies between floors and across rooms. By […]
Category Construction, News
Tags Air Sealing, Energy, Insulation, Performance
Testing Accuvent Cathedral Baffles
Here’s a video we made of us testing accuvent cathedral baffles. Pretty fun day, but we’re probably not going totally viral with this one. Nevertheless, building geeks might find it interesting. Prior to the test, I really thought that the baffles would crumble. Not the first time I’ve been wrong. You may notice a little bit of cellulose seepage on […]
Category Construction, News
Tags Insulation, Performance, Stuff
Put that in your energy modeling software and smoke it!
Here’s a photo I took a few months ago during an energy retrofit. Yup, that’s 110F supply air from the furnace being dumped into the unconditioned attic (for thermal purposes what we call “outdoors”). The most plausible explanation is that this was an attempt to fix a cold master bedroom a few feet away. To make matters worse, the duct […]
Category Construction, News
Tags Bad, Cooling, Energy, Heating, Performance
Energy Efficiency and Taxes
With the federal stimulus package there’s been a lot of talk about government money being used for energy improvements. A lot of builders (including Tay River) have been focused on energy efficiency for a long time. As a teenager, my first construction job was for an insulation contractor in eastern Ontario. We’d occasionally work on R-2000 homes, which were part […]
Category Energy Efficiency, News
Tags Efficiency, Performance
Heat-loss Diagnostics for Cavemen: Part 1
Despite my letter to the Journal of Light Construction last year, I think energy audits are tremendously valuable. We’ve recently started using blower door tests and thermal imaging on some of our work, and so far, the results are excellent. Heat loss in buildings is weirdly unpredictable, so if you have access to a company with these tools, I recommend […]
Category Energy Efficiency, News
Tags Cavemen, Efficiency, Performance, Roof
Heat-loss Diagnostics for Cavemen: Part 2
Despite my letter to the Journal of Light Construction last year, I think energy audits are tremendously valuable. We’ve recently started using blower door tests and thermal imaging on some of our work, and so far, the results are excellent. Heat loss in buildings is weirdly unpredictable, so if you have access to a company with these tools, I recommend […]
Category Energy Efficiency, News
Tags Efficiency, Performance, Roof
Why Vinyl Replacement Windows Aren’t For You
So your house is getting on in years, and you’re thinking it could use a face-lift. One of the projects you’re considering is replacing all the windows in your house. Where to start? The purpose of this article is to give you the tools you need to make an informed decision. Ask Yourself Why? What are you hoping to accomplish […]
Category News, Process
Tags Builders, Efficiency, Performance, Quality, Windows
Best Practice
Selecting a builder is tough, particularly for a the quality conscious homeowner. Most builders know the right things to say, so initial meetings are about as awkward as slow dancing with your high school ex. If you’re interviewing builders, you’ll probably hear a lot of this classic, “we’re not cheap, but we do quality work.” Yeah thanks, I haven’t heard […]
