The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes
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Coronavirus, Building Science, and Cancer
Well, there's nothing like a little pandemic to completely upend our daily lives as well as our short and long-term outlooks for the future. I've spent far too much time…
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Building Science and the Novel Coronavirus
During a presentation on moisture management at the Better Buildings: Better Business conference this past week in Wisconsin Dells, WI, a builder asked this question: “Given the Relative Humidity Optimum…
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A Perfect Example of Radiant Heat Transfer
On Saturday morning as I was heading out for a run at the Chattahoochee River, I found my car in the condition you see in the photo above. Let's ignore…
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Pete’s Puzzle: Greater Air Leakage After Spray Foam
Here's a funky, but cool little timber-frame house, built in 1987: Being a full cathedral timber frame, the roof deck provides both structure and interior finish with all the rigid…
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17 Steps to Better Duct Systems
If a 12-step program is good for helping deal with problems like addictive behaviors, then a 17-step program ought to better, right? Or maybe it's just a random number that…
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The Perfect Weather for a Dehumidifier
That dehumidifier you see in the photo above is in the Energy Vanguard office here in Decatur, Georgia. The compressor doesn't come on often, but this past week I've heard…
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Is Negative Pressure Causing a Problem in Your Home?
Ever have the smell of your fireplace inside your home? It's not uncommon. Here's a question I got from a reader named Rob last month: We always have a smoke…
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Buildings Don’t Last Forever
The old shack above has been around a long time. It still looks good in its old age, but you'd probably have to pour a lot of money into that…
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Dealing With Construction Moisture
Depending on where, when, how fast, and how well you build, construction moisture—sometimes called “built-in” moisture—may require significant one-time management. I learned from my grandmother that my great-grandfather was a…
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A Myth About Low-Static Ducted Minisplits
I like minisplit heat pumps, especially of the ducted variety. And because I don't like to pay for a lot of excess power, I prefer to use ducted mini-splits with…
