Spotlight Article:
Infiltration of Outdoor Pollutants
How building airtightness and pollutant characteristics affect the transport of outdoor air pollution into the indoor environment
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Putting Pressure on Building Codes
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Last winter, in Oregon's Willamette Valley, a family was spending their first season in a new custom colonial-style house. [continue reading]
Clearing the Air: Filters for Residential Forced-Air Systems
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Residential energy auditors commonly find problems caused by dust and other airborne particles in forced-air heating and cooling systems. [continue reading]
Mechanical Ventilation for the Home
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All houses and apartments need an efficient way to exhaust stale, moist indoor air and introduce outdoor air. [continue reading]
Air Sealing in Occupied Homes
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There are few areas of residential construction that are so commonly misunderstood as air movement within and through houses. [continue reading]
Carbon Monoxide from Ovens: A Serious IAQ Problem
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Traditionally, few people have considered gas ovens to be a major source of carbon monoxide (CO), even though all their exhaust products are often vented directly into the indoor air of a residence. Yet unvented space heaters with a similar output of combustion gases have been banned in many states because of indoor air quality (IAQ) dangers inherent in their use. [continue reading]
Combustion Safety Checks: How Not to Kill Your Clients
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Heating contractors, inspectors, and energy auditors all have different approaches to inspecting combustion appliances. Combustion problems come in various sizes and shapes, and individual tests may not by themselves prove if the house is actually safe. [continue reading]
Fireplaces: Studies in Contrasts
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Conventional fireplaces are incompatible with new, tighter housing, or with weatherized homes because of their large air requirements and the incomplete combustion products they produce. [continue reading]
Rethinking Radon Standards
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing a model radon control standard for residential construction, with adoption of the standard expected sometime this winter. [continue reading]
Shawna Henderson
Five Ways to Judge Sustainable Housing
The first thing to do is clarify some terms.
Travis Weeks
Confessions of an Insulation Installer: What I Love About Wool
Last month, we (the crew at Performance Insulation) completed a project on Bainbridge Island, about a 30-minute ferry ride from ...
