Spotlight Article:
Ventilation and IAQ in New California Homes
Starting in the mid-2000s, the California Energy Commission funded several research studies (for example, Price, et al., 2007, and Offermann, 2009) that aimed to evaluate the potential indoor air quality (IAQ) impacts associated with envelope air ...
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Unvented Gas Space Heaters: Drainless Sinks?
The other day I went to the building supply store looking for materials for my kitchen remodel. [continue reading]
Putting Pressure on Building Codes
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
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
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
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
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
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
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]
Building Performance Journal Editors
Our Blog Has Moved
Thanks for your interest in contributing a blog to the Building Performance Journal (formerly Home Energy magazine). We’re ...
Jim Gunshinan
Is Energy Efficiency an American Value?
Energy efficiency is good for the economy, good for families, good for workers, and good for the environment.
