Spaghetti anyone? Caveat emptor!

This post isn’t about energy-efficiency so much as quality workmanship.  Over the last week, I’ve shown examples of dangerous spray foam application and dangerous water heater venting that we’ve uncovered.  And here’s a couple more recent examples from the field where the installers just didn’t care about a quality installation.  [Thanks to John Scipione and Patrick Herbert, of our Syracuse office, who stumble into "interesting" situations on an almost daily basis.]  The wiring in these looks like some sort of abstract art.  But it doesn’t look like the electrical work of someone paying attention to detail.  If your improving the energy-efficiency of your home look for quality.  At a minimum, follow these guidelines for choosing a contractor and look for certification and accreditation by the Building Performance Institute (BPI). 

Low-voltage spaghetti (with a bit of line voltage)

Line voltage spaghetti (with a side serving of droopy ducts)

Thanks,
Mike

Don’t mess around with appliance venting!

We’ve talked here before about carbon monoxide (CO) dangers.  This needs to be taken seriously.  Often we find problems with systems that look OK to the naked eye.  Sometimes, though, we run into downright scary situations.  Gary Vankennen, one of our Syracuse Advisors, found this in a home recently.  Not only is the vent pipe made from thin aluminum dryer vent, but the droop in the pipe virtually assures that it won’t vent CO and other combustion gases properly.  Please, please, please, don’t mess around with venting issues.  Contact a professional, and follow the link for more information on combustion safety.

And it’s important to check venting and draft on all combustion appliances even went you’re insulation, air-sealing, swapping out windows, or changing your heating system to make sure everything is operating safely and efficiently.

Thanks,
Mike

Another example of energy problems around recessed lights

Syracuse-based Senior Advisor John Scipione forwards this all-too-common photo from the field illustrating efficiency problems with recessed “can” lighting.  You can see light leaking through and around the fixture–air from inside the house is doing the same.  And because this fixture isn’t rated for insulation contact, the insulation has to be kept away.  Learn more about how to address this.

Energy weak points around recessed light fixture.

[Side note--it you can see the tops of 6" joists in your adequate above the insulation--you probably don't have enough insulation.]

Thanks,
Mike

Bad use of foam–please do NOT do this!

One of our Syracuse, Advisors, Marvin Mondlick, ran across a scary example of air-sealing.

Spray foam is a great product, and we use it in some form on most of our projects, to help with air-sealing and as insulation.  However, it’s critical to use it appropriately.   Watch out for cowboys without experience who don’t have the experience to do this safely.

Marvin ran across this project where we were called in to do a heating system replacement.  A different contractor had been in earlier to do air-sealing and created a very unsafe condition.

This spray foam was used to "air-seal" around an active flue. Bad idea, contrary to code, and a fire hazard.

The foam was sprayed against an active flue–where hot gases from the furnace are directed into the chimney.  This is a code violation–and could have led to a fire.

Fortunately, we got there before catastrophe.  In this case, we installed a new high-efficiency, sealed combustion furnace, vented through a side wall.

The important lesson:  when air-sealing or insulating, make sure it gets done right, whether you do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you.

Obama: “Insulation is sexy”

In an event at a Northern Virginia Home Depot today, the President talked about energy efficiency in homes.  “Insulation is sexy stuff” said Obama.  “Here’s what’s sexy about it: saving money.”  And it creates jobs we need to rebuild not just our homes but also our economy.

Big kudos to Congressman Peter Welch who earlier this year introduced legislation that closely parallels exactly what the President was discussing.

Thanks,
Mike

Air leakage–even the small cracks add up

We continue to get a lot of inquiries about ice dams–especially now that snow has started hitting our Northeast locations.

And this brings me back to air-sealing.  The little leaks do add up to big utility bills and even moisture problems in your attic.

This recent photo from Marvin, one of our Syracuse Advisors, is a good illustration.

Tell tale signs of air leakage--air leaking through small, barely visible, cracks directs air through fiberglass. And the fiberglass filters dirt from the air before it leaves your house. Isn't that nice? You clean the warm air before you leak in leave your house in the winter!

Although the gaps shown here are really too small to be seen easily, we can see the impact they’re having.  Notice the dark staining that lines up exactly with the small cracks.  Air is leaking through here.  The fiberglass insulation is dirty because as the air moves through it–robbing your home of heat in the winter–the fiberglass actually grabs dirt and other particulate in the air.  Hundreds of these small cracks along with other holes and penetrations are a big energy waster, the decrease the effectiveness of your insulation, and they can lead to moisture problems in your attic or icicles and ice damming if you live in snow country.

Seal those leaks.  Or call someone who knows how!

Thanks,
Mike

Chinese impact on oil prices?

It’s well worth thinking about this post from Keith Johnson of the WSJ’s “Environmental Capital” blog:

Chinese demand for oil seems to be recovering rapidly. Bloomberg reports that Chinese crude imports surged 28% in November. For the year, oil imports are up 11% compared with last year—already a high-water mark for China’s oil appetite.

Resurgent demand in China—on the back of a strong manufacturing rebound–is the main reason the International Energy Agency is revising upward its forecast for 2010 global oil demand. The IEA increased its global demand forecasts by 130,000 barrels a day—with almost 100,000 barrels coming just from China, the WSJ reports.

Read the whole post.  And remember that increasingly oil prices won’t be driven by the U.S. demand.   And U.S. supply–even with offshore drilling and drilling in ANWR–would have a very minor impact.   Oil is hovering at around $70/barrel right now.  But the U.S. can’t control energy costs.  However, we certainly can do a much better job improving efficiency and controlling how much energy we need–and protect ourselves from big impacts due to energy prices.  That’s smart.

Bath fan size

Good question yesterday–what size bath fan do you need.  For bathrooms up to 100 square feet (e.g., a 10′ x 10′ room, with 8′ ceilings), the Home Ventilating Institute recommends a fan be sized to deliver 1 CFM (cubic foot per minute) of exhaust for every square foot of floor area.

For example, an 8′ x 6′ bathroom, at 48 square feet, should have a 48 CFM fan.  In this case you’d probably round up to a common 50 CFM fan.

Note, this is for bathroom spot ventilation only.  If you’re using you bathroom exhaust as part of a whole-house ventilation strategy, sizing changes based on the size of the home, other fans being used, and how you’ll be using this.  A good home performance contractor can help you determine the right size for you.

Thanks,
Mike

Protect yourself and your family from CO (carbon monoxide) poisoning

A story in today’s Burlington Free Press again points to the importance of making sure you protect yourself against carbon monoxide poisoning.

As we’ve discussed here before, check out the National Safety Council’s general recommendations.   As mentioned, all homeowners should get at least an annual check-up on their heating and hot-water system to make sure they are operating properly.  And anytime you make changes to your home, from building an addition, to adding air-conditioning, to changing your windows, you should have an expert make sure that all equipment is operating and venting properly. As a secondary measure, all homes should have a CO alarm.

Please, be safe.

Thanks,
Mike

17% of Homes built in 2008 met ENERGY STAR criteria

II mentioned earlier that ENERGY STAR had passed the million home mark. I was reminded in Friday’s USA Today that 17% of homes built in 2008 qualified. This is a big step in the right direction. As Maria Vargas of the U.S. EPA says in the article, “They are better homes,” with more efficient windows, lighting, appliances, insulation, heating and cooling. All elements that can be improved in existing homes, too!  (Don’t just guess, though.  Start with a comprehensive energy audit.)

Thanks,
Mike