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OK, we all know this…but for the record…a heat pump water heater (HPWH) uses electricity to transfer heat from the surrounding air to heat the water rather than using electricity to heat the water… Read More

One of the most iconic images that shaped my career in the early days was from Madelene Rousseau’s presentation at “”Building Science Insight: ’83”…Humidity, Condensation and Ventilation in Houses…… Read More

Garages were once easy to deal with.  Their function was to store a vehicle.  Not anymore.  Garage space is becoming too valuable for just vehicle storage.  They are becoming part… Read More

Below grade water management is necessary for all below grade spaces.  Yes, we were here before (BSI-125: Concrete Basement Foundations – July, 2021), but we covered only two approaches – the… Read More

So here we are…ready for the “big show”…but not quite at the big show.  Think of it this way…to get to zero energy conservation takes us most of the way…and the last bit is the renewables piece… Read More

Snap, Crackle and Pop are beloved gnome characters…cartoon mascots of Rice Krispies breakfast cereal produced by a small company you might have heard of…Kellogg’s1.  Rice Krispies are one of the… Read More

At the most basic level a building is an environmental separator – it keeps the outside out and the inside in.  Why?  Well, sometimes the outside sucks and we want to keep it from getting… Read More

Imagine a world where the building code does not allow returns to be installed in closets to control mold and other contaminants. That would be insane right? Welcome to the real world. Let me make… Read More

HVAC systems and windows have almost as interesting a relationship as the “Odd Couple” - Oscar and Felix - did in the 70’s1.  However, unlike Oscar and Felix’s relationship, the relationship… Read More

Hanging cladding – hang on cladding, cladding hang on[1].. Continuous exterior insulation is such an obvious thing to do….and we are finally getting serious about it…but we still seem to go out of… Read More