by Joseph R. Provey | Apr 8, 2014 | Attics, Basements, Building Envelope, Conditioned Spaces, Crawl Spaces, Featured Posts, Heating & Cooling
Controlling moisture has challenged builders for thousands of years. Too much of it inside a structure can lead to rot, mold, insect infestations. Consequently, roofs and siding, weather-tight windows and doors, and waterproofed basements were developed. It’s one...
by Tim Snyder | Mar 10, 2014 | Basements, Featured Posts, Heating & Cooling, Plumbing
A surefire way to cut energy expenses: Let another appliance heat the water you use for washing. “Domestic hot water” –the heated water used for washing clothes, dishes and people— is the third-largest energy cost in most households, only exceeded by heating and...
by Joseph R. Provey | Feb 18, 2014 | Case Studies, Crawl Spaces, Featured Posts, Heating & Cooling
Myhomescience.com will be producing a series of energy-upgrade case studies. The first describes a job done in 2013 by Halco Energy. Halco was recently recognized as “best in the country” in a field of over 1,900 Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® contractors...
by Joseph R. Provey | Feb 17, 2014 | ABC Action Plan, Building Envelope, Conditioned Spaces, Home Systems
You can read a lot about air cleaners. They do remove some of the particulate air pollution in your home, but their value is limited. Think about it. The tiny particles of dust, soot, pollen, spores, dander, etc. in your home are not generally floating around in the...
by Tim Snyder | Feb 14, 2014 | Attics, Building Envelope, Home Systems
To solve a common comfort & energy problem, it just takes equal measures of innovation and determination. The extremely cold weather that’s been buffeting most of the country has many homeowners thinking about insulation. More specifically, attention is focused on...
by Joseph R. Provey | Feb 12, 2014 | Energy-Savings Tips, Heating & Cooling
Electric resistance heating is the most costly way to heat your home. In fact, it’s more than twice the cost natural gas per BTU. So it may seem counterintuitive to hear that using electric space heaters can lower your heating costs. Placing a heater in the rooms...
