by Tim Snyder | Aug 29, 2013 | Building Envelope, Conditioned Spaces
A little bit of insulation and caulk can make a big difference in comfort When it’s cold outside, can you feel chilly drafts around your windows? Many homes have this problem. Air leaks around windows don’t cause much discomfort during summer months. But in the...
by Larry Janesky | Aug 28, 2013 | ABC Action Plan, Attics, Heating & Cooling
There are 88 million homes in the U.S. and Canada alone that burn twice as much fuel for heating and electricity for cooling than they need to. This is because they are insufficiently insulated and poorly air sealed. They also have energy-wasting building assemblies,...
by Tim Snyder | Aug 15, 2013 | Attics, Building Envelope
Permanently fix your drafty living room with an airtight cap you control from inside the house. Do you have a wood-burning fireplace or a woodstove that’s installed in a fireplace? If the answer is “yes,” you might benefit greatly by having an airtight chimney cap...
by Joseph R. Provey | Aug 12, 2013 | Conditioned Spaces, Heating & Cooling
What do athletes and dancers have in common with HVAC systems? Good balance! Without it, all sorts of fumbles, falls, and fiascos can ensue. For example, one room or floor of a house might be uncomfortably hot while another too cold. Air you’ve paid to heat gets...
by Tim Snyder | Aug 6, 2013 | Attics, Heating & Cooling
Air-sealing and insulating the attic will improve upstairs temperatures and cut your utility bills. Upstairs rooms (those directly beneath the attic) suffer the most when the attic isn’t well insulated. In the summer, these rooms are often uncomfortably hot even...
by Susan Jensen Smith | Jul 24, 2013 | Attics, Heating & Cooling
While I normally write about practical design (a.k.a., things you can see), my overall objective is to help homeowners fall in love with their homes. If your rooms are uncomfortable, it doesn’t matter how beautiful they are. A pretty house with ugly room...
by Tim Snyder | Jul 10, 2013 | Basements
In a slow housing market, such as the one we’ve suffered through during the past five or six years, sellers should be proactive about making wet basement repairs – or risk losing thousands of dollars when they sell their house. That’s the message from Realtors...
by Joseph R. Provey | Jul 6, 2013 | Basements, Building Envelope
A typical basement, in winter, is like having an air conditioner running under your floorboards. In summer, it’s akin to living above a swamp, with damp foundation walls and floors, sweaty pipes, musty odors, and many-legged creatures scurrying about. There are two...
by Larry Janesky | Jul 1, 2013 | Attics, Building Envelope
In this specific job, Dr. Energy Saver was called in to help this home owner cut energy loss while enjoying the heat of a very peculiar fireplace configuration. His fireplace was fitted with a wood stove, and a stainless steel chimney pipe ran through the masonry...
by Larry Janesky | Jul 1, 2013 | Basements, Building Envelope
Larry Janesky, owner and president of Dr. Energy Saver is shown in this video using an energy efficient window to replace the older basement window. Many homeowners these days are well aware of the benefits of having energy efficient replacement windows around the...
by Larry Janesky | Jul 1, 2013 | Conditioned Spaces, Heating & Cooling
Climate control and comfort in a home depends on much more than the size, power and efficiency of the heating and cooling system. It depends on proper insulation, air sealing and, above all, it depends on the air duct’s distribution and adequate balance between...
by Joseph R. Provey | Jul 1, 2013 | Basements
The real measure of a successful basement remodeling is … that it doesn’t feel like a basement. But that’s not always so easy. Basement spaces tend to be broken up by utilities and obstructions that above-grade spaces don’t have to contend with. Many consist of...
by Joseph R. Provey | Jul 1, 2013 | Conditioned Spaces, Electrical
One of the guilty moments for anyone trying to live in a green and sustainable way is when you’re emptying a damp load of wash into a gas or electric clothes dryer. You know it’s going to use a lot of BTUs – but it’s just so convenient. In fact, clothes dryers use...
by Joseph R. Provey | Jul 1, 2013 | Basements, Foundations
“The greenest building is the one that’s already built” said architect Carl Elefante. It’s also true that the greenest foundation is the one you’ve got – even if it’s tilted, bowed, or bulging! When confronted with a foundation that is under stress...
by Tim Snyder | Jun 26, 2013 | Conditioned Spaces
Your master plan for increased comfort and decreased utility expenses begins here. Home energy audits go by other names –like home energy assessments or home energy checkups. Regardless of the label that’s used, this series of tests and inspections will provide you...
