Humidity and Humidifiers

A musty smelling basement is often a sign of excess humidity in your home. The first thing a homeowner should do is establish the level of humidity in the home.

Building Energy Savings 101:

Operational savings are but one part of understanding the dynamics of looking at your home as a “whole house” system, as opposed to individual aspects that, without considering the home, can and do cause other issues. In the fall of the year, I often get e-mails that ask: “My new windows are covered in condensation.”

 Energy Saving Myths & Realities

Window manufacturers advertised energy savings often make me chuckle. I have seen manufacturer’s claims of up to 50% savings in energy. In fact the average savings are less than 10% for the best windows and an average retrofit window is closer to 5% savings. If you calculate the cost of the windows vs the energy savings it could take many years, make that close to 100 in some cases.

Programmable Thermostats and Heat Pumps

Unless you own or have access to a wood lot and are prepared to cut, split and maintain a wood stove and deal with the issues around home insurance, there really is no cheap system for heating.

Solar Shades

Window shades and screens have been around since the Ming Dynasty; the Chinese made them from bamboo and developed a roll-up system