Seed money
Thanks to a $600 Self-Help loan, a homeowner is weatherizing her home as part of the Neighbor Saves program. What do a 1,500-acre tract of nature, a $600 home-energy-efficiency loan […]
Breathing Walls?
While most building researchers avoid it, breathable is a term that will not go away. With better building science education, the terminology is on the decline but is still used generically
Trendwatch: Edison light bulbs
One of the fun parts of rating new homes for programs like Energy Star and Greenbuilt North Carolina is that we get to see a lot of new homes. Whenever
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Momentum becomes hard work
Inertia gave way to momentum with the excavation of our site ( https://bit.ly/17nuJYU ). Not surprisingly that momentum has led to some hard work.
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The importance of the Living Building Challenge
I’m writing to introduce The Living Building Challenge (LBC). This collaborative’s mission is to encourage the creation of Living Buildings, Landscapes and Neighborhoods around the world while inspiring, educating and
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A breath of fresh air
Your green certification program (Energy Star, Greenbuilt NC, LEED Homes) requires a whole house ventilation system. What does that mean? What are your choices, and which one is best for
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Inertia becomes momentum
We have made it through the maze of permitting for our house with a relatively new wall system of precast concrete (Ideal Walls- https://www.idealbuildingsystems.com/home.aspx ). Plan
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Beginning Again, a house as an idea.
We have begun again. Our new house project is starting to take shape, at least on paper. Hopefully all of the trial and error will be done before we
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What to do when your bath fan fails
Bath fans are an incredibly important part of a high-performance home. Unfortunately they are also a frequently failed item when we perform final testing for programs like Energy Star and
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The Z dimension
The good news first. Judging by the inquiries for new work the local economy, particularly for residential construction, is gaining steam. The not so good news. I have a commission