Blog

 

Understanding Home Energy Score

7/31/2014

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) developed a national rating system for home energy efficiency called the Home Energy Score. Similar in function to a vehicle’s mile-per-gallon rating, a Home Energy Score provides an objective scale to measure a home’s energy efficiency as it compares to other homes. Additionally, the Home Energy Score system provides homeowners with tips and suggestions for improving their home’s energy efficiency. Homeowners are urged to evaluate the energy efficiency of their homes and consider implementing the

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Summer in a High-Performance House

7/30/2014

Summertime in coastal Maine involves warm days, gentle ocean breezes, and lots of blueberries. My family and I are enjoying our first summer in a high-performance house in Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage, a 36-unit multigenerational community with ultra-energy-efficient homes on 42 acres. The house performed well on windy winter days and during an extended five-day power outage, but now we are seeing how it fares during hot July afternoons without air conditioning. Despite lots of south-facing windows, our home stays comfortable

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Zehnder Interview Series: Micky Dunegan, Technical Sales Representative

7/26/2014

Zehnder Interview Series:  Micky Dunegan, Technical Sales Representative Interviewer: Could you introduce yourself, Micky? Micky Dunegan:  My name is Micky Dunegan. I am the Technical Sales Representative for the Southwest region, which includes California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. Interviewer:  Micky, what do you like best about working with this type of HRV/ERV system? Micky Dunegan:  It’s great representing products that provide such a high level of health benefits while dramatically reducing energy consumption as well. Interviewer:  How does a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) contribute to the

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LEED, Passive House and Pretty Good Houses- Designing Better Buildings

7/21/2014

LEED, Passive House and Pretty Good Houses- Designing Better Buildings There are many green building guidelines, programs, standards and certifications available in the US and Canada.  The best green building approaches cover many elements of the building such as energy efficiency, water efficiency, resource efficiency, responsible site management, and improved indoor air quality.  Guidelines, programs, standards and certifications that only address one aspect of green building, such as energy efficiency can create success in one green building principle but issues in

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Why Choose a Complete HRV or ERV System?

7/8/2014

Much evidence points to a range of common issues in purchasing just a Heat Recovery Ventilator or Energy Recovery Ventilator unit and then piecing unspecified ducting and distribution components together. It’s not uncommon for an HRV/ERV to be installed incorrectly with improper duct sizing and distribution components.  It’s important to choose a manufacturer that offers an HRV system design strategy- the unit, ducting and air distribution components.  Also, just as important is a commissioning process to ensure that the system is installed

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The Importance of Heat Recovery or Energy Recovery Ventilation in Energy-efficient Buildings

7/6/2014

65% of the electricity consumption and 35% of total energy use in the United States is used in buildings.  Buildings also account for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions according to the U.S Green Building Council. Homes are making the shift toward more energy-efficient design and construction with greater energy efficiency awareness and building codes reducing energy consumption.  Many building standards and certifications programs have been developed to promote green building.  Some certifications and standards programs include LEED, Passive House, and Pretty Good House. One of

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Why Are Some HRVs / ERVs So Noisy?

6/25/2014

Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) or Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV) have been commonly used in Canada for years and have become increasingly common in high-performance homes in the US.  Though there is an increasing awareness of the importance of an HRV or ERV in an energy-efficient home, across the US and Canada we’ve heard complaints about the noise levels of the first generation HRV or ERV units.  Due to the noise level, often the HRV or ERV units are only used intermittently or turned

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Super-Efficient Homes vs Code-Built Homes

6/20/2014

When building a new home, design and material selection greatly impact the operating costs for decades. Investing in triple-pane windows and doors, generous insulation, and air sealing can greatly reduce your heating and cooling costs, while also boosting comfort. Is it financially savvy to construct a super efficient home over a code-built home because of the reduction in operating costs? The simple answer is yes, but the more detailed answer is that it depends. Some energy efficient upgrades have a lot

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Zehnder Interview Series: John Rockwell, Technical Sales Engineer

6/13/2014

John Rockwell, Technical Sales Engineer  Interviewer:  Could you introduce yourself, John? John Rockwell:   My name is John Rockwell, I am a Technical Sales Engineer and have been with Zehnder since January of 2014. Interviewer:  John, what do you like most about working with this type of product? John Rockwell: As a former customer of Zehnder and therefore having evaluated many other products, I really am both personally and professionally invested in the quality, efficiency and far better performance of the Zehnder ComfoAir system. Interviewer:  It sounds

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The Solar Decathlon Europe 2014

5/24/2014

The Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 is an international academic architectural competition. To participate in the Solar Decathlon, universities and schools around the world compete to build a fully functional, full-scale house that uses only the sun as its source of power. This competition boasts 800 competitors from 16 countries in Europe who work to build 20 fully-sustainable houses. The Solar Decathlon Europe is based on the U.S. Solar Decathlon, which is hosted bi-annually by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Solar Decathlon Goals There’s

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