So let’s talk about exterior insulation retrofits and how they are a relatively easy project to add into a job where it's time to replace the cladding, but we can't track how many jobs have insulation added, or how much/how well it's installed. Right off the bat, it’s most cost effective to add insulation to the outside of the house and to replace windows at the same time as recladding. This is the point at which we can make the biggest difference in the long-term durability, comfort and energy performance for the homeowner. As incentive programs are often based on single measures, these two integral upgrades are often disconnected.
Why New Siding is a HUGE Missed Opportunity in Residential Energy Retrofits
Shawna HendersonNovember 20, 2023
Three Things You Need to Know About Energy Efficiency in Houses
Shawna HendersonFebruary 20, 2017
If you work in home construction and renovation, you know about energy efficiency measures. But do you really know it? If you’re trying to figure out if you need this course or not, take a shot at answering these questions: What happens to the neutral pressure plane when you air...
What Grade Does Your Insulation Belong In?
Shawna HendersonFebruary 01, 2017
In the US, there’s a requirement for HERS raters to determine if batt insulation has been installed properly. There are three ‘grades’ of batt installation, with a Grade 1 installation being the best and Grade 3 being the worst. When batt insulation is installed properly, it touches all six sides...
OK, so who should take Building Science Basics?
Shawna HendersonMarch 10, 2015
If you work in home construction and renovation, you know about energy efficiency measures. But do you really know it? If you’re trying to figure out if you need this course or not, take a shot at answering these questions: What happens to the neutral pressure plane when you air...
Reblog: What's Reasonable vs. What's Heroic
Shawna HendersonJanuary 19, 2015
Ann Edminster, M.Arch, LEED AP (a long time colleague) is a recognized international expert on green-home design and a principal developer of the LEED for Homes rating system. Here’s a story about Ann’s house in Pacifica, California, in interview format with Jim Gunshinian from Home Energy Magazine. This Q&A originally...
Our Training just got more affordable
Shawna HendersonJanuary 13, 2015
Hey 2015! Here at Blue House Energy, we've a big thanks to everyone who took our Building Science Basics online course in 2014. We've been praised us to the skies <blush> for the quality of our work. We want to give more folks access to affordable, on-demand training. So, our...
Feedback is Good
Shawna HendersonNovember 27, 2014
It's always gratifying to hear that you're doing good things -- Jon Eakes did an article on web-based learning for trades in the November issue of the Canadian Home Builder Magazine that talks about the long-recognized need for more trades training in building science and energy efficiency measures that relates...
A deeper discussion of deeper energy efficiency measures
Shawna HendersonSeptember 25, 20142 comments
Here's a good read from Nate Adams from Energy Smart Ohio, on problems associated with energy efficiency programs, single-action bias and low-hanging fruit. It comes with the above GREAT graph showing the fallacy of diminishing returns on energy efficiency measures. The red line indicates what we think happens...
Building Science and HVAC stuff
Shawna HendersonSeptember 16, 2014
There is this disconnect in our industry. It's around building science and the ways that all the systems in the house work together or against each other. It looks like this: evaluators and raters know about house-as-a-system and can look at a house and see some solutions and fixes that...
Why we need good training in building science
Shawna HendersonMarch 18, 2014
There are lots of horror stories out there about mold, rot, stink, decay, health problems and even death associated with energy efficiency measures and airtight houses. Most of them come from the early days of 'live' experiments where good things were done, with all the right intentions but only half of the concept was in place...house-as-a-system was not the by-word of the late 70s/early 80s homebuilding/renovating world. And in many instances where new horror stories appear, it's pretty obvious to those who are conversant in building science that 'house-as-a-system' is ***still*** not the by-word of the homebuilding/renovating world.X
Blue House Energy Launches Building Science Basics Online
Shawna HendersonFebruary 27, 2014
Toot Toot!! We sent out a press release/announcement today launching Building Science Basics, which is now eligible for BPI Continuing Education Credits. The full press release can be found here.Here's the intro... Building Science Basics course enables builders to hone their knowledge of building science and energy efficiency and lower...
Construction Instruction
Shawna HendersonFebruary 22, 2014
We love this app. It's juicy, it's easy to use and it's built by a trio of fellahs we respect a lot: Gord Cooke, Mark LaLiberte, Justin Wilson. The app is designed for use by builders, contractors, architects and designers, D-I-Yers. It's all about building products and their proper use...
Fragments and knowledge gaps
Shawna HendersonFebruary 21, 2014
BHE is based on translating the knowledge we have about building science and energy efficiency in housing into a format that is accessible to those already working in the home building industry. Labourers, tradespeople, renovators and contractors, as well as those who are less hands-on but still involved in the industry: office managers, internal sales teams etc. As a set of crafts and trades that really grew into a commodity-based industry only after World War II, housing is still finding its feet as a cohesive industry. The many trades and interests that come together to build a house all have their own silos of expertise. As energy prices and environmental concerns have created the need for energy efficiency measures and green building issues, the fragmentation of the industry has continued. Now not only do we have builders, tradespeople, contractors and inspectors, appraisers and mortgage lenders, but a whole layer of techno-weenie evaluators, assessors, trainers, designers, and consultants (yes, I am wearing my appropriate hats). X