Comments on: Confessions of a Building Science Zealot

By: Albany Landlord

Albany Landlord — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 07:06:41 +0000

The financial incentive for
The financial incentive for landlords thing is a conundrum. I do major renovations on 100yo 2-family houses and rent them out. They are almost all completely uninsulated in addition to having original galvanized water supply pipes and 4 electrical circuits (using fuses) that supply the whole 1200sf apartment when I buy them. I have never (ever) had anyone ask me if it is insulated. Each time I insulate an attic with blown cellulose and air seal the attic and basement I am making a donation to the charity called my tenants, because I am not getting any more rent for it. But I do it, every time - it just seems unethical not to.
I don't however, spend the money for new direct vent boilers and water heaters, even when I replace them. The price difference is just too much, plus the added complexity for repairs is a negative.
It is just a shame, but Allison's story points out how the market works - even for the guy who writes this blog, efficient energy uses wasn't a major priority when selecting an apartment (condo).

By: Lee

Lee — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 04:21:34 +0000

Joy of joys, my apartment
Joy of joys, my apartment complex finally TODAY (10/1/13) had a contractor come in and replace my dryer exhaust vent that was a shared 4" pipe with an adjacent apartment with two separate 4" vent pipes. It still has to go into the wall behind the dryer, up about 4 feet to the ceiling, and out about 18 to the exterior, through a total of 4 90 degree bends. But it no longer has an alternative path to someone else's dryer.

By: Milind Angolkar

Milind Angolkar — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 07:11:32 +0000

I love your comment about
I love your comment about "window dehumidifiers". Wonderful article, Sir.

By: Laurie Clark

Laurie Clark — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 06:29:26 +0000

I share the same woes, and
I share the same woes, and have been a bit embarrassed about it. Architect/high performance house blogger and cabinet maker living in a house we revamped before I knew anything about building science. We do have nice cabinets, but now that I know about building science, it's pitifully embarrassing. Leaky old house, (I would bet that we've got your leaks beat by a lot) though we haven't had it tested. Only saving grace is the bedroom we put off adding when we bought the house because we didn't have the money is now going to be a passive house bedroom/studio. It will be separate from the main residence because that would be too much of a headache. I've been thinking about a post that lays it all bare as well, so thanks for beating me to it. Great inspiration! Thanks.

By: Ted Kidd

Ted Kidd — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 05:31:20 +0000

Nice article expressing the
Nice article expressing the problem of split incentive.

Hopefully On-Bill Recovery financing programs can help correct these issues. We need these easy opportunities to have incentive to address them.

By: Steve Waclo

Steve Waclo — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:43:57 +0000

Allison,

Allison,

How unfortunate you managed to locate the only woefully inadequate housing on this side of the galaxy :-(.

At least, it's comforting to know so many folks living in such conditions, present company excepted, do so blissfully unaware of either the unseen conditions or the potential for much more comfortable and economical circumstances.

Best wishes

By: David

David — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 21:03:14 +0000
Ok, Allison, so are qualified
Ok, Allison, so are qualified to give marital advice? If not, you must have studied projectile motion -- so there's some overlap there, if nowhere else.

This energy stuff can really cause problems in relationships -- like I let it get really hot in the summer before I turn on the AC and cold in the winter before I turn on the heat. I don't like living in artificial conditions any more than I have to. Lots of women don't dig that. My ex had to have the AC on when it got 75 or more outside. Drove me nuts! And I thought it was kind of crazy to think you should be wearing shorts and a tank top in the house in the winter. Lots of conflict over the thermostat setting.

I got into the energy thing after marriage. Big mistake. Here's my advice -- start researching energy/environment/economy issues before you get married, NOT after!!!

Maybe you got some better ideas.

Thanks.

By: Cameron T.

Cameron T. — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 18:13:56 +0000
Your condo sounds like a lot
Your condo sounds like a lot of apartment buildings I've worked on over the years. Sadly, even newer ones aren't built all that much differently than your 1970 vintage model condo (many of which were orignally apartments and later converted to condos).

While I have yet to acquire all the nice building science forensic diagnostic tools (blower door, etc.), just a visual combing over of these type of units can reveal many compromises in the thermal and air boundaries of the structure. The last time I lived in an apartment, it had an air handler in a fur-down ceiling over the bathroom, and used a wall cavity for return air, plus the cavity created by the fur-down. Should be okay, 'cause it's all in conditioned space, right?? Wrong. Every time my neighbor cooked or smoked, the odors were drawn into the return cavity for my a/c. Since I don't smoke or cook greasy food, I didn't appreciate my apartment smelling like I did.

Your Reason #4 gave me a good chuckle, but I find all of them valid. From an energy cost perspective there isn't much incentive, but just out of curiosity I gotta wonder how comfortable that place is to live in, year round? I have to admit for my own house, improving our daily comfort has motivated me more to improve its performance than saving on energy and associated cost. Plus the huge amount of great learning that has taken place during my efforts.

Hope you can someday build your green home, with all of the wisdom you've acquired to date. Either that or find an architecturally cool existing house that really excites you, but is an energy and comfort mess...such as mine was when we bought it six years ago.

By: Ira Eisenstein

Ira Eisenstein — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 18:00:13 +0000
Been There... Done That.&
Been There... Done That.
Your new place will be better than the one you lost.
We're all looking forward to looking over your shoulder when/as you build it.
Just think.... You can make back some $$ by selling the rest of us the building plans so we can build one like it.
Ira

By: Don

Don — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 17:10:24 +0000
Allison, have you thought of
Allison, have you thought of building on elf those pre-fab passive homes from a company in N. Carolina which they put together on a pad on your lot. I will get the name for you if you like, but I suspect you kno who they are.....