building science Archives - Energy Vanguard https://www.energyvanguard.com/tag/building-science/ Building science knowledge, HVAC design, & fun Sun, 11 Jun 2023 19:54:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 3 Cool Videos about Hydrophilic, Hydrophobic, & Hygroscopic Materials https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/3-cool-videos-about-hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hygroscopic-materials/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/3-cool-videos-about-hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hygroscopic-materials/#view_comments Wed, 01 Jul 2015 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=3-cool-videos-about-hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hygroscopic-materials As long as we’re exploring the wonderful world of water, we ought to show some of the cool stuff it does. In my article Introduction to the Physics of Water in Porous Materials, I described hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and hygroscopic materials.…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/3-cool-videos-about-hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hygroscopic-materials/feed/ 4 Photo Highlights from the 2013 Building Science Summer Camp https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/photo-highlights-from-the-2013-building-science-summer-camp/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/photo-highlights-from-the-2013-building-science-summer-camp/#view_comments Thu, 08 Aug 2013 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=photo-highlights-from-the-2013-building-science-summer-camp Building Science Summer Camp ended yesterday. It’s been another fabulous event, the third one I’ve attended since getting myself invited by writing this piece that caught Joe Lstiburek’s attention. As I wind down and reflect on the things I learned…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/photo-highlights-from-the-2013-building-science-summer-camp/feed/ 10 Latent Heat is the Wicked Witch of the South https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/latent-heat-is-the-wicked-witch-of-the-south/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/latent-heat-is-the-wicked-witch-of-the-south/#view_comments Fri, 21 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=latent-heat-is-the-wicked-witch-of-the-south In my last article, I explained some of the basic science of phase changes, referencing the Wicked Witch of the West and the phase change she underwent when Dorothy threw water in her face in The Wizard of Oz. (I’ve…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/latent-heat-is-the-wicked-witch-of-the-south/feed/ 2 The Wicked Witch of the West, Phase Changes, and Building Science https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-phase-changes-and-building-science/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-phase-changes-and-building-science/#view_comments Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-phase-changes-and-building-science Which takes more heat — melting a pound of feathers or raising the temperature of a pound of feathers from the melting to the boiling point? OK, let me rephrase that. If the Wicked Witch of the West melts at…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-phase-changes-and-building-science/feed/ 4 Big News: The R-Value of Insulation Is Not a Constant https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/big-news-the-r-value-of-insulation-is-not-a-constant/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/big-news-the-r-value-of-insulation-is-not-a-constant/#view_comments Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=big-news-the-r-value-of-insulation-is-not-a-constant In the world of building construction, improvement, and analysis, we talk about R-value all the time. Generally we talk about it as if it’s a constant number. Hey, R-19 is stamped right there on the product, so that’s what it…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/big-news-the-r-value-of-insulation-is-not-a-constant/feed/ 17 Do You Know Your Building Science Climate Zone? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/do-you-know-your-building-science-climate-zone/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/do-you-know-your-building-science-climate-zone/#view_comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=do-you-know-your-building-science-climate-zone One of the fundamental principles of building science is that buildings must be suited to their climate. When they’re not, problems can ensue. Maybe it’s just that they’re not as efficient as they should be. Maybe it’s worse. Put plastic…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/do-you-know-your-building-science-climate-zone/feed/ 3 Guest Post: The Fatal Flaw in Advanced Framing, Part 2 https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/guest-post-the-fatal-flaw-in-advanced-framing-part-2/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/guest-post-the-fatal-flaw-in-advanced-framing-part-2/#view_comments Thu, 18 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=guest-post-the-fatal-flaw-in-advanced-framing-part-2 The tragedy of this is that in the effort to sell Advanced Framing as a whole package, presenting it as an alternative to Western Platform Framing, the sensible housing industry has thrown out the very easy and productive suggestions from…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/guest-post-the-fatal-flaw-in-advanced-framing-part-2/feed/ 4 Guest Post: The Fatal Flaw in Advanced Framing, Part 1 https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/guest-post-the-fatal-flaw-in-advanced-framing-part-1/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/guest-post-the-fatal-flaw-in-advanced-framing-part-1/#view_comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=guest-post-the-fatal-flaw-in-advanced-framing-part-1 A few weeks ago Allison made a couple of quips that could be construed as critical of Advanced Framing methods, also often referred to optimistically as Optimum Value Engineering (OVE). I myself am generally critical of Advanced Framing, so perhaps…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/guest-post-the-fatal-flaw-in-advanced-framing-part-1/feed/ 18 Throwing the Building Science Learning Curve for a Loop https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/throwing-the-building-science-learning-curve-for-a-loop/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/throwing-the-building-science-learning-curve-for-a-loop/#view_comments Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=throwing-the-building-science-learning-curve-for-a-loop I just returned from Arizona, where I spoke at the Structural Insulated Panel Association’s annual conference. Since it was in Tucson, I also took the opportunity to visit with my friend David Butler. He’s an amazing source of knowledge in…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/throwing-the-building-science-learning-curve-for-a-loop/feed/ 6 The SIPA Conference Invites Dr. Bailes to Speak https://www.energyvanguard.com/newsroom/the-sipa-conference-invites-dr-bailes-to-speak/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/newsroom/the-sipa-conference-invites-dr-bailes-to-speak/#view_comments Tue, 26 Mar 2013 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?newsroom=the-sipa-conference-invites-dr-bailes-to-speak The Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) is holding its annual conference in Tucson, Arizona during the first week of April. Energy Vanguard’s president, Allison Bailes, has been invited to speak at the event and will be giving four talks, all…

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