health & safety Archives - Energy Vanguard https://www.energyvanguard.com/tag/health-safety/ Building science knowledge, HVAC design, & fun Mon, 21 Oct 2024 21:57:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 A Burnt Grilled Cheese and the Collapse of Indoor Air Quality https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/a-burnt-grilled-cheese-and-the-collapse-of-indoor-air-quality/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/a-burnt-grilled-cheese-and-the-collapse-of-indoor-air-quality/#view_comments Tue, 16 Jul 2024 17:06:50 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=9122 I burned a grilled cheese sandwich recently.  I tried to bury the evidence by throwing it in the trash and forgetting about it, but my dear, sweet wife fished it out.  “You need to tell the world about this,” she…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/a-burnt-grilled-cheese-and-the-collapse-of-indoor-air-quality/feed/ 10 A Weekend Zehnder ERV Installation Blitz https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/a-weekend-zehnder-erv-installation-blitz/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/a-weekend-zehnder-erv-installation-blitz/#view_comments Tue, 30 Apr 2024 12:35:27 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=8970 You may recall that in 2021 Zehnder America gave me one of their premium energy recovery ventilators (ERV) with all the components I needed to get it up and running in my house.  It’s taken longer than I wanted to…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/a-weekend-zehnder-erv-installation-blitz/feed/ 22 What Is PM2.5? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-is-pm2-5/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-is-pm2-5/#view_comments Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:12:47 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=8948 You can’t see them.  You can’t smell a lot of them.  In fact, they’re hard to access with any of your senses.  But that doesn’t mean your body won’t respond to those tiny airborne particles that make up what scientists…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-is-pm2-5/feed/ 6 A Vivid Look at the Effects of Air Pollution https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/a-vivid-look-at-the-effects-of-air-pollution/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/a-vivid-look-at-the-effects-of-air-pollution/#view_comments Thu, 04 Jan 2024 15:59:56 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=8745 This week I saw a photo that will haunt me for the rest of my life.  It’s one thing to know something.  It’s another to see it.  I’ve been writing about indoor air quality and the health effects of indoor…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/a-vivid-look-at-the-effects-of-air-pollution/feed/ 17 10 Ways Your House Is Haunted https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/10-ways-your-house-is-haunted/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/10-ways-your-house-is-haunted/#view_comments Tue, 31 Oct 2023 15:47:14 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=8675 Imagine the house of your dreams.  It’s beautiful and laid out efficiently.  You’re always comfortable.  It promotes health and happiness.  The operating costs are low.  You don’t have to spend much to maintain it.  You don’t get a lot of…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/10-ways-your-house-is-haunted/feed/ 9 Preparing an Old Home for Electrification, Part 2 https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/preparing-an-old-home-for-electrification-part-2/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/preparing-an-old-home-for-electrification-part-2/#view_comments Wed, 06 Sep 2023 15:16:36 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=8047 The electrification movement is accelerating, so let’s go back to this topic again and look at how to electrify an older house.  In part 1 of this series, I listed some important questions to ask.  Today, I’ll cover some steps…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/preparing-an-old-home-for-electrification-part-2/feed/ 11 Does Radon Really Cause Lung Cancer? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/does-radon-really-cause-lung-cancer/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/does-radon-really-cause-lung-cancer/#view_comments Wed, 03 May 2023 03:03:31 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=8251 In a recent article on the result of my radon test, I referred to the US EPA’s work on the health effects of radon.  They claim that about 21,000 people in the US each year get lung cancer from indoor…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/does-radon-really-cause-lung-cancer/feed/ 35 What to Know About a High Radon Test Result https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-to-know-about-a-high-radon-test-result/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-to-know-about-a-high-radon-test-result/#view_comments Wed, 12 Apr 2023 13:45:19 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=8218 I got a high radon test result for my house this week.  I’ve lived in the house nearly four years now and finally got it tested.  Yay!  The result is high.  Boo!  But what does it really mean?  I haven’t…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-to-know-about-a-high-radon-test-result/feed/ 23 Can Cold Surfaces Wring Moisture From Dry Air? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/can-cold-surfaces-wring-moisture-from-dry-air/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/can-cold-surfaces-wring-moisture-from-dry-air/#view_comments Tue, 21 Feb 2023 14:32:22 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=8105 Cold air is dry air, right?  Think about the humidity in your house in winter compared to what it is in summer.  If you’re in a humid climate, it’s going to be drier in winter.  Even in dry climates, it’s…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/can-cold-surfaces-wring-moisture-from-dry-air/feed/ 11 What a Carbon Dioxide Monitor Tells You https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-a-carbon-dioxide-monitor-tells-you/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-a-carbon-dioxide-monitor-tells-you/#view_comments Thu, 09 Feb 2023 21:16:30 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=8072 OK, it’s time to spell this out in black and white because there seems to be some confusion.  Monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2), as I’ve been doing with my Aranet4 portable CO2 monitor* for the past couple of years, is a…

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