building envelope Archives - Energy Vanguard https://www.energyvanguard.com/tag/building-envelope/ Building science knowledge, HVAC design, & fun Tue, 05 Apr 2022 15:40:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 My Choice in the ‘Building Enclosure’ vs. ‘Building Envelope’ Battle https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/my-choice-in-the-building-enclosure-vs-building-envelope-battle/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/my-choice-in-the-building-enclosure-vs-building-envelope-battle/#view_comments Mon, 05 Nov 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=my-choice-in-the-building-enclosure-vs-building-envelope-battle When I wrote about the debate over the terms ‘building envelope’ vs. ‘building enclosure’ a couple of weeks ago, I favored the former but overall felt agnostic on whether we should choose one over the other. I didn’t think I’d…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/my-choice-in-the-building-enclosure-vs-building-envelope-battle/feed/ 26 Building Envelope or Building Enclosure: Which Is the Better Term? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/building-envelope-or-building-enclosure-which-is-the-better-term/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/building-envelope-or-building-enclosure-which-is-the-better-term/#view_comments Wed, 24 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=building-envelope-or-building-enclosure-which-is-the-better-term If you travel down into the building science vortex, you start discovering that people argue over a lot of things that most people never think twice about. Wait. Most people probably never think once about these things. Earlier this year…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/building-envelope-or-building-enclosure-which-is-the-better-term/feed/ 19 Quick Report on the Passive House Conference in Denver https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/quick-report-on-the-passive-house-conference-in-denver/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/quick-report-on-the-passive-house-conference-in-denver/#view_comments Sun, 30 Sep 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=quick-report-on-the-passive-house-conference-in-denver As I sit here getting ready to head for the airport, a lot of thoughts about what I’ve experienced and heard here at the Passive House conference are swirling around my head. They haven’t really congealed into a coherent body…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/quick-report-on-the-passive-house-conference-in-denver/feed/ 3 Green Curmudgeons, Architects, and Outlawing Batt Insulation https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/green-curmudgeons-architects-and-outlawing-batt-insulation/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/green-curmudgeons-architects-and-outlawing-batt-insulation/#view_comments Fri, 29 Jun 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=green-curmudgeons-architects-and-outlawing-batt-insulation Yesterday I observed an interesting discussion on Twitter. Carl Seville, the Green Building Curmudgeon, posted a link to his article suggesting that maybe we should just ban all batt insulation. Greg La Vardera, an architect who really understands the building…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/green-curmudgeons-architects-and-outlawing-batt-insulation/feed/ 14 You Don’t Need a Vapor Barrier (Probably) https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/you-don-t-need-a-vapor-barrier-probably/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/you-don-t-need-a-vapor-barrier-probably/#view_comments Mon, 25 Jun 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=you-dont-need-a-vapor-barrier-probably If there’s one building science topic that confuses more people in construction than any other, I think I’d say it’s the purposes and properties of the various control layers. I’m talking about the materials that are meant to control the…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/you-don-t-need-a-vapor-barrier-probably/feed/ 14 Asthma and Poor Indoor Air Quality — The Trouble with Homes https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/asthma-and-poor-indoor-air-quality-the-trouble-with-homes/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/asthma-and-poor-indoor-air-quality-the-trouble-with-homes/#view_comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=asthma-and-poor-indoor-air-quality-the-trouble-with-homes I grew up with really bad asthma. Not being able to get enough air into your lungs, in case you haven’t experienced it, is pretty scary. I remember lying in bed during one asthma attack, gasping for air, wheezing loudly,…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/asthma-and-poor-indoor-air-quality-the-trouble-with-homes/feed/ 7 Mr. Bean Proposes a Radical Change to Energy Codes https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/mr-bean-proposes-a-radical-change-to-energy-codes/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/mr-bean-proposes-a-radical-change-to-energy-codes/#view_comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=mr-bean-proposes-a-radical-change-to-energy-codes Evidently, I’m an oddball. We published a guest post by engineer Robert Bean on comfort and ASHRAE Standard 55 a few weeks ago, and when I first read the article, one sentence jumped off the screen, grabbed me by the…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/mr-bean-proposes-a-radical-change-to-energy-codes/feed/ 23 Historic Preservation and Deep Energy Retrofits — Natural Enemies? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/historic-preservation-and-deep-energy-retrofits-natural-enemies/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/historic-preservation-and-deep-energy-retrofits-natural-enemies/#view_comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=historic-preservation-and-deep-energy-retrofits-natural-enemies In one corner, we have a core of people who have dedicated themselves to preserving old buildings. In the other corner is a group that strives to save energy by making buildings more efficient. These two groups often charge out…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/historic-preservation-and-deep-energy-retrofits-natural-enemies/feed/ 12 The Cable Guy Did It! — Attic Insulation Gone Awry https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-cable-guy-did-it-attic-insulation-gone-awry/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-cable-guy-did-it-attic-insulation-gone-awry/#view_comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-cable-guy-did-it-attic-insulation-gone-awry On one of my recent quality assurance trips for our HERS raters, I made a discovery of a building envelope problem that’s best told in pictures. When I went into the attic, what I noticed first was that the blown…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-cable-guy-did-it-attic-insulation-gone-awry/feed/ 5 US Green Building Council to Require All-Glass LEED Homes https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/us-green-building-council-to-require-all-glass-leed-homes/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/us-green-building-council-to-require-all-glass-leed-homes/#view_comments Sun, 01 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=us-green-building-council-to-require-all-glass-leed-homes New houses certified in the LEED for Homes program will be required to have 100% windows in all above-grade walls once the new 2012 update is approved by US Green Building Council (USGBC) members this summer. The LEED certification program…

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