Comments on: The Layers and Pathways of Heat Flow in Buildings https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings/ Building science knowledge, HVAC design, & fun Sat, 05 Mar 2022 23:41:44 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 By: Nick LeRoy https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings/#comment-7922 Thu, 07 Jan 2016 23:58:44 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings#comment-7922 This is information that
This is information that should be mandatory for energy auditors, home inspectors, etc. to be taught. The weighted averages portion especially. The R-value for the assembly is not going to be the R-value listed on the insulation.

I suspect that window companies may show U-value for more than than just saving a step of math. I think people are more likely to have an understanding of R-values and they don’t want to show how low those R-values truly are.

]]> By: Nick LeRoy https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings/#comment-7923 Thu, 07 Jan 2016 18:58:44 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings#comment-7923 This is information that
This is information that should be mandatory for energy auditors, home inspectors, etc. to be taught. The weighted averages portion especially. The R-value for the assembly is not going to be the R-value listed on the insulation.

I suspect that window companies may show U-value for more than than just saving a step of math. I think people are more likely to have an understanding of R-values and they don’t want to show how low those R-values truly are.

]]> By: Brian https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings/#comment-7920 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 19:53:15 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings#comment-7920 Wasn’t expecting such a
Wasn’t expecting such a thorough breakdown of the principles of insulation. Very awesome, thanks for sharing.

]]> By: Brian https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings/#comment-7921 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 14:53:15 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings#comment-7921 Wasn’t expecting such a
Wasn’t expecting such a thorough breakdown of the principles of insulation. Very awesome, thanks for sharing.

]]> By: David https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings/#comment-7918 Wed, 25 Feb 2015 00:08:36 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings#comment-7918 Interesting read… oh you
Interesting read… oh you don’t want to run the calc’s on this old house…scare you death if you actually knew how inefficient and leaky this 107 year old house is. 
 
Ignorance is blis… they addressed it in 1907 by oversized woodstoves… which by the way is still its primary heat (and its only heat for the first 80 years)… LP furnace will damn near run continuous when the fire is out and its below zero. We won’t even talk about what happens in heavy north wind up on this ridge. Even the wood stove has a hard time then. 
 
I keep tightening up the house little by little… walls are now blown full… but there is no sheathing on this old house… cedar siding direct to the studs… lots of leakage when there is a crack every 4″ horizontally. 30 years ago someone put alum siding over top…but NO house wrap under it…so what happened is that they nail split and made even more leakage in the original cedar that now is inaccessible (see before the alum siding once could still caulk and paint every so many years and keep the wind out, not now)… keep threatening to pull the wall open from the outside … insulate and sheath properly and re-side… so its only been a threat. But we love this old house… Georgian wide board trim… lathe plaster… true restored rope/weight double hung… entire house is all red oak structure (except a piece of crap 1976 shed roof addition for a bathroom… I keep threatening to take chainsaw and detach it, run chain through and drag it down to the woods with the tractor). The original is open balloon, Douglas fir flooring, various pines for grorgian trim… NOT a BIT of sheet rock or plastic crap anywhere except the 1976 crap addition! Raise lead seam 10.5/12 pitch metal roof is ORIGINAL 1007 years old. They don’t make em like this anymore. I even looked into lengthening the whole house by 20 ft using matching oak construction… no body was interested… wusses! Its not hard really… build while its green yet. Cures in place. This been here 107 years and it’ll still be here long after all the McMansions have fallen down. 
 
Ok I’m my soap box now…smile. Nice site. Keep it up.  
 
Dave

]]> By: Charles https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings/#comment-7916 Tue, 24 Feb 2015 20:09:22 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings#comment-7916 Great article. A SINGLE 9′
Great article. A SINGLE 9′ stud has a larger surface area as a one square foot window – and we all know how cold standing next to a window can be. And this is for each and every stud! Stick frame construction for a 9′ wall is about like having a 12″x14″ window centered every 16 inches on a wall. 
 
According to Jan Kosny at ORNL – and ASHRAE – the more typical framing factor is 25%, not 23%, and in some places like coastal regions and California you can see 27%. In fact in North Carolina the Sheer Wall requirements in the building code went from about 8 pages to over 20 pages in 2012 (largely in response to recent tornado activity), further increasing framing factor (though many HERS raters not accounting for increased framing requirements). 
 
Stick framing is not only very complicated, it is also very energy inefficient. 
 
I would be interested to see you do an article on thermal saturation experienced by sheet insulation when some people try to mask the bridging inherent in stick frame construction (we like to call it “lipstick on a pig”).

]]> By: David https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings/#comment-7919 Tue, 24 Feb 2015 19:08:36 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings#comment-7919 Interesting read… oh you
Interesting read… oh you don’t want to run the calc’s on this old house…scare you death if you actually knew how inefficient and leaky this 107 year old house is.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp; <br />Ignorance is blis… they addressed it in 1907 by oversized woodstoves… which by the way is still its primary heat (and its only heat for the first 80 years)… LP furnace will damn near run continuous when the fire is out and its below zero. We won’t even talk about what happens in heavy north wind up on this ridge. Even the wood stove has a hard time then.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp; <br />I keep tightening up the house little by little… walls are now blown full… but there is no sheathing on this old house… cedar siding direct to the studs… lots of leakage when there is a crack every 4" horizontally. 30 years ago someone put alum siding over top…but NO house wrap under it…so what happened is that they nail split and made even more leakage in the original cedar that now is inaccessible (see before the alum siding once could still caulk and paint every so many years and keep the wind out, not now)… keep threatening to pull the wall open from the outside … insulate and sheath properly and re-side… so its only been a threat. But we love this old house… Georgian wide board trim… lathe plaster… true restored rope/weight double hung… entire house is all red oak structure (except a piece of crap 1976 shed roof addition for a bathroom… I keep threatening to take chainsaw and detach it, run chain through and drag it down to the woods with the tractor). The original is open balloon, Douglas fir flooring, various pines for grorgian trim… NOT a BIT of sheet rock or plastic crap anywhere except the 1976 crap addition! Raise lead seam 10.5/12 pitch metal roof is ORIGINAL 1007 years old. They don’t make em like this anymore. I even looked into lengthening the whole house by 20 ft using matching oak construction… no body was interested… wusses! Its not hard really… build while its green yet. Cures in place. This been here 107 years and it’ll still be here long after all the McMansions have fallen down.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp; <br />Ok I’m my soap box now…smile. Nice site. Keep it up. &nbsp; <br />&nbsp; <br />Dave

]]> By: Charles https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings/#comment-7917 Tue, 24 Feb 2015 15:09:22 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-layers-and-pathways-of-heat-flow-in-buildings#comment-7917 Great article. A SINGLE 9′
Great article. A SINGLE 9′ stud has a larger surface area as a one square foot window – and we all know how cold standing next to a window can be. And this is for each and every stud! Stick frame construction for a 9′ wall is about like having a 12"x14" window centered every 16 inches on a wall.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp; <br />According to Jan Kosny at ORNL – and ASHRAE – the more typical framing factor is 25%, not 23%, and in some places like coastal regions and California you can see 27%. In fact in North Carolina the Sheer Wall requirements in the building code went from about 8 pages to over 20 pages in 2012 (largely in response to recent tornado activity), further increasing framing factor (though many HERS raters not accounting for increased framing requirements).&nbsp; <br />&nbsp; <br />Stick framing is not only very complicated, it is also very energy inefficient.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp; <br />I would be interested to see you do an article on thermal saturation experienced by sheet insulation when some people try to mask the bridging inherent in stick frame construction (we like to call it "lipstick on a pig").

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