Comments on: This Little Hitch Snares ENERGY STAR Homes

By: Ryan Shanahan

Ryan Shanahan — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 04:21:58 +0000

Thanks David. I knew there
Thanks David. I knew there slight differences in our programs but I wasn't sure which ones. I more or less wanted to make the point that I think there are bigger fish to fry when it comes to builder's meeting the ENERGY STAR specs than the exhaust fan requirements.

By: David Butler

David Butler — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 04:18:05 +0000

@Ryan, those HVAC checklists
@Ryan, those HVAC checklists (rater and contractor) and all the rest you mentioned are national requirements under ESv3.

By: Ryan Shanahan

Ryan Shanahan — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 02:14:32 +0000

2 little hitches for ENERGY
2 little hitches for ENERGY STAR builders in the Pacific Northwest (We have our own version of ENERGY STAR) are: 1) HVAC Contractor's Checklist (is the contractor "approved", do they have the right tools to do the room by room flow testing, did they submit the paperwork?) 2) Zonal Pressure Relief (if they failed at any of the listed items in 1) above they certainly won't meet the ZPR requirements of <3 pa pressure difference between bedrooms and hallway.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 02:33:48 +0000

Fine. Ignore the HVAC pro's,
Fine. Ignore the HVAC pro's, and builders, surround yourself with one week class HERS raters and stay happy. Bet those underperforming exhaust fans came with an Energy Star stamp, yet for 35$ still do more for the home owner than any HERS rater ever could.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 01:55:34 +0000

Cameron T.
Cameron T.: Excellent point.

Matthew: Well, it's easy to see now that I should have just let Greg's first comment sit there and stink, unventilated, but I jumped in anyway. This may get to the point where I have to do some source control if things get out of hand. It's certainly clear now that this Greg fellow is a troll with little real value to contribute here.

David B.: Hear, hear.

By: David Butler

David Butler — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 01:42:44 +0000

Yeah, I never could figure
Yeah, I never could figure out why someone would bother reading a blog like EV if they're not on board with the program. I can think of only two legitimate reasons for reading and participating in online discussions like this... to teach and to learn. Apparently some people like to destroy.

@Greg, if you get a kick out of being negative, rather than constructive in how you frame your arguments, then I hope I never have to see your name again.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 01:33:41 +0000

Cameron: As a homeowner, if
Cameron: As a homeowner, if the fan doesn't move the air I want, I can spend 30 minutes and 40$ replacing it. That is the responsibility and prerogative of the homeowner. I doubt very much you are there to turn the fans off at the moment they remove the smell or steam. Say you get 100cfm fan and leave it on too long every day, you have to find a balance for energy and health and that balance can only be defined by the occupant, not any third party tester or standards.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 01:26:54 +0000

How many homes has energy
How many homes has energy star built? “Energy Star program had accepted 15 out of 20 bogus products submitted for approval” including a diesel powered alarm clock. <—that energy star is an authority on home building? How is it not relevant that a 1CFM bath fan that gets used will move more air than a 1 Trillion CFM bath vent that doesn’t get used. That is extremely relevant. As a builder it just gets old seeing these attempts at “one size fits all” and the common mistaken mentality that homes use energy. Homes are not responsible for fresh air, occupants are. Homes don’t use a drop of energy, occupants do. We continue to take responsibility from the occupants for energy and health, and we continue to have greater irresponsibility from occupants for both, and we sit back and wonder “why?” I fell for the energy auditor dream, but realized very quickly that if I drop the duct blaster and pick up some mastic I might be able to do some actual good in reducing energy usage.

By: Cameron Taylor

Cameron Taylor — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 00:02:58 +0000

Greg said:

Greg said:

>>>A 1cfm fan running all day will move more air than a 1400cfm fan running for a minute. <<<

Yeah, but when I stink up a 11.2 x 11.2 x 11.2 bathroom, I don't want to wait 24 hours to clear the air...and gain 40 more CFM to boot :p

Seriously, Greg, I'm a homeowner, also. I'll run the fart fan until the fart smell is gone. I'll run the steam fan until the steam is gone. It's even better when one fan can do both tasks.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 23:23:29 +0000
Greg: Well
Greg: Well apparently your moral superiority happens without your even trying then. This article is about homes going for certification in the ENERGY STAR program, which is voluntary. If you create a program, you can require whatever you want, and actually the bath fan exhaust flow requirement is a reasonable one. Your list of questions is irrelevant in the context of this article, and that's one reason I didn't bother to address any of them.

Actually, ENERGY STAR is an authority in home building, and I find your stereotype about families who live in Habitat for Humanity homes quite offensive.

M. Johnson: Indeed.