4 Ways to Fix Your Duct System
I've written a lot of articles about ducts here, but I haven't yet addressed today's topic: common problems with ducts and how to fix them. This one is for homeowners or renters who want to save money and be more…
comfort
4 Ways to Duct a Dehumidifier
Humidity control is becoming a bigger deal than it used to be. As Joseph Lstiburek, PhD, PE said to me one time, "the gap between stupid and hurt is narrowing." Building codes and best practices are getting better, which is…
My Undersized Mini-Split Heat Pump in a Heat Wave
You may recall that I wrote about my undersized mini-split heat pump a couple of years ago. It's undersized compared to both the heating and cooling loads, as you can see in the table below. I'll discuss the heating performance…
Air Conditioner Sizing: Load Calculations vs Rules of Thumb
It's time to revisit one of my favorite topics: air conditioner sizing. Many contractors use rules of thumb to decide what size cooling equipment to install. Usually, the rule is based on the amount of conditioned floor area, and contractors…
Five Fun Facts About Dew Point Temperature
The humidity is returning for the summer here in the southeastern US. And as you may know, I don't use relative humidity to gauge how humid the outdoor air is. Why? For starters, the humidity can get up to 100%…
Will a Heat Pump Water Heater Freeze Your Basement?
Are you considering replacing your current water heater with a heat pump water heater but worried that it'll freeze your basement in winter? Well, enough homes have this new technology that we now have some data on this topic. A…
3 Important Facts About Dew Point Temperature
That photo above is the bottom side an air conditioner in a crawl space on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Those droplets tell us something important: A property of the air in that crawl space aligned with a property of…
When Is the Humidity Low Enough to Open the Windows?
Relative humidity is such a confusing way to talk about moisture in the air. I've been hammering on this point for a decade in this blog, covering it in several different ways. (See the related articles below for more.) But…
Do Women Need Warmer Temperatures Than Men?
Oh, how the news media love the “thermostat wars” between men and women. It’s a good source of stories based on conventional wisdom and the occasional (faulty or incomplete) research paper. The utility companies want in on the action, too.…
Why You Probably Need an ERV, Not an HRV
One of the most frequently asked questions regarding the type of balanced ventilation devices known as the energy recovery ventilator (ERV) and the heat recovery ventilator (HRV) is: "Can I get that in red?" OK, not really. Everyone knows that…