energy code Archives - Energy Vanguard

Climate Zones Are Getting Warmer (Mostly)

Allison Bailes — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 12:51:12 +0000

Climate zones for energy code purposes are defined in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Every three years, that code gets updated. The map that was in the last version of the IECC, which came out in 2018, had been…

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The Struggle to Update Georgia’s Energy Code

Allison Bailes — Mon, 01 May 2017 12:11:45 +0000

Seven years ago Georgia led the nation. Yep. We were the first state to adopt an energy code that made blower door testing mandatory. All new homes built in the state had to show through performance testing that they had…

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Aspen, Colorado Dumps Energy Rating Index

Allison Bailes — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 17:28:46 +0000

The city of Aspen, Colorado has bucked the trend. Well, actually two trends, but first things first. The 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) introduced another pathway for code compliance using what’s called the Energy Rating Index (ERI). Since the only…

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Substituting Solar Panels for Insulation in the Energy Code

Allison Bailes — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 05:00:00 +0000

Supply and demand are two different things. When you think of an energy code, say the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), you probably think of demand, not supply. Conserving energy, after all, means reducing demand. It’s related to supply only…

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Could an Energy Code Really Be So Simple?

Allison Bailes — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Energy codes have all kinds of requirements. You have to have certain R-values in walls, floors, and ceilings. Your windows have to have the right U-values and solar heat gain coefficients. The infiltration rate and duct leakage have to be…

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A Beautiful Solar Home in Utah Nears Net Zero Energy Use

Allison Bailes — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 04:00:00 +0000

I’m writing this on St. Patrick’s Day so let me tell you a wee bit about the O’Mearas. Kevin and Svetlana O’Meara live in a beautiful home in Utah that’s oh-so-close to being a net zero energy home. After I…

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Should We Change the HERS Reference Home’s Energy Code?

Allison Bailes — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 05:00:00 +0000

The HERS Index is a number that gives you a measure of how energy efficient a home is. We can debate how relevant that number is or how accurate is the energy model it’s based on, but the fact is…

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The Gap Between Stupid and Hurt Is Narrowing

Allison Bailes — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 05:00:00 +0000

The gap is narrowing. What gap, you ask? Why, the gap between stupid and hurt, of course. So says Dr. Joe Lstiburek. Allow me to explain. Sometimes when you do something stupid, it hurts immediately. A toddler touches a hot…

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Will Open-Cell Spray Foam Insulation Really Rot Your Roof?

Allison Bailes — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Murmurs and hearsay about open-cell spray foam insulation have been gaining traction for a while. It rots roofs, people have told me. Not long ago, someone even told me that in Florida, roofing companies won’t let their workers go up…

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What If Home Builders Had to Pay the Energy Bills?

Allison Bailes — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Three questions have been nagging at Rick Chitwood over the past 5 or 6 years. First, why is the HVAC industry in California, where he lives and works, so pathetic? Second, why have California’s strict energy standards, which have been…

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