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air quality

buildings

The Simple Recipe to Fail-Safe, Healthy, and Efficient Building Programs

By Energy Rant No Comments
Based on my victims' feedback, I am an above-average cook, but my internal modesty says, barely. To achieve such mediocrity, all you must do is follow the instructions and pay little attention. The next step to greatness, I’ve heard, is to weigh rather than measure things (cups, teaspoons, etc.). No. Thanks. Beyond that probably requires the Malcolm-Gladwell 10,000 hours to achieve excellence as a professional. Designing and constructing buildings is a lot like cooking, and I think most “efficient” buildings are in my categorical class of cooks: mediocre-plus. Unlike great amateur cooks, designers and builders need to be paid for…
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Fresh Air Causes Asthma?

By Energy Rant No Comments
Show me anything, and I’ll investigate it. This investigation was spurred by an article blurb I reviewed for a potential spot in AESP’s monthly member e-magazine, Strategies. The headline: Connection Between Home Energy Efficiency and Respiratory Health in Low-Income Homes. That sounds fine enough until I got to the reported root cause: too much infiltration; i.e., ventilation; i.e., fresh air! The study says people living in drafty homes have higher rates of chronic cough, asthma, and asthma-like symptoms. I find it amazing how numerous topics I’ve written in the past converge into a topic like wasting energy via infiltration reportedly…
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