Comments on: Building Science for non-architects. http://sustainableflatbush.org/2007/05/24/building-science-for-non-architects/ Promoting sustainable living in our Brooklyn neighborhood. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:15:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: anne http://sustainableflatbush.org/2007/05/24/building-science-for-non-architects/#comment-24 anne Fri, 25 May 2007 19:35:12 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=53#comment-24 thanks chandru for representing the Trained Professionals! as for ventilation, one intriguing idea they mentioned is that a well-insulated building may need little to no a/c in the summer, only dehumidifying for comfort... of course at the moment there is apparently no centralized fixture available that ONLY dehumidifies, so these guys are pressuring the industry to make one. joe and john also stressed that buildings that appear to be tight are not only energy hogs, their *vapor* tightness is what makes them hugely prone to mold. ecccch. (by the way, for some reason this course was less than half the cost they advertise on their website... if this happens again i will post it here.) thanks chandru for representing the Trained Professionals! as for ventilation, one intriguing idea they mentioned is that a well-insulated building may need little to no a/c in the summer, only dehumidifying for comfort… of course at the moment there is apparently no centralized fixture available that ONLY dehumidifies, so these guys are pressuring the industry to make one. joe and john also stressed that buildings that appear to be tight are not only energy hogs, their *vapor* tightness is what makes them hugely prone to mold. ecccch.

(by the way, for some reason this course was less than half the cost they advertise on their website… if this happens again i will post it here.)

]]> By: chandru http://sustainableflatbush.org/2007/05/24/building-science-for-non-architects/#comment-23 chandru Fri, 25 May 2007 19:01:17 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=53#comment-23 Sounds like a great course...in spite of the high cost! Looking at their website, they do seem to have an irreverent take (R in R-VAlue...is rip-off). There is much misinformation about green residential building, not least because builders are so linked to tradition. Chris and Gifford are not, so they can design from a fresh viewpoint. I have always wondered about whether a tight house that *requires* mechanical ventilation 24/7 can be more energy-efficient than a well-insulated one that does not. Running a ventilator 24/7 seems counter-intuitive. Sounds like a great course…in spite of the high cost! Looking at their website, they do seem to have an irreverent take (R in R-VAlue…is rip-off).

There is much misinformation about green residential building, not least because builders are so linked to tradition. Chris and Gifford are not, so they can design from a fresh viewpoint.

I have always wondered about whether a tight house that *requires* mechanical ventilation 24/7 can be more energy-efficient than a well-insulated one that does not. Running a ventilator 24/7 seems counter-intuitive.

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