by Jamie Wolf | Aug 28, 2013 | Design, Performance
We’re just closing up the building “envelope” on a Passive House project in Farmington. This is always an important milestone in the project because we get to test how effectively our air sealing strategy is performing while we can still get at any...
by Jamie Wolf | Apr 10, 2011 | Performance
These days we are using blower doors and infrared cameras to measure and observe where and how our homes leak air and waste energy. We call this an Energy Audit and it helps us diagnose failures in a homes system of enclosure – the building...
by Jamie Wolf | Oct 2, 2010 | Discovery, Performance
Like someone on a diet who wonders why, despite their best efforts, they can’t seem to lose weight, we sometimes make mistakes in our choices to save energy in our homes. Unless you knew better you’d expect that these seemingly sensible energy saving...
by Jamie Wolf | Mar 5, 2010 | Craft, Performance
My career started in the 70’s as a house painter. A painter touches the surfaces of each project three times: Prep. Prime. Paint. Over dozens of projects I saw and touched every finished part of a house, inside and out. As a result I got to know the parts and how...
by Jamie Wolf | Dec 15, 2009 | Performance
Do we appreciate what energy is? Do fish know they’re wet? Like clueless fish, we’ve lived within a world of cheap available energy our whole lives. We have no visceral understanding of how remarkable this actually is. For instance, what’s a Watt? How’s this for a...
by Jamie Wolf | Aug 3, 2009 | Discovery, Performance
Its no surprise that the “cash for clunkers” program is a hit. Not only do you get a significant subsidy for a new car, those who participate are going to save big on fuel. Based on average annual mileage of 13,500 and $3/gallon gas, a modest 7MPG improvement saves...
