I'm Baaaaaaackkkkkkk

It's been quite a year...quite a bit of analysis of not only the wonderful home market, but myself as well.

Moving forward as hZg blogs, you'll see the true nature of the beast: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I've discovered that I truly love to help people, while despising them at the same time. Quite a battle, huh...?

The business atmosphere has been ever changing. While the economy is currently down, energy savings is up even more than it has been in the past. Grant funds are readily available; middle class people are taking the brunt of the hit, however do not qualify for said funds. Upper class; well, it costs quite a bit to fund the energy supply of the McMansions.

This past year I have been able to travel to various locations across this country, keeping an eye out of unique ideas in energy conservation. I've had the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life; shared values, laughed at theirs...unless of course they agreed with me. Have had a plethora of injuries which opened up new doors to business success. Have hired some absolutely great people to work with; have hired some that I wondered out loud, "Was I on heroin that day of hiring?"

With all this being said, you can expect to see regular irregular posts forthcoming. I will touch on true life energy stories; true life success stories; true life "I hate people" stories (and yes, to Mr. Ms. Anonymous - it DOES work for me); stories of business ventures; stories of regulations that are utterly ridiculous; basically, stories...

Please be advised; while there will not be cursing in this blog, there will be a great fair share of Jekyll & Hyde spewing. You may think I hate people (sometimes I do...) However, if you're smart (and not a complete idiot), you will see the best intentions come through. Whether you agree with them, that's up for debate...and I will be more than happy to debate with you. Heck, you may even change my mind.

Oh, that's funny...

Forcing the LAZY to use bathroom fans

Hello from the injured HZG. Had a cortisone shot in the shoulder and the pain was great enough to shut me down for a while. It was enjoyable doing groundhog attic inspections (where you pop up your head). Seriously though - if I saw something, I had my lead techs with me to crawl. Hopefully back at it tomorrow.

Today's topic is the latest and greatest for lazy people. It's the motion detector bathroom fan. For indoor air quality, bathroom fans should be used for every bathing event, running from the time the water runs to 10-15 minutes after exiting the bathroom. In the HWAP programs, we would install fans on switches that you KNOW were never turned on. How do we know? The follow up post-installation reviews showed the majority of the time, the fans were not in action.

With this being said, we found a way for as little as $30 (up to $100 for electrical work) - a motion detector could be put in. This detector is set for 15 minutes connected to the fan, so that when someone is entering the room and leaving the room, the fan remains on for 15 minutes.

The only complaints we receive are from the people that are just using the bathroom to, well, go to the bathroom. Based on some of the bathrooms we've smelled lately, this isn't necessarily a bad idea...

Ceiling Fans in Conjunction with AC

Recovering from the heat / freeze headache that has developed today - you know, when you go from a chilled environment of 68 degrees into 91 degree heat, back into, back out of...you get the picture...HZG had the idea to write about energy savings and AC. The following paragraphs were lifted from another article and tweaked accordingly. The bottom line is still the same...

Circulating fans include ceiling fans, table fans, floor fans, and fans mounted to poles or walls. These fans create a wind chill effect that will make you more comfortable in your home, even if it's also cooled by natural ventilation or air conditioning. Ceiling fans are considered the most effective of these types of fans, since they effectively circulate the air in a room to create a draft throughout the room.

If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about

4°F with no reduction in comfort. In temperate climates, or during moderately hot weather, ceiling fans may allow you to avoid using your air conditioner altogether. Install a fan in each room that needs to be cooled during hot weather.

Ceiling fans are only appropriate in rooms with ceilings at least eight feet high. Fans work best when the blades are 7–9 feet above the floor and 10–12 inches below the ceiling. Fans should be installed so their blades are no closer than 8 inches from the ceiling and 18 inches from the walls.
Larger ceiling fans can move more air than smaller fans. A 36- or 44-inch diameter fan will cool rooms up to 225 square feet, while fans that are 52 inches or more should be used in larger rooms. Multiple fans work best in rooms longer than 18 feet. Small- and medium-sized fans will provide efficient cooling in a 4- to 6-foot diameter area, while larger fans are effective up to 10 feet.

A larger blade will also provide comparable cooling at a lower velocity than a smaller blade. This may be important in areas where loose papers or other objects will be disturbed by a strong breeze. The fan should also be fitted to the aesthetics of the room—a large fan may appear overpowering in a small room.

A more expensive fan that operates quietly and smoothly will probably offer more trouble-free service than cheaper units. Check the noise ratings, and, if possible, listen to your fan in operation before you buy it.

When buying window fans, look for the ENERGY STAR label. Fans that earn the label move air 20% more efficiently, on average, than standard models.

Well, I tweaked it less than I thought. Bottom line - use ceiling fans in conjunction with AC - and save money...

Top 10 worst insulated attic...

Today HZG encountered one of the top 10 worst insulated attic jobs. While the old home was immaculately kept, the attic was, let's say, interesting...

Here's the list of issues; you be the judge...

1) Attic door was not insulated. There was simply a 3/8" piece of plywood

2) Upon entering, there was 1/2" of vermiculite at the bottom of the the joist area

3) On top of the vermiculite was 1" of Styrofoam shells and peanuts - not a solid blanket.

4) Scatter throughout was 1" of fiberglass batting - maybe one run for every 5 runs

5) On top of this concoction was plastic - over the ENTIRE attic

6) A chimney chase that was 2' wide around the entire perimeter, traveling 2 floors

7) Light fixtures that you could see into the room below

Besides this, the attic was fine.

The client was very understanding and is excited to have the issues corrected. Me too...

Concrete Patios - The Big "No No's"

Concrete patios are great. They come in various colors, textures and designs. When installed correctly, the value - emotional and monetary - go up. When done poorly, the costs of maintaining your home can skyrocket - and value can be lost.

What could go wrong with a patio? Well, the biggest "No No's" are..."Don't assume that your patio is sloped correctly" and "Don't assume that your patio is installed against your home correctly."

The first No No is the slope. Ensure that when a level is place on the patio that the slope is AWAY from your home. If it is not, you will have basement issues - end of the story. Walls were not designed to have water pool on them.

The second No No is the attachment, or lack thereof. The patio should not be attached to the house; it should be free floating or sitting on a pre-installed ledger. Too many times HZG has gone to a home with basement water issues only to discover that the water is entering through a rebar penetration. Some contractors actually popped holes in the basement block to install the rebar so that the patio would be levered. What these contractors did not realize is that they created a pathway for water to enter. Once a block is stained, it's stained.

That's it for this ramble...

Dirty Ducts

Before you decide to hire a company to come out to clean your ducts due to all of the dust in the air, it will be useless unless you prevent the dust from accumulating again in the future. Per Energy Stars website, the preventative maintenance should be the following:

1) Use the highest efficiency air filter recommended by the manufacturer of your heating and cooling system.
2) Change filters regularly.
3) If your filters become clogged, change them more frequently.
4) Be sure you do not have any missing filters and that air cannot bypass filters through gaps around the filter holder.
5) When having your heating and cooling system maintained or checked for other reasons, be sure to ask the service provider to clean cooling coils and drain pans.
6) During construction or renovation work that produces dust in your home, seal off supply and return registers and do not operate the heating and cooling system until after cleaning up the dust.
7) Remove dust and vacuum your home regularly. (Use a high efficiency vacuum (HEPA) cleaner or the highest efficiency filter bags your vacuum cleaner can take. Vacuuming can increase the amount of dust in the air during and after vacuuming as well as in your ducts).
8) If your heating system includes in-duct humidification equipment, be sure to operate and maintain the humidifier strictly as recommended by the manufacturer.

Remember, treat the cause, not the symptom.

Building Tightness Limits

Otherwise known as the BTL...hold the mayo.

The building tightness limits (BTL) show how tight, well, the building is. When a weatherization contractor air seals a home and runs a blower door, there is a number that is very important that when you exceed it - additional steps must be taken.

Each home has a different limit based upon size of the home, number of occupants, pets, weather they smoke (occupants, no pets) and other moisture sources. When a home gets too tight, the indoor air quality takes a turn for the worse. Imagine if you will being in a room that has a window that's open all the way. Then imagine if you will 3 people in the room, one of the people smoke, there's a dog and an aquarium. Now, one last time, imagine if the window is shut so that only 1" remains open. Is the indoor air quality better or worse?

Duh, it's worse. What could be done (besides opening the window back up)? Introduce an exhaust fan. This aids in the recycling of the air.

The key to exhaust fans shall come in a later writing. It's time for HZG to go to "get thrown" training.

Tuckpoint before Treating

Before doing any work around your basement walls (such as insulating, waterproofing, etc.), make sure to tuckpoint the block.

Tuckpointing is the recementing of mortar joints that have come apart over time.

In a crawl space that we just finished, we tuckpointed for a good 2 hours. Since we were going to adhere insulation board to the block, we first had to do whatever we could to stop the air flow as well as prevent as much potential water breach as possible.

If you use a hydraulic cement, the mortar will dry much more quickly. However, we still suggest waiting a full 24 hours for the best cure.

Cost Saving Material - Insulation Board

When performing an insulation job using foam board, it is important to measure cost versus labor. Does buying a more expensive item that takes less time to install make sense? Absolutely.

HZG came from a job our crew was on today where the material quoted was not used. We originally were quoted 4' x 8' sheets of 2" R7.8 foam board at $26.00 per sheet. At the warehouse, the lead foreman called me and stated that they were now carrying 2' x 8' sheets of 2" R7.8 for $16 per sheet. We needed 7-4' x 8' sheets - or 14-2' x 8' sheets. The difference equated to $42 more in expense. Was this a good deal? Once again, absolutely.

The extra $42 was not only quickly saved, but earned extra money for the day. The labor saved was the cutting (to fit into the crawl space) and the ease of seaming the straight cuts. This portion was a break even. However the time saved was parlayed into getting in another job, thereby earning us additional cash. The last positive result was the appearance. Nothing beats a pre-cut look, and the homeowners were very pleased.

So when pricing a job, look at all aspects - not just the ones that clobber you in the head...

Insulating the Door

Good day all!

Today, HZG went on a sales call to an FOP home. Supposedly, the gas bills for this newly acquired home were quite high - and the air conditioner runs non-stop. Well, the answer was a little surprising.

The attic space was not going to be used for anything but storage. The owners had previously insulated under the wood flooring - both in the main part of the attic and the kneewalls. A fairly decent job, no less. The issue was the entry leading to the attic space.

Upon opening the door, you still felt cool in the space (mid-80 degrees today). It wasn't until you got to the top of the attic that the temperature drastically switched. Why?

The walls and staircase were not insulated. Worse than that, the door was not insulated - and a LOUVERED door to boot.

Solution - dense-pack the stairway wall and steps, replace the louvered door with a solid door and add an R19 batt with 6 mil poly to the door's surface. Lastly, weatherstrip the door - yes, it must be treated as if it were to the outside, which in essence it is.

Unforeseen aggravations...add to cost

Hail is not a beautiful thing when it involves your transportation. Today we had TENNIS ball size hail, accounting for a smashed windshield and 11 dents.

This type of issue MUST be included in your job costing. Where does the time lost and expense go? To the overall cost of the product, service or sale of home. Soooo, don't forget when you get a quote or figuring in you calculations...add in maintenance and service to your overall yearly picture.

OK, so I'm aggravated...sorry for the short diatribe...

Garage issue...and the wonders of Caulk

HZG went on a crawl space call today that also resulted in a moisture issue - easily fixed.

Prior to insulating a crawl space, you need to ensure that any moisture issue is taken care of first for indoor air quality reasons. In this home, the crawl space wall along the garage was saturated from the floor level down. I asked the home owner if there was quite a bit of water in the garage during the various seasons - snow in the winter, car washing in the summer. The answer was "Yes."

Inside the garage was a nice exposed block (part of the crawl space) and a nice size seam where the floor meets the block. Exposed.

Easy recommendation: apply a water repellent product (Zinsser, among others) to the block and an inexpensive silicone caulk run along the floor wall seam.

Hidden Costs of Weatherization & Retro-fits

In today's climate (no pun intended...), prices are continuing to climb. Not only in the cost of the product, but the hidden costs of what it takes to complete a job. This hidden cost in business is the price of gasoline. To and from jobs, special runs, changes, etc. - these all cost additional funds of labor and GAS.

The price of gas MUST be figured into your service costs. If you have a round trip of 50 miles, not only do you have the time involved with drive-time - but you have to calculate truck expenses...those 50 miles can equate to $90 in expenses.

On retro-fitting of houses, the cost of gas must be figured in the overall net profit of a home sale. Too often we take gas for granted - and it can be a LARGE expense when it comes to a lengthy rehab...

Bathroom Fan Venting Oops Part Duh

Today's sales call involved a nice bathroom fan installation. It was sealed tightly in the ceiling. It was the right sizing for the bathroom scale. It had the electricity routed correctly for the 3 stages. It was a very quiet fan. Everything was done well...except the positioning and venting - which there was neither.

Too many times bathroom fans are simply vented into the attic space. Very few people realize what type of moisture damage can occur - until it's too late. So besides the need to straight pipe tube and insulate the exhaust, the reason for this blog is the positioning of the fan.

Common sense...oh, a commodity that if we could sell we could make a KILLING. As stated above, the fan was indeed installed and wired securely. However, the idio...er, person, installed the fan with the exhaust 1 inch - that's 1 INCH - from the joist. No wonder it wasn't vented - it was blasting the wood (keeping the wood nice and moist).

The home owner stated that the fan never worked right - or as right as they thought is should. No wonder...

HZG re-positioned the fan and vented it properly to the outside. The clients were amazed when I ran the bathroom steam test how well their fan worked.

Real Estate Sales

Slow...

Whether the house is in pristine shape; weatherized; discounted; applianced; you name it - sales of existing homes are slow.

The home we've had on the market for the last 90-days has been slow to get people through - although it is in excellent shape. When talking to many Realtors, the talk is the same - the market place is slow.

Price drops are happening at every corner - and yet the market is still in a standstill. While we have been used to seeing 4% to 10% yearly housing price increases - this year we will see drops. Substantial drops.

Funny thing, I don't see the the County Auditors giving us tax money back based upon depreciation...

Tankless Hot Water Systems

The new "rage" is tankless hot water systems - "new" being in the States for the last 20 years. European countries have had these systems for well over 40 years.

Tankless heaters have pros and cons, just like everything else. They can supply an endless supply of hot water, and can save energy. However...

They are limited in the amount of hot water that can be produced at one time and they are more expensive to purchase than a conventional storage type water heater.

They also make it take longer for you to get your hot water, since they don't start heating the water until you turn on the faucet. This problem can be solved by using a specialized pump, which in combination with the tankless unit can get your hot water to you at less than half the time it would take running the faucet full blast.

The tankless water heaters also cause an increase in water wastage since you have to let the water run longer to get your hot water. This problem is also solved when using the specialized pumping system. Water conservation is an important advantage to the pumping system.

Tankless hot water heaters save energy and thus money. Water heating accounts for 20% or more of an average household’s annual energy expenditures. The yearly operating costs for conventional gas or electric storage tank water heaters average $200 or $450, respectively.
Storage tank-type water heaters raise and maintain the water temperature to the temperature setting on the tank (usually between 120° -140° F (49° -60° C). Even if no hot water is drawn from the tank (and cold water enters the tank), the heater will operate periodically to maintain the water temperature.
This is due to "standby losses": the heat conducted and radiated from the walls of the tank—and in gas-fired water heaters—through the flue pipe. These standby losses represent 10% to 20% of a household’s annual water heating costs.

Unlike "conventional" storage tank water heaters, tankless water heaters heat water only as it is used, or on demand. A tankless hot water heater has a heating device that is activated by the flow of water when a hot water valve is opened. Once activated, the heater delivers a constant supply of hot water. The output, however, limits the rate of the heated water flow.

HZG was at a seminar recently, sitting enjoying the silence. Two people next to me were in a discussion - loud enough to be heard so I wasn't eaves-dropping. A new complaint regarding the system came up - and I had never heard it before. Some systems have a "minimum" amount of water flow necessary to turn the system on. This gentleman was having issues with not running a faucet full force, for the heat wouldn't turn on.

Sometimes we learn something when we least expect it...

House as a Thermos

HZG hopes everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Weekend.

Many thoughts passed through HZG's mind this weekend (along with deciding not to do a stitch of "job" work). As the temperature steadily rose and hit 88 degrees, I felt it was time to re-address the value of insulation.

Yes, we typically think of insulation needs in the winter, with the price of gas being what it is. However, we all too often forget the extreme value of insulation in the summer months. While electricity is currently less expensive than the price of gas, it is still an expense.

Insulation's purpose it to keep the "hot, hot" and the "cool, cool." There is nothing better than coming home in the summer and walking into a home that is cooler than the outdoors - and the AC isn't even on. When the extreme summer temps get here and the AC does run, you'll notice that it runs less.

One side-perk is that you can usually get an insulation / weatherization contractor in your home quicker during these "down" months. Until people realize the house is a thermos, the summer months bring slower weatherization times.

Seminar "Nuggets"

Yesterday HZG attended a conference on "Homes that work." Energy stuff, you know...

Some nuggets jotted down for your perusal.

* 20% of customer satisfaction is determined by the warranty service program

* Wet spray cellulose does not work in a humid climate as well as a dry climate...if builders encapsulate in drywall too soon. Mold issues...

* Large overhangs provide great solar control, saving energy

* The new CFL may become the incandescent light; in process is the development of the LED and the Cathode Ray

* Water can climb in concrete in excess of 1,000 feet

* Capillary breaks on footers should be completed to stop water from rising

* A single pane window has an R-value of .92. An 8" concrete wall has an R-value of .62. Go figure...

* 19 independent tests were done on exhaust fan ventilation. Out of the 19, it was shown that all 19 will installed / vented incorrectly - resulting in a 50% capacity of operation.

Roofing Quotes Gone Bad

Sometimes in the weatherization field (and home retrofit) we run into bad roofs. Getting quotes on roofing can range from $3,000 to $14,000 - on the SAME roof.

Besides the obvious - shingle style and life, chimney / stack flashing, etc. - there is a blatant area that should be looked at on EVERY single job. This area is the roof decking.

Too many quotes are generated from ground level. Even walking on a roof sometimes is not enough.

Before hiring any roofing contractor - AFTER checking all references - if the roofer does not go into your attic, do not hire this person.

In the attic is where you can truly discover decking issues, rot, mold, poor framing, etc. If the roofer doesn't check, you are likely to get hit with a DISCOVERY fee. This is a fee that the roofer will charge for discovering an issue not included on their quote. What are you going to do once your roof is half off - not have them finish the job. That's right - they've got you.

Sooooo, make sure all of your quotes are all inclusive of ever issue that may occur - and have them sign a statement such as "The quote given includes are issues - seen and unseen. The quote will not be adjusted upwards for any reason." The roofer that does not flinch is the one to hire...

Old windows and one easy fix...

Today, HZG had an opportunity to go on a weatherization sales call in a century home (100 years and older). Although this was a century home, we've seen this problem exist in 20 year old homes.

This home had many issues, the most visible being old, leaky windows. As part of the weatherization quote, we added "caulking the window panes."

Caulking window panes can be the easiest and least expensive fix out there. With a $4 silicone caulking tube, you can stop air leakage in approximately 5 average sized windows.

If the window "rattles" upon touch, it needs - at minimum - caulked. Simply run a bead around the inside perimeter of the window pane and frame, trowel smooth with your finger and let set. 90% of the time it will solve a "leaky" window issue.