Thoughts and Thinkings From a Home Tester.
The Pains of Progress
Taking time to assess your industry within your market is helpful in establishing goals and invigorating motivation.
After a recent conference, a seat-filler proclaimed – “The presentation was good enough. But, I think some of these ideas are suspect. Maybe 20% is accurate, but I bet other industry professionals would say he doesn’t know what he is talking about.”
Slowly We Go…
The subject matter related to how to quantify home performance and help homeowners live in and keep a healthy home. This is the realty of our industry. There is an HVAC-ton of apprehension and willful refusal to change understandings and habits (see what I did there with that HVAC ton…I’m a quick one, I am…). Larger, more youthful areas of our country likely have an easier go at this. Rural, more aged and conservative communities likely are slower in acceptance.
Building science is not rocket science…common knowledge among building scientists
Building science is not high-level physics. It can be, but most of what practitioners need is not high-level. All building science really does is incorporate the “why” into the “how.” The other thing building science does is provide on-going advancements in testing to confirm – confirm performance, confirm deficiency, and even resolve deficiency. And everyone appreciates resolution, right?
Err, maybe not so much. Turns out, without active and prolific enforcement, many regions of our country remain happily humming along executing at the “same old, same old” quality of construction and home performance. Don’t believe me? Listen to any number of trades-related podcasts – the subject will and does come up routinely. We know what we know and we do what we know and we won’t do what we don’t know unless and until someone else makes us know it (eat my biscuits, Dr. Seuss!).
Hitting Home
In the south, TVA remains king which affects attention to energy consumption
For my business in the conservative South, where TVA still reigns king and electricity remains less expensive per kwh than many other regions of the country, getting anyone to see me as anything other than crazy is not easy. The thing is, there’s no motivation for anyone local to see the merit in using my services – if consumers don’t ask for it, and codes departments don’t require any of it, then what compels any one builder or contractor to learn and do better? Literally, there is no competitive edge in doing so in our market. Yet.
See, that’s my hope. There are a few builders in our region who are doing “some” portion of a pretty good house detail, but no one builder has started to build exclusively with the total details package. I’m hopeful that the trend will continue. Hell, I’m even starting to kick around the idea of doing it. Licensing isn’t that large of a hurdle. If I can understand the building science of a home, and how to test for performance, then surely I can manage a license exam. Based on what I have been seeing for the last decade, I shouldn’t have an issue. Boy, I’d be embarrassed if I did.
New Year Feel-Goods
Going into the new year, I’m hopeful I can begin to find a way to better access the existing housing market and help owners and builders begin to make choices that benefit everyone. As a builder, if you work to change some practices – be it materials used or methods of construction – then you could see improvement in your profit, in your product, and in your client interest. As a homeowner, if you demand better conditions from your home – more than the aesthetics of the kitchen or baths – you could see less money spent on utilities, healthier indoor air quality, and a greater longevity of the home itself. There are many reasons why understanding how your home is failing could help you take control. Such control yields more value for the money and time spent on and in your home.
May the end of year bring you blessings and peace
TNergy Services wishes all of you a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Whether you travel, stay in place, hang out with copious amount of people, or cuddle up with a few good books – may stress not be a mitigating factor for choices made. And, in the new year, if you are ready for a new adventure and to take control of your home, give me a call. I’d be honored and humbled to be of help.
Codes Are Not A Low Bar, People Are
“It meets code” gives a bad rap to building codes that have come a long way and now really afford for well-performing homes. In reality, codes are good and people are fallible.
What do building standards stand for? If you operate in any overlapping category of real estate and the building trades, then you have heard the phrase – “it meets code” – at least once. Maybe twice? Well, what does that mean?
Code gets a bad rap not because it’s bad, but because it requires humans
In our Middle TN region, it tends to mean one thing the closer you are to Nashville, Knoxville, or Chattanooga, and quite another in lesser populated areas in between. It also depends on which code is being referenced – International Building Code, International Residential Code, International Energy Conservation Code, International Plumbing Code, International Fuel Gas Code, National Electric Code. Each of these tomes is generated by a dizzying array of academic, professional, and trade specialists, combined with governmental, and sometimes lobbying, entities.
Again, the context of where you are entirely dictates the rules of the game. This is, unfortunately, a glib way to summarize the situation. In reality, what tends to happen is because humans create, adopt, and enforce the codes, inconsistencies and errors are very common. This is not to point toward corruption (perhaps another article…?) beyond the corrupt imperfection of humans. And, you know what humans really dislike – chaffing and cold water, yes, but more than that…change.
We tend to shy away from change more than from exercise or house cleaning.
We humans love to stomp our paths into ruts. Ruts are easy to follow. Ruts can guide newbies. Ruts are convenient because they can be followed whilst paying attention to something else. Ruts also tend to be hard to escape after decades of stomping and following. And so, we come to homes built fresh atop newly sectioned-off lots that cost more than four times (yikes!) what our folks paid for and yet perform very similar to those same homes of yesteryear.
When I say perform, I mean: Put together with the same methodologies related to air, water, and pest management. These are the three horsemen of the home apocalypse and are very much understated in their presence until it may be too late for the home. There is no reason for a home built in our modern era to perform the same way a 1950s home does when it comes to a blower door test (feel free to email me if you don’t know what the scientific simplicity of a blower door as a measurement tool is). We don’t accept new cars that perform like cars from the 1960s. Why do we do it for homes?
Seriously, think about it – how much material is spent in making a home? What about the average carbon footprint (folks, it’s pretty bad what one home contributes to our atmospheric pollution, let along our landfills) for making a home? Why are we okay with following standards for building said home that will result in said home making its way to a landfill in 30-50 years? Why wouldn’t we simply adopt a slightly different set of practices and standards that allow said home to last for 100+ years? Change.
I don’t like it, change that is! Keep it away!
Change for humans is like Shere Khan from “The Jungle Book” faced with fire. You wave change in our faces and we hiss and retreat. In our market, this looks like resistance to better building standards by most (not all) general contractors; this looks like local building codes departments slow or unwilling to adopt modern codes that require trades professionals to put the pieces together differently; this looks like homes being built without any verifiable testing for performance (again, would you buy a new car today that didn’t have safety ratings from crash testing?).
Building a new home to “code” should be a badge of honor and pride garnering respect. Unfortunately, it historically has trended toward the other end of the spectrum. In my market, that same phrase usually is used to excuse such errors as water and fungal growth in a crawlspace, or HVAC return duct plenums built by voided framing space. In my market, that same phrase usually is used by trades and real estate professionals (oh, the stories I could tell…) to argue against a home inspector or building performance specialist who has advised clients of information that makes said clients have higher expectations for the home.
I am convinced that “it meets code” is merely a crutch on which to lean against impending change. The dirty little secret is that most current iterations of code – any of the code entities out there – really do afford for well-performing homes that keep occupants safe and healthy, as well as keep the home intact for many more decades, if not generations. Codes and standards have evolved quite well. It’s the people who remain resistant to change. It’s the people who continue, with the help of special interest groups (ever stop to wonder what’s so special about those interests – ahem, money, ahem…) to carve out the sections of code they choose not to adopt or enforce.
Codes have changed for the better (enter “Wicked” song here…)
With a wink to irony, it’s also people who are leading the change. It’s the high-school education programs teaching students building science; it’s the social media presence of trades professionals sharing what they learn from their failures; and its professionals like home inspectors and building performance specialists taking up the mantles of educator and consumer protector. Yes, it’s a tall order. Yes, there are so many forces pushing against change. Yes, making these choices means upsetting some local trades professionals and losing some business. I’m doing it. Others are doing it. We’d love for you to join us in making our homes, our neighborhoods, and our communities better and healthier for family and friends.
A Moment With Unvented Conditioned Attics
When Your Attic is On Fire But You Can’t See It
Our eyes are amazing organs. They filter something we can’t otherwise perceive and allow us to perceive the worlds which we see. But, what happens when we pay for a service that addresses what we can’t see with our eyes? How do we know we are getting what we pay for? Or, if we’re the contractor, how do we really know what we’re doing is effective?
We test.
In our middle TN region, we don’t have many homes that are built with unvented conditioned attics, or are converted to unvented conditioned attics. To my knowledge, we also don’t have a hardy education for trades professionals regarding the building science behind vented unconditioned attics vs. unvented conditioned attics. So, our line of ignorance places us in a precarious position as home owners and builders.
In our region, what I see mostly is low density open cell spray foam installed along the roof line and eaves. In theory, this closes off the attic from the exterior environment extending the interior enclosure from the finished ceiling to the now-foam-filled roof framing. In theory.
In actuality, because our trades professionals aren’t regulated in relation to the depth of the installed low density open cell spray foam, often there are irregularities, voids, and gaps. These, individually, are no big deal. But taken as one larger whole (get it…?), they are a very big deal. Thermal imaging helps us see this clearly.
Further Complication
In addition to no real standardization of installation and resulting thermal intrusion and potentially moisture issues (for our immediate market), we would naturally need to worry about moisture issues anyhow. The biggest potential issue for unvented conditioned attics is moisture. Per this article by Joseph Lstiburek and Building Science Corporation, moisture is the most pernicious concern for unvented conditioned attics. Why is this so complicated?
Low density open cell spray foam in an unvented conditioned attic
Installation is key — the bright yellow indicates thermal inefficiencies which indicate questionable installation
Well, if it’s a new home, then there is moisture from the building materials. If it is an existing home, there is moisture (in our market) from deficiencies related to poor water management and indoor air quality. And then there’s our subtropical environment that tends to be hot, wet, and humid. This is why some building science folks argue for use of high density closed cell spray foam only — it blocks moisture getting to the roof sheathing/decking a bit better (when properly installed). But, it carries it’s own pitfalls.
So What’s To Say
In the end, I put my money where Lstiburek puts his decades of experience and knowledge — the man is a compendium of building science experience and testing. So, if you ask me I will tell you low density open cell spray foam is acceptable when properly installed. The problem, as this photo from a recent new build shows, is installation. Now, this particular home has an in-line dehumidifier in the basement which should help. I recommended further monitoring via hygrometer installation in the attic as close to the ridge line as possible. If the moisture loads are noted to be beyond ideal percentages, then the client can manage the unvented conditioned attic space in one of several ways. Lstiburek’s recommendation for balanced ventilation would be sweet to see, but in our region I suspect it might be too complicated for many professionals to get right without causing more harm. FYI, that article also has great information on walling and basement configurations, too. If that kind of thing tickles your fancy.
And So The Testing Begins, Sort Of …
So, what’s the deal with home testing and is it something I should be thinking about? Let’s take a brief perspective at such a question.
Sorry You Got Lost :)
If you stumbled your way here, I’m sorry. But, not sorry. You should know I color myself humbled in relation to others in my profession. The thing about building science is there is always a new way to “see” something and always someone else who can “show” you something new to see.
While home performance testing is pretty straight forward, there is guess work involved and it isn’t always a hard science. Additionally, some of the set standards referenced in the industry don’t necessary have a poignant or purposeful origin. Home diagnostic testing becomes even less “hard science” as often you have to look at the system as a whole in order to find the chink in the armor. Yes, there are common and routine causes and known issues. But, each structure can be unique and so needs to be “seen” in a unique, open-minded manner that fits the client’s requested solution(s).
Let’s Have An Example
As an example, indoor air testing has been all the rage in recent years. There are oodles of products available on the marketplace for home owners, as wells as professionals. However, when we get a call for “mold” testing, I feel we have a responsibility to not just sell someone on a test to make money. The truth is, sometimes air testing is relevant and helpful to determine a particular contaminant. The bigger picture, however, is listening to what’s really being asked and then have a conversation regarding spending time reviewing structure systems to determine a deficiency and/or cause. In then end, does it matter knowing what’s in the air specifically for hundreds of dollars (the tests we use cost between $200 and $350 just for the test), or could we do other diagnostic work (that’s fancy speak for using our education, experience, and some shiny tools) and come away with a list for guiding repairs and/or modifications (read — resolution)? All a test will tell you is what you have in the air, and there are no agreed upon standards for concentrations, limits, or significance. And let’s not get into the quandary of knowing lab standards and practices…
Ruminate For Action
In the end, what you may need for your structure — be it commercial, or residential, or hunting cabin, or storm shelter — isn’t necessarily every test in the world thrown at it. Sometimes, the best answer may start with knowing how to ask “why?” Why is this happening? That’s what TNergy Services does for you and that’s where we start. Sometimes, you literally need a blower door test (new homes, e.g.); sometimes a blower door would be silly to perform when what you need is a site assessment to identify system deficiencies causing water (usually always water) related issues. We’re really good listeners. We’re really happy thinkers. We’re pretty good communicators. Give us a ring and let’s see how we can help make your home/business perform and “feel” better.