Top 10 Summer Energy Saving Tips: Questions to ask yourself 1) How can I save energy in the summer? The temperature is rising and so are your energy bills. Seeing a spike in your electricity usage in the summer is [...]
Zero Duct Leakage – Ring 4 Club
April 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Here at EPB we don’t like duct leakage, in fact we hate it. To check to see how much duct leakage there is on a system we hook up a Duct Blaster. A duct blaster puts a small amount of pressure (25 pascals) on the duct system after we tape up all of the grilles [...]
Efficient Air Conditioning
April 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Efficient Air Conditioning – What you need to know Electricity can be pricey these days. If you want to install or upgrade your air conditioning system, you should be aware that there is a wide range of quality out there. This is one of those things that pays for itself if you have it done [...]
Do It Yourself Home Energy Audit: A One Stop Guide
April 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Do It Yourself – Home Energy Audit What is a Residential Energy Audit? (often more positively termed: Energy Assessment) An Energy Audit is a way to use Building Science and Home Performance concepts to perform a comprehensive in-depth testing of a home in order to find out where the energy concerns are, how to [...]
Indoor Air Quality
April 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Indoor Air Quality: Test it and Improve it Considering the amount of time we spend in our homes, and that we are generally breathing the whole time, it’s a good idea to ensure that our air is clean and healthy. There are a number of factors that can affect indoor air quality, some of [...]
Think Twice About Window Upgrades – Energy Efficiency Priorities
March 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
When people hear “energy upgrade,” one of their first thoughts might be of double pane window upgrades. This is probably because windows are much more immediately noticeable to a resident than, say, leaky ducts. You may walk by a closed window and feel a slight draft, and this is certainly relevant to energy efficiency and [...]
Loans for Energy Efficiency Upgrades
March 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Loans for Energy Efficiency Upgrades Geosmart Loan (Loan option #1) California has been hit hard by the mortgage and credit crisis, and energy prices are reaching record highs, making it difficult for homeowners to invest in energy efficiency upgrades. However, qualifying for a loan for energy efficiency upgrades is easy. EGIA (Electric & Gas [...]
Energy Upgrade Rebates
February 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Energy Upgrade California Rebates Explained (as of 2013) Upgrading your home is an investment, and it’s a difficult one to predict or quantify. However with the right upgrade package, you can greatly increase and speed up the return on your investment, by qualifying for energyupgrade rebates through the EUC [...]
What is Home Performance?
February 4, 2013 by 1 Comment
What is Home Performance? Home performance is a comprehensive, whole-house approach to identifying and fixing comfort, energy efficiency, air quality and durability problems in a home. The goal is to identify and prioritize these issues with a home energy audit then find a home performance contractor to address the energy concerns. An energy audit technician [...]
Proper Duct System
January 5, 2013 by 2 Comments
Goals When Installing an Efficient Proper Duct System: Properly engineered ducts should achieve the following: 1. Minimal leakage 2. Good insulation (ideally R-8) 3. Sized to provide ideal air flow to each room 4. Minimal air flow resistance 5. Designed to work efficiently with a correctly sized furnace Unfortunately, the vast majority of homes fail [...]
Home Performance Success Story – Eco Performance Builders
December 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Bay Area Home Performance – Renovation Success Story In August of 2012, Eco Performance Builders successfully renovated a house (1239 College Avenue, Alameda) and turned it into one of the most Energy Efficient homes in the Bay Area. Using the highest standards of Home Performance and Green Building, the project was a major success and [...]
Efficient Home Heating Systems
December 26, 2012 by 1 Comment
Why is my energy bill so high? Why is my furnace so loud? Why does my furnace go off and on repeatedly? Why is there stale, foul-smelling air coming from my vents? Why are some rooms hot and some rooms cold with the furnace on? First of all, if you hear a loud bang when [...]
Home Insulation Types – The Road to a Comfortable Efficient Home
December 19, 2012 by 4 Comments
Does my home need insulation? If your house was not specifically built for energy efficiency, adding insulation can lower your energy costs and make your home more comfortable. First off, you need to know what type of insulation you have already, and where it is. Also, you will want to know how well your [...]
Wall Insulation Video
June 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Check out ‘Insulation” Bill spraying dense pack cellulose wall insulation in an unfinished wall. Having open stud cavities is a great opportunity to spray in dense packed cellulose. Although not as ideal, it is still possible to install cellulose insulation to a wall that still has the drywall on and has no pre-existing insulation [...]
Home Performance in Lafayette
May 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Jordan Shively Eco Performance Builders will be at the LafayetteLibrary on June 14 to speak aboutHome Performance. At 7:00 pm on Thursday, June 14 Eco Performance Builders will be at the Art and Science Discovery Center in the Lafayette Library. We will be speaking about the benefits of Home Performance and the $4,000 in cash [...]
