Eric Helton: Building Science

SOLAR 2009 conference

ehelton — 2009-06-19T11:43:16-05:00

Last month, I attended the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) national solar conference, SOLAR 2009, in Buffalo, NY. Overall, the mood was very excited and positive. There was a strong feeling of mobilization of the industry to capitalize on the developing mainstream interest and drive the solar industry into the forefront of today's energy solutions. There was a lot of discussion about the national energy situation, the aging electrical distribution system, smart grid developments, and how renewable energy generation fits into this complex system. Solar energy generation at the residential and community levels plays an increasingly important role.

Lighting package desires and requirements

ehelton — 2009-03-06T15:34:22-05:00

I have been thinking about lighting design a lot recently, especially how a lighting package is chosen by a builder. Many of our clients are medium- and large-sized builders, whose designs primarily focus on maximizing the relationship between desirable/marketable/salable features and cost to implement. Lighting packages vary greatly in costs and challenge to a builder to implement effectively. They also vary a lot in their effectiveness at providing adequate and appropriate levels of light in areas that will be useful to the home occupants. Code-minimum designs in much of the country provide only a very basic level of lighting throughout the house. California is an exception to this. On the other extreme are the high-end or custom homes that have had an intensive lighting design developed by an interior designer, architect, or other informed individual.

What do you look for in lighting?

ehelton — 2009-02-11T11:28:07-05:00

I'm doing a lighting design for a super efficient house my company is working on right now. In trying to make the best decisions of what type of lighting package should be specified, I have put together a list of "customer" requirements. In this case, there are lots of customers: homebuyer, occupants (maybe not the same people as the owner), builder, interior designer, building scientist, etc. The audience here on HGTV is pretty diverse. It's a nice mix of building professionals and homeowners, among others. What sorts of things do you want in a lighting package in a house?

Overview of energy conservation measures for miscellaneous electric loads

ehelton — 2009-02-10T15:25:44-05:00

Published and available works in the miscellaneous electric loads (MEL's) energy mitigation strategies tend to fall into several bins: equipment (e.g. electronics, ceiling fans, pools pumps, etc) efficiency, occupant feedback devices, and controls. The market is beginning to demand more efficient equipment, and, simultaneously, some manufacturers are providing better performance. Improvements are being made in standby mode power draw and in active power use on a model-by-model basis with varying success. The ENERGY STAR branding is making progress in helping the consumer and builder make decisions regarding more efficient choices in lighting, several major appliances, and some MEL's. Feedback or dashboard types of systems give the occupants insight into the instantaneous and accumulated energy use of their house. The real-time feedback gives the occupant much more useful information than a monthly total utility bill that arrives after the fact. Several studies have explored this method of energy use reduction with relatively significant savings reported.

Americans Love their DVRs!

ehelton — 2008-09-04T17:00:17-05:00

I just read about a NDS-sponsored survey of digital video recorder (DVR) owners in Appliance Magazine. It's a very interesting look into TV and DVR use in the United States and some other countries.

Home-Run Plumbing

ehelton — 2008-09-03T12:50:21-05:00

Home-run plumbing systems are gaining popularity in new construction for lots of great reasons, but plumbing changes in an existing house are sometimes very challenging. However, it can be a significant improvement in performance in some cases if some small changes can be made.

Bathrooms and Building Science

ehelton — 2008-09-03T09:50:50-05:00

My wife and I are enjoying a newly renovated bathroom in our home. Over the next few posts, I think I'll discuss some of our thought processes for that renovation as a way to segue into different aspects of building science, energy and water efficiency, and green building.

Building Science, my complex friend

ehelton — 2008-08-28T16:37:38-05:00

I hate to say it, but the Building Science title to this blog has been hampering things for me a little bit. Most of my time at work these days is in aspects of building science which are a little more esoteric than commonly thought of when one considers building science.

Intelligent HVAC Control

ehelton — 2008-08-22T14:05:12-05:00

While I'm trying to catch up work as well as get some content flowing on this blog again, I wanted to bring up the env by Climate Automation Systems.

Back from a hiatus

ehelton — 2008-08-22T13:56:51-05:00

Sorry, I've been AWOL for a while. My wife and I had our first child, so I've been distracted and spending time in my first life. :)

Perspective: Tour de France vs. Watching the Tour de France

ehelton — 2008-07-25T16:03:14-05:00

I was reading a Velo News article today about a recent stage of the Tour de France where they were comparing two racers' power output. How does it compare to some of the everyday items we plug in to an ordinary outlet? It seems to me that this is a worthwhile comparison, as we really take for granted the privilege it is to have powered outlets in our homes.

Miscellaneous Electric Loads

ehelton — 2008-06-24T11:07:26-05:00

Around the corner in fellow blogger Bob Gatton's Tech Talk, Bob brings up how much we (on average) spent on new electronics in the US over the last year. I want to point out how important the electric use of these items is to the overall energy use in a house as we build better and better houses.

A smoke alarm with design and class

ehelton — 2008-05-07T09:03:11-05:00

A while back, we were lamenting the design aesthetics (or lack thereof) of many of the thermostats in our houses. It's nice that there are more and more thermostats being offered with sleek designs. The same can finally be said of smoke alarms. The Kidde Silhouette is an attractive alternative to historic smoke alarm aesthetics.

Energy Star Certified Water Heating

ehelton — 2008-04-09T11:45:22-05:00

Energy Star has released information about the Energy Star Water Heater criteria that will take effect in January 2009. This is exciting news, as water heaters had not been Energy Star certified prior to this, and it will help people make informed decisions about products' energy efficiency and potential long-term cost savings. Depending on the type of water heater, choosing an Energy Star model is estimated to save 7.3 to 55% of typical annual energy use for water heating. This relates to $26 to $277 a year.

Affordable High Performance Housing

ehelton — 2008-03-27T13:45:55-05:00

Here is a nice article about work our friends at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have been doing with Habitat for Humanity in Tennessee.