I recently was watching the weather channel on TV and I was dismayed by their weekly 'weatherwise' question. The question was:

"Proper insulation in your house can save you up to how much on your heating bills?"
a)2% b)3% c)5% d)10%.

Feeling somewhat inflamed I visited their website and left this comment:

We are in the insulation business in Vermont and I can tell you for a fact that proper insulation can save much more than 10% on heating bills. Try 50% or better. I don't know where you folks have been but green building technology and building science has progressed to the point that zero energy homes are possible and exist. By disseminating bad information to a national audience how can we expect people to be motivated to change? Is it going to have to reach crisis proportions once again? Properly educate yourselves and the public. Thank You

I guess that summarizes my blog entry for today.

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I have been somewhat beating myself up for not writing blogs on a more regular basis. I just got to thinking and asking myself why this is. I say to myself "just go and write what comes to mind" - so here we go.

I am faced with challenges every day in this business. It is exciting and dynamic. Much of this work is in uncharted territory, both individually and collectively as an industry. There really is no lack of subject material to blog about. So what is a recent observation?

I notice that many of our clients, when presented with suggested measures to maximize thermal efficiency, balk at doing the entire job properly. Half measures thinking that this 'fix' is good enough for now. I did not coin the term 'pay now or pay later', but I have modified it. In my honest opinion, when it comes to this work, it is appropriate to think in terms of 'pay now or pay more later'. 

I know  that cost is often the issue. When contemplating doing this type of work, and when it becomes a priority, we have crossed over into the proactive realm. Human nature dictates that it is going to be difficult to take the financial plunge up front, however we diminish our exemplary direction by only fulfilling part(s) of the goal. In short, I would urge folks to do the whole job while they are at it. Do it all, do it properly and get 'er done. 

In the long run you will be saving money. Thats my two cents for now.

These are solely the opinions of the author. 

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In the coming months I will be writing numerous articles that will be submitted on this blog and also will appear in several local papers.  I would like to begin by discussing several of the "bigger picturre" issues related to the energy efficiemncy and energy conservation. 

It seems that the topic of conservation has for the past several decades been a somewhat politically polorizing debate in our country.  The left, pro conservation, and the right anti, warning that crippling economic distress would follow any significant policies that would require or push our population towards conserving energy.   Last year when energy prices skyrocketed,  the debate reached a pinnacle, and almost all, regardless of political persuation realized that something needed to be done.  In many respects it is in some ways unfortunate (for what I believe is best for our nation) that energy prices plummeted as a result of reduced demand during this current global recession.   Attendance to the energy efficiency workshops that I and my colleagues in Vermont give each fall is way down, and fuel efficient vehicle advertisements on televiosn have once again been replaced with "the new xxx model, boasting 310 horse power. 

I am concerned that "we" just dont get it.  Although all has not been lost, "hovering just under the dust" of the health care debate a major climate bill waits in the wings for serious discussion by our elected officals.  All you have to do is listen to the news and it won't take most informed citizens long to realize that both issues are soon to be drowned out by a nation screaming for jobs.  Currently approximately 15 million americans are un-employed.  At this point, I'm sure many of you are wondering where this is going and what does this have to do with energy.  Consider this.  The U.S. trade deficit weighs heavily on our economy, and a recent department of Energy Study concluded that energy imnports comprised over one third of the deficit total.   Over the past thirty years the United States has sent 1.16 trillion dollars to the middle east to import oil.  Recent data shows that for every 1 billion dollars we add to our trade deficit, we lose 27,000 jobs.  If you do the math, the number of jobs the country has exported over the past thirty years due to oil imports is approximately 35,000,000.

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MARLBORO COLLEGE INITIATES AGGRESSIVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY CAMPAIGN.
Marlboro College has teamed up with Thermal House Building Performance of Jamaica, Vermont to aggressively address energy efficiency opportunities on its undergraduate campus in Marlboro and the Marlboro College Graduate School facility at 28 Vernon Street in downtown Brattleboro. A comprehensive energy audit conducted over the past year resulted in a more than 700 page report identifying areas where efficiency upgrades and recommendations for prioritizing and implementation. Several of the buildings on Marlboro College’s undergraduate campus are historic structures dating back to the 19th century, making them a priority for remediation. Initiating work was partially funded by a Getty Foundation Campus Heritage Grant and a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.  Marlboro contracted Thermal House in the spring of ’08 to conduct an audit of the entire campus. Over the course of a year, 40 buildings were meticulously diagnosed and recommendations for improvements were made.
The difficulty facing the school now is prioritizing the numerous projects on the table. When faced with limited funds and a job of this scale it can be a daunting task to sort out what is the most cost effective – what gives the “most bang for the buck.” Some of the problems are obvious and can be addressed immediately while others will be addressed at a later date. By doing the audit they now have a firm grasp on what they are faced with and they can map out projects by priority using the Thermal House report, referred to by one faculty member as "an immensely valuable document…or tome.” In recent discussions between Marlboro College and Thermal House staff it became apparent that a public awareness campaign should be initiated. One of the key factors involved in strategies for saving energy is modifying behavior. For example, we are all guilty of leaving the occasional window open, and no matter who is guilty it is inefficient. Through expanding awareness both Marlboro College and Thermal House hope to add social consciousness to the local lexicon.
 “First and foremost in and on our minds, aside from saving energy and money,” says Thermal House President Keith Abbott, “is our desire to educate the student body and the community.”He continues, “This is the second project of its kind in the region that Thermal House has done (Putney School was the first) and it is important that people know what is going on in their back yard.” After years of works on public buildings Thermal House has learned the importance of public awareness.
All involved seem to be in agreement. The way both the economic and natural environment are shaping up it is becoming more and more apparent that we are entering into a situation where it is either pay now or pay later – ultimately in more ways than one if not done sooner rather than later. Both Thermal House and Marlboro College are proud to be proactive participants in regional efforts to maximize efficiency and mitigate global despoilment.
Thermal House President Keith Abbott will be giving a public presentation on the  events at Marlboro College with the date and time to be announced.

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As I observe what is happening around me in both the economic and global climate, I feel as though I am walking a fine line between optimism and cynicism. Why?

Lets face it, history proves that people will not act until there literally is a crisis at hand. Among some of the more unfortunate features of global warming and climate change is the relative invisibility of this looming crisis. We cannot really see, hear, feel, or touch what is happening on a nearly inconceivable scale. As a consequence we are still able to go about our daily lives more or less uninterrupted by the ongoing and insidious disruption of the natural global balance.

It is predicted that within the next 50 years we will see unprecedented (in human history) change in climate, global temperatures, sea level rise, more intense seasons and the list goes on. Probably the most fearsome prospect stemming from climate change -  the impact on world food production, diminishing land cover, clean water resource depletion, desertification, and famine - will be profound. Combined, these ingredients are a recipe for conflict and war.

So is it easy to be cynical in an industry working to help save the planet for future generations? I struggle with it. I do see pockets of proactive movement which makes me hopeful. There is a growing awareness and people are slowly beginning to take note. For the most part direct action is limited in scope. 

Even if we were to completely stop using fossil fuels today it would take 50 years before we would even start to reverse the process. Since this is not going to happen today, tomorrow, or even a year from now we are not in good shape. We are on a collision course with some sort of cosmic destiny.

I will struggle on. At least I can go to my grave knowing I at least tried.

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Exciting news coming out of the Thermal House offices in Jamaica. After an exhaustive survey, energy audit, and proposal Thermal House building performance has secured the contract to proceed with full remediation measures at Marlboro College in Marlboro Vermont.

The scope of the job is one of the largest to date for Thermal House. The campus has over 40 buildings ranging in size from small dorms to large auditoriums. "This is exciting stuff and we are looking forward to working closely with the college to showcase the improvements." says Special Projects Officer Bob Trask.

Work is scheduled to begin in late Aug. 

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An air barrier is just that – a barrier to air movement. Without it air is able to penetrate through walls and efficiency is compromised. The diagram below demonstrates what the thermal boundary of a structure would be. Included within the exterior construction is an air barrier to preserve the integrity of the thermal boundary.


http://www.cgesolutions.com/airseal/images/envl1.gif

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