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If you’ve ever lived in a historic home, you’ve likely noticed the level of comfort can change throughout different parts of the house. This can typically change throughout different times of the year depending on your climate. This is primarily due to excessive air leaks in the home’s enclosure. When we think of improving the home’s comfort, the HVAC system and insulation are the items that usually come to mind. However, the air leaking through the building’s enclosure is equally important, if not more so for these older historic homes.

Let’s start with some history of construction ideologies, processes and materials. The phrase “they don’t build houses like they used to” is absolutely true. Homes that were built during and before the early 1900s were built with a different mindset than modern-day

For those looking to improve building and HVAC performance, a blower door is a must-have. This tool measures and exposes air leaks in buildings, one of the most vital contributors to high construction quality and correct HVAC equipment sizing. The blower door test removes a lot of the guesswork for builders, HVAC contractors, and insulators. It is also mandatory for HERS Raters, energy auditors, and building science consultants. If you are using a blower door, it is clear you care about the quality of your work. Therefore, you are going to want the best product available to allow you to work smarter, not harder. When shopping for a blower door system, here are some questions to consider to ensure you are getting the most bang for your buck.

Durability: Will it last? – Not all blower doors are created equally. Remember, you will be hauling

Beginning December of 2020, the Nashville Tennessee area will update its building code to the IECC 2018. This means a blower door and duct leakage test will be required for all residential new construction homes per the new code update. Are you ready to meet these new requirements?

Luckily, Retrotec’s DucTester and blower door systems come with an online training module that provides you with a Manufacturer’s Certification that will have you testing your work in no time.

A recent Retrotec webinar, “Duct Testing Best Practices,” walks through duct testing procedures relevant to those looking to begin testing in Tennessee. You can also see our latest blower door presentation: “Blower Door 101”, which covers the basics of setting up a blower door system and getting the results you need.

Article written by Sam Myers, Retrotec

When purchasing a home, the due diligence period is a dedicated amount of time where the seller takes the home off the market so the buyer can take time to have inspections completed to make sure everything is in working order. This typically starts by bringing in a home inspector, and sometimes a general contractor or engineer if structural items need a closer look. If the home has a swimming pool, a pool inspection is common as is a chimney inspection if the home has a fireplace. The same is true with HVAC and plumbing if the home inspector thinks a further look may be needed. But what about other items that will affect the new owner on a daily basis? Items such as comfort, indoor air quality, and energy consumption. Having a comfort consultation during the due diligence period is how a buyer can gain a full understanding of how the home will perform. This includes testing to determine why some rooms may be warmer

-article by Sam Myers, Retrotec

Reducing air leaks in duct systems plays an essential role to ensure efficient HVAC system operation. This keeps operating costs down and occupants comfortable. The duct tester equipment used to test for air leaks in duct work is made up of a calibrated fan, high precision manometer, tubing to connect the manometer to the fan, and flexible duct to connect the duct tester to the HVAC system. The technology applied to commercial duct testers has greatly improved over the past decade. What used to be a large blower bolted to a wheeled hand truck can now be easily carried by one worker in a case with a shoulder strap; all without sacrificing power. However, even with some of the most powerful duct testers out there, more fan power is needed for extremely large HVAC cabinets to

Yes, according to this high-performance builder, who uses it to constantly raise the quality bar

This is the 6th installment of a monthly column from Ben Walker, Co-CEO of Retrotec. Ben's column focuses on observations on the art and science of high-performance building and home testing. 

Home builders are using blower doors  
to go beyond code compliance

With codes and high-performance construction programs requiring airtightness testing, a small but growing cadre of home builders have been purchasing their own blower

Blower-door assisted load calculations are boosting profits and customer satisfaction and reducing risk for forward-thinking contractors.

If you've been following the latest industry buzz you may have heard of HVAC 2.0 (formerly Home Performance 2.0). It's a real game changer that every HVAC contractor in the residential market needs to check out. Here's why. 

The “2.0” suffix suggests an improvement to the status quo. That's certainly the case here. HVAC 2.0 is a new, consultative sales process designed to help contractors close more business at higher ticket prices, by helping customers solve their real comfort problems. And it's structured so that the initial consultation can be done effectively by an entry-level sales tech.

How It Works

HVAC 2.0 is the brainchild of Nate Adams of Energy Smart Home Performance, a Cleveland Home Performance consultancy. HVAC

This is the 5th installment of a monthly column from Ben Walker, Co-CEO of Retrotec. Ben's column focuses on observations on the art and science of high-performance building and home testing. 

During my recent conversations with builders, remodelers and other industry pros I've been hearing more about an increasing change in homeowner expectations when it comes to home performance. The gist of it is that they have moved past concern about energy savings.

Industry and governments have worked hard to promote energy efficiency and people have come to expect it. Today, saying that you build an energy efficient home is like saying you build roofs that don't leak. The likely response will be "I should hope so." However, just because people expect energy efficiency in their new home doesn’t mean they’ll get it.

Meanwhile, a growing slice of the

This is the 4th installment of a monthly column from Ben Walker, Co-CEO of Retrotec. Ben's column focuses on observations on the art and science of high-performance building and home testing. 

Mention the phrase "Summer Camp" and most people conjure images of happy kids frolicking at a lake while learning fun skills with friends. What they don't realize is that there's an adult version that's just as fun and rewarding.

What If CFD Modelling Was Readily Available For Residential Duct Design?

Author: Sam Myers

Abstract

Within the confines of the HVAC field, airflow behavior is one aspect that can be difficult to understand when it comes to proper duct system design and airflow measurement. The challenge of providing a visual display of an issue that is invisible to the naked eye is a regularity we face when working with clients, apprentices and students. Once a duct system is installed, we can use diagnostic tools such as flow hoods and duct testers to measure and expose air flow and leakage, then record our reading. We can also use thermal imaging equipment and smoke generators to make air behaviors visible. However, these actions are more reactive than proactive. What if we could see how air is supposed to behave inside our duct system during the design phase? Or show what happens if mistakes are made? The use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling can allow