The Challenges and Opportunities of Exterior Air Sealing

…air sealing. When following the exterior air sealing approach, it’s rather simple to create a continuous air barrier by sealing the joints where the sheathing panels meet. Over the years,…

Is Aerobarrier the Future of Air Sealing?

Air sealing is generally considered one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy use in buildings. That’s why advanced air sealing is an essential element of zero energy homes….

Super-Seal the Net Zero Building Envelope

…high levels of air sealing. Of course, there is a cost to any advanced air sealing method. Some approaches use less expensive materials, but require more labor and greater skill….

Healthy Air in the Best and Worst of Times

…adsorption. Some stand alone air purifiers have activated carbon/HEPA options, such as the Whirlpool Whispure Air Purifier, IQAir, and several others. The Honeywell air cleaner comes with a thin activated…

How To Improve Indoor Air Quality in Zero Energy Renovations

…home and your air leakage rate is below 6 air changes per hour (ACH50) or if your air quality monitor shows you have significant indoor or outdoor air quality issues,…

SIPs for High-Performance Enclosures: Faster, Better, and Greater Value

…sealing Air leakage represents significant potential for energy loss, disrupting the effective R-value of all the insulation you spent time and resources to install. Proper air sealing is the only…

Keep Cool Without Air Conditioning

Air conditioning as we know it today, based on the refrigeration cycle, is a bit more than 100 years old. Prior to modern air conditioning, did humans spend hundreds of…

One of The World’s Most Air Tight Home: 0.05 ACH@50 Pascals

…Zero Homes: Please describe how you attained such extremely low Air Changes Per Hour. Tom Marsik: The main technique used to achieve this level of air-tightness was the framing technique,…

Product Spotlight: Smart Energy Recovery Ventilation with CERV2

Today’s high-performance homes are becoming super air-tight thanks to air sealing – one of the most cost effective energy saving measures available. Effective air-sealing, however, creates challenges for the health…

The Zero Energy Home Design Process

High-performance homes, especially those striving to achieve net zero energy performance, employ a number of energy efficient materials and construction practices that need to be integrated into the earliest phases…

Glossary of Zero Energy Terms

Defining the Thermal Boundary

…being clear about what parts of the building are inside and which are outside. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Please think again. Insulation and air sealing are key components of a…