Retrofitting

Many institutional buildings have large industrial dryers with air intake from a conditioned space. These dryers consume great volumes of air, often the equivalent of many room air changes an hour. As such, during summertime […]

Although somewhat controversial for industrial applications, radiant barriers have won widespread acceptance in the residential building industry. A thin film of reflective foil spread under the roofing materials forms a barrier to solar radiation impacting […]

A much-neglected aspect of building design is the foundation. A building with an uninsulated, suspended floor can experience great thermal losses. These occur uniformly across the surface, in proportion to the temperature difference between the […]

A vestibule is an elegant architectural feature of a building entrance that can also be a practical energy saver. The double set of doors reduces a portion of the building load attributed to the envelope: […]

It is not always economical to provide the highest-quality insulation in a building envelope. The insulation of a building should be guided by the following general principles: 1. The higher the heating and cooling degree-days, […]