Viewing recent local weather data

Fred Clade shared this with me the other day.

Indianapolis Climatological Data

Compared to digging through the monthly edited climate data, that link is much easier to get recent weather data at your finger tips.  No importing .csv files.  No long waiting, just the ease of drop down menus!

An interesting tidbit about the recent cold snaps in January.  There were 1387 HDD here in Indianapolis.  Historically, the average for January is 1145 HDD.  So for those of you here around Indy, you can tell your clients they can expect their heating bills to be about 21% more than they would be in a typical year.  Last year there were only 1083 HDD here in Indy, so they could expect a heating bill to be about 30% more than last year's bill.  Client Ed!

The process is a little different depending on what part of the state you want data for.  The link to the northeast (Fort Wayne) region is here.

As you can tell, the site is not the same.  To look at monthly data for the northwest part of Indiana, you need to select 'Preliminary Monthly Climate Data (CF6)', then pick the year and month you'd like to see. 

Northwest Indiana, Evansville,  and Cincinnati have a similar method.

Patents in the residential energy business

Please take a moment to read this article, touching on 'business method' patents. 

So what does that have to do with energy conservation?

This

The good news is that home inspectors (ASHI) are now looking into the issue since a suit has been filed (and ruled on).  The comments section of the GBA article are rather educational as well and worth a read.  I wonder if the folks in Mississippi realize those methods have been used in some way or another for at least two decades prior to their patent in thousands of homes?

Wx's long tradition of cheap & good enough diagnostics

Back in my old BSU days Dr. Hill made great efforts to get as many diagnostic tools into our hands as possible.  It was always fun to use a DIY tool.  The all time greatest DIY tool is the cardboard stack effect box.  It is about the only good use for a 150 W bulb!  Take a tall cardboard box with a light fixture at the bottom.  Give it a few minutes to heat the air in the box up, and with a little chemical smoke and some smallish holes at the top and bottom, you can clearly see the air moving into the box's 'foundation' and out the box's 'roof'! 

In a pinch a well taped cardboard box will work as a pressure pan.  Cut a hole in the cardboard pressure pan and now you've got an exhaust flow hood.  Then there is the calibrated air flow gauge.  Also known as a trash bag.  It is good to hear ACI can call back to some of its earlier, less refined roots!

There are approximately 1.7 cubic feet in 13 gallons.  So if you have an exhaust fan moving 30 cfm of air, it would take about three and a half seconds for a 13 gallon trash bag full of air to be completely empty if that fan were moving 30 cfm of air.  While the volume of the bag is well known, it must be full of air or the accuracy is reduced.  Another source of error is the timing of how long it takes to suck (or inflate) the bag.  The more air the fan is moving, the less time there is to measure. 

So if you happen to forget your TEC exhaust fan flow hood, ask for a large trash bag and a metal coat hanger if you are in a pinch.  Or, if you've got rooms with comfort issues, see how long it takes to fill the trash bag up.  That can give you a good feel for how many cfm the duct is delivering. 



Chemical sensitivity is no joke

Is anybody using any of the two part foam products mentioned in the article?  I'm not familiar with Demilec, but I don't work with foam on a regular basis...

While the suit is about post-installation issues with the foam, those same sensitivities are even more likely while the foam is being sprayed.  Be safe when spraying!

All I want to know is when does the Android app come out?

It looks like TEC is working on a wifi (Bluetooth?) dongle for their digital manometer (note the little blue LED on top).  Something like this would make add a hole testing a little easier.  Especially if the app relays the cfm50 number.  Just set the gauge up, bring your phone and walk through the house opening holes and noting what the new pressure differentials are and the new cfm50 is. 

 

 

 

 The price tag seems a little high ($275), but not unbearable.  According to Energy Vanguard the dongle is expected to be released in June.



Affordable, simple IR (if it ever materializes...)

Any auditor or insulation tech knows how useful an infra red camera is when insulating sidewalls.  There are some really fancy (read: expensive) models and other cameras that are more affordable, but have fewer bells & whistles.  Here is a crowd sourced option that looks like it might fit into a Wx toolkit rather nicely.

Mu Thermal Camera

All you need is a spare iPhone, and the hope that the campaign to build it is successful.  If you're feeling optimistic, there are still some slots open to buy one for $150 (plus S&H).