Resources
Field notes on code, equipment, and the attic.
Written the way we talk on a job — no brochure language, no alphabet soup without a translation.
Code · July 27, 2022 · 7 min
HERS, GreenPoint, LEED, Title 24, Energy Star — what actually applies
A plain-language map of the rating systems California owners keep hearing about, and which ones the building department actually cares about.
Retrofits · July 26, 2022 · 6 min
Reduce, then produce
Solar on a leaky house is an expensive way to heat the sky. The order of operations still matters — envelope, equipment, then generation.
Equipment · July 26, 2022 · 8 min
Heat-pump water heaters, without the brochure
They cut water-heating energy sharply when the closet, the condensate, and the noise are designed. They disappoint when they are treated like a drop-in tank.
Grid · July 26, 2022 · 6 min
Batteries, rates, and the grid you actually live on
A home battery is a rate-structure tool, a backup tool, and sometimes a solar-pairing tool. It is rarely all three at once unless you design it that way.
Envelope · July 27, 2022 · 5 min
Look up. The attic is still the plot.
Most of the house’s energy story is above the drywall. Bypass, battled insulation, and a hatch that leaks like a chimney — that is where the money goes.
HVAC · July 27, 2022 · 6 min
If the ducts are wrong, the equipment does not matter
Airflow, static pressure, and leakage decide whether a new condenser is a comfort upgrade or an expensive noise in the side yard.