Heat transfer by radiation is pretty much entirely different from the types of heat transfer discussed in the previous two articles: conduction and convection. That’s why I’ve saved it for last in this series. You could make a solid argument that radiant heat transfer is the hardest to understand of the three, but I bestowed … Read more
This week we’re going to talk about the type of heat transfer that I personally find most confusing: convection. You might find it easiest to start with the previous article on conduction if you haven’t read it already. (The third type of heat transfer, radiation, we’ll discuss in the final article in the series.) To … Read more
It’s been heating up around here, and for the past few weeks we’ve been slowly increasing our use of box, window, and ceiling fans. I sat down this morning to write about how to use, and how not to use, these seemingly simple machines. But then I realized I was getting ahead of myself. If … Read more
Recent articles have covered the clear benefits of replacing old lightbulbs with LEDs and outlined the many options you have when choosing LED bulbs. This article will expand on that last conversation by introducing a relatively new option: replacing your light fixtures with new models with no replaceable bulb at all, so-called “integrated” LEDs. Integrated … Read more
As we talked about in a recent article, replacing your old incandescent bulbs with LEDs is one of the biggest no-brainers in energy savings. Even if you’re somebody who doesn’t have the time or motivation to crawl through your attic with a can of spray foam, there’s just no excuse not to spend an hour … Read more
Hello… Anybody Home? Howdy, and a belated Happy New Year! I owe you an explanation for why the frequency of new articles has dropped so steeply in the past couple months. I’ve got a pretty good excuse: we welcomed a new kiddo into our old home a few months ago. She’s happy and healthy, and … Read more
Shortly after posting the last article on the money math behind switching to LED lightbulbs, I found myself decorating for the holidays and staring at another application of the technology: strings of LED Christmas lights. I have to admit, I purchased our LED Christmas lights without doing any of the math I laid out in … Read more
Did you know that in 2014, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to the three guys who invented the blue light-emitting diode (LED)? Why such an important prize for just one of the colors on a string of Christmas lights? In the spirit of Thanksgiving, let’s take a minute to understand and appreciate the … Read more
Unless you’re old-school enough to completely heat your house with your fireplace, you’ve almost certainly got at least one thermostat in your house controlling your HVAC system. Whether you’ve got central air conditioning, a forced-air furnace, radiators, a heat pump, or you-name-it: that simple little box on your wall is your connection to all that … Read more
If you’ve read any of the other articles on Green Old Home, you might have noticed a theme: I don’t want you to have to do your work twice. That’s why we have an article called, for example, “How to Caulk for Durable Seals,” and another discussing whether caulk or spray foam are more durable … Read more