The world wide web is a wonderful thing, but there’s a lot of swill out there, so it helps to have a few go-to sources of good, reliable, accurate and useful information and insights. By our estimation, for professionals in the home performance business, the following blogs are the cream of the crop. In no particular order:
Musings of an Energy Nerd.
Martin Holladay’s blog at Green Building Advisor is just what it claims to be: a series of high-level ruminations on the technical aspects of building science, from a true expert. To get a sense of the level of discourse on Martin’s blog, contemplate this random but exemplary quotation: “Builders have worried about wintertime vapor diffusion ever since 1938, when Tyler Stewart Rogers published an influential article on condensation in the Architectural Record...” Good stuff.
Green Homes America.
The team at Green Homes America is thoughtful and dedicated. Consistent with their brand position (read: “green” and “America”), their blog includes a healthy dose of big picture insights for the environmentally inclined. Recent blog posts cover everything from the state of oil company profits to the proper way to vent a bathroom fan.
Michael Anschel’s blog at Remodeling.
Mike Anschel used to be a TV host in China; now he runs a wildly successful green remodeling firm in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, consults national and presents frequently at building science and energy conferences nationwide. His blog reflects a philosophical stance that sustainability is about improving humanity’s lot, that high quality green building is an important piece of the sustainability puzzle, and that energy efficiency should be a given. That’s bold, but we respect bold.
The Green Building Curmudgeon.
Carl Seville’s blog is everything it claims to be and more. As a bludgeoner of common myths and an informed critic of products and methodologies, his blog at Green Building Advisor consistently provides clear and reasoned analysis of everything from New Urbanism to lamb’s wool insulation. With 25 years of experience in remodeling, he knows the industry and is dedicated to fixing it.
Energy Vanguard.
Allison Bailes lives in Georgia, provide HERS Rater certification and pumps out sophisticated but accessible content covering everything from HVAC filters, to the history of residential home construction in the U.S., to the intricacies of window condensation and energy conservation, all with a healthy dose of humanity and humor. I, personally, enjoy every post.
Ed Voytovich’s blog at Remodeling.
Ed Voytovich is a veteran hand in the building science community, and his blog reflects an understanding of the complexities of building science that only a veteran would have. It’s often contentious, and usually entertaining. Case in point: “Everybody knows that water runs down, right? Rain, drains, Niagara Freaking Falls. It’s intuitive... Sorry, not so.”
David Roberts at Grist.
Though not exclusively dedicated to residential energy efficiency, David Roberts’ blog is one of the best on the web for insightful coverage of energy, climate and energy and climate politics, which, despite all the industry insider talk about comfort and kilowatts, are issues that have a tremendous bearing on the industry.
GreenTech at CNET.
Edited by Martin LaMonica, the GreenTech blog is a go-to source for everything cleantech, which means that residential energy is a frequent topic, if not exclusively so. Whatever the folks at CNET have to say about the Home Star bill, or the next home energy monitor, is worth reading.
If there are other blogs that you follow regularly or think belong on this list, we’d love to hear about them. Feel free to chime in in the comments section.