Xcel Energy has announced a tiered incentive package designed to encourage families who were affected by the Marshall Fire in Boulder County Colorado, to consider rebuilding to a higher standard than baseline building code. Those who pursue Passive House certification…
Blog
Why builders love Passive House | Monday BS
In this week's video, Mariana gives the mic over to some of our amazing builder alumni. Let them tell you in their own words why they engaged in Passive House training as their educational pathway in building science. Happy Valentine's…
No, walls do not “breathe”. Exfiltration vs Diffusion | Monday BS
In this video, Emu Mariana breaks down one of the most common myths in construction - that walls need to breathe. Learn about the risks of "breathing" walls, and what the difference is between air exfiltration and diffusion. Hint: the…
Read More No, walls do not “breathe”. Exfiltration vs Diffusion | Monday BS
Thermal bridges: the mice and the elephants | Monday BS
In the world of thermal bridges there are mice and there are elephants. A mouse may not warrant the budget and time to mitigate, unless you have an infestation (lots of small thermal bridges). An elephant in the room, though,…
Read More Thermal bridges: the mice and the elephants | Monday BS
Temperature Factor or fRsi Value | Monday BS
Monday B.S. (Building Science) with Emu Mariana – Jan 17, 2022 Today Mariana is going over the "temperature factor" - a little known but SUPER important thermal bridge, sometimes referred to as the fRsi value. Read more on our Emu…
Anatomy of an ERV | Monday BS
Monday B.S. (Building Science) with Emu Mariana - Jan 10, 2022 Ever curious about these mysterious HRVs and ERVs that everyone in the Passive House world is always talking about? Tune in for a simple breakdown of this key element…
Passive House Vocab: Time Constant + Performance Gap | Monday B.S.
Monday B.S. (Building Science) with Emu Mariana - Jan 3, 2022 We're trying a thing. Join Emu Co-Founder, Mariana Pickering, for a super casual and quick 5 -10 min video every Monday covering some commonly asked B.S. (Building Science) questions…
Read More Passive House Vocab: Time Constant + Performance Gap | Monday B.S.
Thermal bridging of I-Joist vs Larsen Truss
I-Joist vs Larsen Truss: Does it make a difference for exterior high R-Value insulating? Many high-performance buildings, when addressing the issue of super-insulation, will opt for traditional 2x6 stud framing with an added layer of exterior insulation to help reach…
Emu’s COVID-19 Message
As of April 1, 2020. We are a small business ourselves, so curveballs like this one can be hard to flatten. At the same time, we are a scrappy and creative bunch here at Emu, so we have been working…
Denver City Council approves Green Code and lists Passive House certification as compliance path
We are pleased to share some exciting news from our home city — Denver, Colorado. In the City's efforts to push forward its 80x50 Climate Action Plan, and with the goal of Net Zero new construction by 2035, City Council…