A House Needs To Breathe... Or Does It?
Allison Bailes is writing a book! Allison also writes the popular Energy Vanguard Blog. If you haven’t read it yet, you’re in for a treat. With a PhD in physics and thousands of hours spent in attics and crawl spaces, Allison definitely knows a thing or two about houses. Join Kristof in a discussion with his old friend and colleague as they explore common myths about houses and talk about your next book purchase.
Dr. Allison Bailes III
With a background in physics and nearly twenty years of experience in many facets of the residential buildings industry, Allison Bailes has a good handle on what’s wrong with residential buildings and how to fix them. In 2001, he built a high-performance home and launched himself into a new career in the world of building science. Since that time, he has worked as an HVAC designer, home performance contractor, regional manager for a green-building program, and building science trainer. For most of this new career, Dr. Bailes has run his own companies. Energy Vanguard, which he started in 2008, is his current firm.
At heart, though, Dr. Bailes is a teacher. He taught high school science for three years prior to earning a PhD in physics from the University of Florida and then taught physics for six years at the college level after his graduate education. Since leaving academia, he has focused his teaching on the principles of building science. Through short presentations, workshops, and extended classes, he has helped thousands of people understand how buildings work.
What Dr. Bailes is most known for is writing the Energy Vanguard Blog, which gets ten thousand page views per day. He also writes regularly for Green Building Advisor and has had articles published in Fine Homebuilding, The Journal of Light Construction, Home Energy Magazine, and other publications. Dr. Bailes is also popular speaker at conferences, presenting keynote speeches, breakout sessions, and extended workshops. In addition, he is a runner, a juggler, and a skier as well as having the honor of being perhaps the only man included in Who’s Who of American Women.
The Book!
From Allison’s Marketing Campaign:
A House Needs to Breathe...Or Does It?
“Of course it doesn't. But the people in the house do! That's one of many myths I'll be exploding, along with lots of advice about how to do things right (and sometimes, how not to do them wrong). And with the coronavirus on everyone's mind now, one of the topics I'll be discussing is what's most effective at combating infectious microbes in your home...and what's not.
My goal with this book is to make it one of the most informative and readable building science books in the world. I want people who live in homes - and that's almost everyone - to know how their homes work and what they can do to be more comfortable, have better indoor air quality, and save money on their energy bills.”
Here's some of the advance praise I've gotten for the book:
Dr. Bailes is my favorite writer in building science and HVAC design because of how he simplifies and explains complex topics. This book is sure to be a must read.
~ Bryan Orr, Founder of HVAC School and host of their podcast
I am stoked to share my excitement about the upcoming book, "A House Needs to Breathe." Manufacturers, distributors, trades, and design professionals need to get it right - right now. There's so much bad BS (building science) floating around, it needs to be sanitized before society moves into more bad houses. Dr. Allison Bailes, a designer's designer, will clean house with this one - a recommended must-read!"
~ Robert Bean (ret.), ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer, Mechanical and Building Construction Engineering
Allison Bailes makes the complex world of building science seem intuitive. He combines the penetrating analysis of a physicist with the flowing narrative of a storyteller. And the story he tells is about what your home can and should be doing to make your life better. You're going to want to read this book!
~ Kristof Irwin, P.E., host of the Building Science Podcast
“If you order this book, you'll get signed copies of the book. If you order at the Six Pack level or higher, you'll also get your name listed in the book. And the top four levels have other bonuses (free consulting, webinar, workshops, or advertising in the Energy Vanguard Blog) included for the same price per book.
Please go to the campaign page and then click the Pre-order button at the top right to pre-order your copies. And pass the link on to your family, friends, and coworkers.”
Energy Vanguard Blog
The Energy Vanguard blog has garnered praise from around the industry as one of the best blogs covering building science, heating & air conditioning, energy efficiency, and home energy audits.
Southface
Southface has promoted sustainable development and green building through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance since 1978 under the governance of a board of directors. Over the years, the organization has been a leader throughout the southeast in sustainability. Each day, our staff and board continue to strive for a more sustainable future by educating the population and the market on resilient, resource conscious lifestyles, researching cutting-edge technologies, advocating for clean forms of energy and working directly on projects to improve building efficiency and reduce the overall carbon footprint of the built environment.
Passive House Austin
Passive House Austin’s mission is to advocate for the adoption of PHIUS standards in the greater Austin, TX area through education, governmental petition, and targeted industry efforts. The group organizes The Humid Climate Conference and is a community creator, organizer, and advocate.
Team
Hosted by Kristof Irwin
Edited and Produced by M. Walker