Can the Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico affect Indoor Air Quality?

We have been asked this question with increasing frequency over the last few weeks.

There are a myriad of answers to the question~ Yes, No, Probably not, Could be a problem.

This depends on where the building is in relation to the Oil

Homes on the Beach ? ~Yes, but not in all cases~ Ten miles from the shore ?~No~ A house somewhere in-between?~ Probably not.

The source of the problem is the odor coming from the tar-balls or large mats of oil that are beginning to assault more & more of our shoreline. This associated VOC or Volatile Organic Compound is what comes from the oil. A VOC is just a fancy way of saying "man-made Odor or Fume"; for instance- Think gasoline or paint fumes and glue or adhesive vapors.

To me, it smells like hot tar or paving materials; its worse when the wind is just right or the tar is exposed to the sunlight. (these are the conditions where I've smelled it, but it varies )

So the $64,000 question is ~ can this be harmful? Yes, oil vapors or fumes are not healthy room-mates! How'd you like to share the bathroom with a VOC ? Well, in some cases we already do~ that's why we all have bathfans!

NEXT QUESTION: Well how bad could it be? This depends on how leaky the building is & the driving force behind the vapors (wind). And also how close you are to the oil source.

The pathway indoors is Gaps, Cracks, & Holes in the building envelope (the outer perimeter)

~so eliminate the Pathways and we're good, Right?

No, the Building needs to breathe~ You can't live in a bubble.

So, the strategy would be some sort of treatment of the indoor air and minimizing or reducing the pathways for these nasty vapors & fumes where they get in in the first place

This IAQ/Oil issue is not too big of a problem, if you put it into perspective. We caulk our windows, weatherstrip our doors and use "activated charcoal" on fumes inside the building~

Wow, I'm starting to see a potential for saving energy here!!

If it makes sense for any of you to have a conversation about all this- just contact me at the following email todd@gulfcoastaircare.com

Cash for Caulkers
This is another government give-away, however, this may have an effect.
What will it effect? OH, how about awareness; of your own energy consumption and how much that costs you as an individual.
I, for one, prescribe to the theory that 'we the people' should not spend more than is going to be in our check book at any given time, but in this case if enough people become aware of their personal energy consumption & the "cost" of all this energy~ dollar cost, national security cost, environmental cost (you choose your own issue) Then, HEY, we might make a little head way.
What would be the impact of 10 million homes saving $50 bucks a month on our collective utility/power bill? $500,000,000 ($500 Million) do you know how many Btu's or Kwh that is?
All we're talking about is "Gaps, Cracks, & Holes" in the building that allow the outdoor weather to come indoors ( be it ~ hot or cold, wherever you live, Winter or Summer) this could have an impact .
Uncle Sam will be giving you Cash to fix the leaks & save the energy. Some say its a giveaway & another trade off for votes~ Hey I'd be a supporter too is Uncle Sam gave me a new Air Conditioner & a weatherization "make-over" on my house.
Unfortunately, I work~ I earn too much to qualify for the existing Weatherization program. But the program is not without merit; it may get some of the homeowners in this country going in the right direction.
Conserve Energy ~ USE LESS ~how simple is that? get help to figure out locations of the Gaps, Cracks & Holes & plug them up. "No water in" makes the house last a-lot longer & it will cost less to operate that very house.
I guess my question is "Do we need Uncle Sam to bribe us into doing this with another Billion dollar program (billions with a "B") that leads to more Deficit spending?"
This is a tough one~ we do need something~ no doubt. The Department of Energy (DOE) was created back in the 1970's to get this country less dependent on Foreign oil & now this is what they have to offer~ well that's a-lot of taxpayer money spent & no reduction to the import problem.
How 'bout some oversight to the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico currently or the "Focus" turned to the 100 year Natural Gas reserves in this country
(isn't that a cleaner fuel? actually ~ YES it is!)
Maybe we should be happy with Our Bloated Government & All the legislators who spend money "like a drunken sailor" if they 'll just credit our tax bill with the cost of caulk, weather-stripping and a few cans of spray foam.

post your opinion~ Please ~ I need to know if anyone else is paying attention.

Weatherization - for Summer?

Weatherization- you think of winter- but here on the Gulf Coast we don't have a rough Winter-
We need to weatherize for Summer
Hot weather is coming & we need to think about all those Gaps, Cracks & Holes before it gets too hot & all that humidity comes pouring in again.
There is a test to see how bad your home leaks and your duct work too!!
The "blower door test" is done with a small negative pressure to identify the problem.
simple, painless & inexpensive. When you have test results you have knowledge!
Knowledge is power!
for more info go to- www.gulfcoastaircare.com

4 Things You Need to Know if You Own a Home with Central Air Conditioning

1) Annual inspections are a must! This includes a seasonal performance check & an inspection for cleanliness.  Mold can grow really fast if left unchecked for a season or two.  Gone are the days of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"~ You need to have a service tech looking at your equipment for anything that could cause a break down.  Lets try this Trite phrase " An Ounce of Prevention, or a Pound of Cure";  how about "you can pay me now, or you can pay me later."

2) The duct work is as important as the A/C equipment.  When you operate the newer high efficency equipment of the modern day, you need to have a duct system that is sealed to less that 5 % leakage of the overall airflow.  A recent Department of Energy study shows many typical duct systems leak 25-40% of their airflow & cooling capacity.  If your system is sealed to 5% or better you will be very happy, comfortable and financially secure with your A/C purchase.  Not only does this save money on the Utility bill,  it makes the home more comfortable by reducing humidity and causing less wear & tear on the equipment due to reduced run requirements.

3) Duct Leak Testing is common & affordable. Negative pressure testing on the duct system will tell you  where you are losing comfort & energy. Check into it near your home location. It ranges from $100 to $500 depending on the scope of the testing~ get 'em to check the house leakage while they're at it!  Alot of companies will include the testing if you are considering changing out the equipment.  Don't use a contractor that can't perform duct leakage testing.  If they don't offer the test,  Find a company that does ~ it shows that they are "up to snuff" on current trends in Home Comfort & Energy Efficency.  The A/C equipment you are buying will last at least 15 years and if your ducts leak, you will continue to have high utility bills, equipment problems,  & IAQ issues for the next decade and a half.  Not to mention the cost of future energy!!    It's 2010 people, Consumers Should Demand Excellence from A/C Contractors!

4)When it's time for Air ~ "Be Prepared" ~ Schedule early & commit to a service agreement and as part of your commitment ask these things of your service provider:  "Do I have priority service if I have a break down?" "Do I get a discount on required parts or Labor?"  "What can I do myself to ensure I won't need you between service intervals?" ( Examples: filter, drainline, Thermostat operation, Ect. Ect.)

For other great tips on HVAC Inspection, Maintenance, and Restoration go to http://www.gulfcoastaircare.com/

Wasted Energy. Consumption Reduction~ that is where we need to look to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Nobody wants to hear that old diatribe. This is America, we are free to use what ever we want , what ever we can afford, whenever we want.

But be careful and be thrifty.

More importantly, be sensible, be imformed; don't be a gullible, niave, or stupid consumer!


Listen, the solution is out there, not a total end-all, be-all fix but a good start.

Look around you & you can see the pre-existing waste.


I read this the other day, "80 % of the building we will be utilizing in 2030 already exist." (utilityexchange.org) They waste energy!

Read the following report synopsis and figure it out.

Americans used less energy overall in 2008, according to a Livermore Lab report, and more of that energy came from renewable sources.
The report from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory says the United States used 99.2 quadrillion BTUs, or “quads” of energy in 2008, down from 101.5 quads in 2007.

Do you know why we used less energy, because we are tired of paying the higher price for energy, (i.e. we are more aware)



Imagine if we did retrofits to cut every building's energy consumption by 10-20% ~ as opposed to just paying closer attention. Don't get me wrong~ paying close attention is a good thing.

True, meaningful, long term fixes; tighten 'em up, proper ventilation, fix those gaps, cracks, & holes. Lets test, not just guess. The technology is there for documented improvement and it's not that complicated

Look, 10% of 99 Quadrillion BTU's ; that number has alot of zeros on it (12)

If we trim up the waste & reduce the number of power plants we are going to need in the future

then Uncle Sam won't be telling us what we can & can't do, where we drive, how far, how fast, or what temperature our house can stay at, what lights we can have on, when we do laundry, what time we cook, how we live!!!!

Lets fix what we already have and focus on the pre-existing waste that is costing us all precious money and dwindling natural resources.

Well,

Cap & Trade~ including ~ the Federal Energy Tax (H.R. 2454)

What is your carbon footprint? How much will that cost you in tax?

It's coming people, pay attention.

All your energy usage will be converted to a carbon equivalent and taxed accordingly.

Do you drive an energy HOG?

Is your home an "energy MONEY PIT"?

If your Employer is wasteful with energy, someday soon, they may have to choose between payroll or the energy tax.

The tax devil is knocking on our door via the utility bill.

Encourage your lesiglator not the pass "Cap & Trade" or be prepared to start paring down your Btu's & Kilowatt Hours. The more you consume the more you pay!

This is good for my business & my industry but what a dirty rotten trick to slip it in legislation when nobody's looking (300 pages at 3 am)

Buyer beware ~ of the carbon