It has always fascinated me when I see seminars, conferences and webinars being promoted about the latest research and findings into how to improve air quality, air infiltration and energy efficiency for everyone.
The people that host and speak at these events are experts in their fields and have done much to improve the quality of life for everyone but who exactly is “everyone?”
The Coronavirus hit the world and immediately we all accepted ‘sheltering at home’, working remotely, wearing masks, social distancing and on-line shopping only. The experts had spoken and “everyone” started doing those things.
That is, until it became unbearable for the “everyone”. Masks and sheltering were a couple of the first things to go, followed by demand for shops and restaurants to reopen. “Everyone” had spoken.
The same thing can happen when environmental scientists spend millions on research, then hold conferences and seminars about their research and then construction’s governing bodies adopt the ideas from all that research.
But does “everyone” really need or even want those new rules on all those wonderful things.
The construction industry continually builds new homes with better insulation, better house wrap and better ventilation systems and “everyone” opens their windows to let in fresh air. Or they crank the heat up in the winter and ‘crack open’ a couple of windows to get fresh air. Window manufacturers include screens with their windows as standard expecting people to open them.
Throw those HERS ratings right out the open window!
Some, myself included, put screen doors on all outside entries. My wife and I sleep with our windows open in the Spring and Fall and at night in the Summer. My wife, like many others, occasionally ‘cracks’ the window to get fresh air in the house in the Winter.
The entire construction industry wants to build better homes with great energy savings and air quality for the home buyer but what happens when “everyone” really wasn’t asked what they wanted in a new home.
They want a good quality home, built by skilled people and at an affordable price. A low monthly mortgage would be nice also.
“Everyone” is taking a second look at what Coronavirus has done to our everyday life and they are speaking out. Maybe the experts should listen to “everyone” once in a while.
Gary Fleisher is a housing veteran, editor/writer of the ModcoachNews blog and Modular Construction Industry Observer and Information Gatherer
Contact [email protected]
