iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Justin Gerdes @justingerdes.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Massachusetts startup Building Envelope Materials offers a novel building insulation method with promise for aging buildings in New York City and beyond, reports @alexckaufman.bsky.social: www.skylight.nyc/articles/res... via @skylightnyc.bsky.social 🔌💡

skylight.nyc

How a hole in the Guggenheim revealed a hole in the… | Skylight

A Massachusetts startup offers a novel building insulation method with promise for aging New York City buildings.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

At the end of last year heat pumps outsold ACs for a few months, and I wondered what was behind it. My hypotheses are that: 1) Destocking for the refrigerant changeover was the main driver in the flip and 2) ACs resumed their significant summer sales advantage over heat pumps

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Chris Higgins @cahiggins.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Who is the smartest person in the heat pump world when it comes to growing the market? @energysmartwv.bsky.social is at or near the top. I have stolen many a great idea from him. Listen to him in "A simple fix that could unlock the heat pump market" www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-ci...

latitudemedia.com

A simple fix that could unlock the heat pump market

Is the key to home decarbonization cheaper and simpler than we thought?

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

#twowayAC or #2wayAC is one I'd like to play with. I'm watching heat pumps get politicized in the US, so after years of saying we don't need a new name, I think we need a new name. Many think "they're trying to take my air conditioner away!", this solves that.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

We really do own a Time Machine. Built by Bruce Meadows for our soon to open Steampunk house right next to the New River Gorge.

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Aimee Witteman @aimeewitteman.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I appreciated your design before but this heatwave has made me obsessed with it - can’t believe how comfortable it is inside the house ❤️

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Aimee Witteman @aimeewitteman.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Historic heatwave in the DC metro and our house is so comfortable thanks to @energysmartwv.bsky.social’s design focused on on variable-speed heat pumps - they pull more humidity out of the air and the result is excellent indoor comfort and air quality. Thanks Nate! #heatpumpnation #heatwave

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Dr Duncan Robertson @duncanrobertson.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

This is very good and matches where I am on the Aircon/heat pump debate.

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Just Kevin @kevinleecaster.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Heat pumps, no one-way AC! In 2023, Vancouver, CA required two-way ACs at equipment replacement and for new builds. The implementation has been remarkably smooth. Distributors welcomed the change because it simplified inventory and contractors adapted quickly. www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-us-...

latitudemedia.com

The US needs a deadline for home decarbonization

How to encourage a U.S.-wide switch from air conditioners to heat pumps, according to one of the installers on the ground.

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Justin Gerdes @justingerdes.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

"Replacing a one-way AC with a heat pump while, at least for now, leaving the furnace in place is far better than nothing, especially in cold-weather markets like the Midwest," writes @energysmartwv.bsky.social: www.latitudemedia.com/news/why-hom... 🔌💡

latitudemedia.com

Why home electrification is moving so slowly

Heat pumps do their job. The defaults we've wrapped around them don't.

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Chris Higgins @cahiggins.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

We have had it in Vancouver, BC, Canada for a number of years. It works well, industry was mostly supportive of the change. I was the author of the policy. See council report here: council.vancouver.ca/20220517/doc...

council.vancouver.ca

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

A Siegel @asiegel.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

As I’ve expressed before, ended one-way air conditioning is one of the clearest “Just Do It” energy / climate steps to take. thus, again, tip of the hat to you on this. www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-us-...

latitudemedia.com

The US needs a deadline for home decarbonization

How to encourage a U.S.-wide switch from air conditioners to heat pumps, according to one of the installers on the ground.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Part 2 of 3 of my decarbonization series: what we're doing wrong and some real world data on hybrid HVAC. What do you agree or disagree with? What stands out to you? #heatpumps www.latitudemedia.com/news/why-hom...

latitudemedia.com

Why home electrification is moving so slowly

Heat pumps do their job. The defaults we've wrapped around them don't.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

I've been working on a home decarbonization policy series for months now, and the first piece just came out today, essentially arguing for hybrids (furnace + heat pump). What do you think? www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-us-...

latitudemedia.com

The US needs a deadline for home decarbonization

How to encourage a U.S.-wide switch from air conditioners to heat pumps, according to one of the installers on the ground.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

I really didn’t wanna break the spell of the Steampunk House with a modern thermostat so I hid it. I’m worried that the enclosure will make it overheat so I have a little computer fan coming to blow some air through it. Might work, might not. It’s an experiment.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I installed a SWERV Window ERV right as I left to train contractors in Colorado. It adds about 50 cfm of fresh air at 50% output. We have 3 adults, 2 large dogs, and a 17 month old. Note how clear the signal was from before install to after install with me traveling to me getting home.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Join us at 2 PM EST to hear about alternative sizing methods for HVAC with Erik Janssen! Sign up here: clasp.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #heatpump #2wayAC #electrifyeverything #energysky 🔌💡

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

I've long thought that heat load in leaky buildings is geometric at colder temperatures. This is just one 2 week dataset from one house in WV, but nighttime looks geometric and daytime is linear. I didn't know how to tease this out, but Claude did so for me.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Want to see more heat pumps installed? Sizing equipment needs to be easier. Erik Janssen of TRCA will be discussing alternative sizing methods Friday at 2 PM EST for the monthly Hybrid Heating call I run with Vivian Cox and CLASP. Want to join us? Sign up here! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Need new HVAC at home? Be careful only getting a furnace for heating. You're making a bet on fuel prices for 15-20 years, at a minimum consider a hybrid setup (furnace + 2 way ac/heat pump), but getting solar panels and electrifying may make sense too.

natethehousewhisperer.com

Trying to Predict Gas Prices Over the Life of a New Furnace

If you're buying HVAC equipment, get a hybrid system. A two-way AC (heat pump) paired with your existing furnace gives you fuel choice. If natural gas stays cheap, great — you haven't lost much. If...

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Justin Gundlach @justingundlach.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

If, upon reading @tdichristopher.bsky.social's latest, you wonder, "Why would anyone REbuild houses that rely on gas in Los Angeles!?" have you asked-- a) the right question b) a rhetorical question c) a question with just one reasonable answer d) all of the above

LA faces choice after 2025 wildfires: Rebuild all-electric or stay with gas?
By Tom DiChristopher

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

After 14 months of rehab, our steampunk themed house has begun getting decorated. We put up the first two light fixtures today. You can finally get a feel of where it’s going! I love doing light fixtures, they’re so transformative to a space!

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Humidity upstairs that's ok can be a real problem in a basement or crawlspace. I built this calculator to help show why. What do you notice? www.natethehousewhisperer.com/homehumidity...

natethehousewhisperer.com

Home Humidity Explorer

Is your house too humid? What about in the basement or crawlspace? Use this to understand.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

I was pleased to see this. These are the heating usage and cost of our four all electric houses here in southern WV. It was a BRUTAL January and February, multiple weeks below 15F, a number of days around 0. Still, at $.18/kwh the total monthly cost was $600-700 to heat all 4 houses. #heatpump

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Wow! It's seriously cold in Whitehorse! This is the worst city I've checked for heat pump suitability. Still good 90% of the year though! What's your city look like? www.natethehousewhisperer.com/how-much-of-... #energysky #heatpump #2wayAC

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

What if you could get an accurate heat load calculation for your home with just two numbers - zip code and heating fuel use? I've wanted a tool like this for years, here's my first draft. www.natethehousewhisperer.com/energy-use-t...

natethehousewhisperer.com

Energy Use To Load Calc

Estimate your home's heating load - how much heat your home needs on the coldest days - using annual fuel bills and local weather data.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Past energy use is a surprisingly good way to size heating and cooling systems. At tomorrow's CLASP Hybrid Heat Coordination Group meeting, I'll be discussing this method, pros and cons, and run an example. In addition to the nerdy updates I always do. Sign up link in next post.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

This right here is why furnaces in California are asinine, they should only be #2wayAC aka #heatpump. Although y'all in CA need to get your rates under control! Go try your city and post it in the thread! www.natethehousewhisperer.com/how-much-of-....

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

I finally got what I wanted, a chart that shows how much of a given year a heat pump is suitable for a given climate. I find that I can get heat pumps to work pretty well in most houses down to 25° or so.

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 04/02/2026

I really wish NYC would’ve banned gas hookups before my building was built. I’m paying an extra $600ish a year for the privilege of using a crappy stove and a (maybe?) faster dryer (space heating is already a heat pump). It’s almost entirely in delivery charges, not the actual gas.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

I greeted our guests tonight, and had to pause to take a picture because it was so pretty. And yes, the camper is all electric! New River Gorge National Park, WV

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

I greeted our guests tonight, and had to pause to take a picture because it was so pretty. And yes, the camper is all electric! New River Gorge National Park, WV

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

A friend is pulling my Emporia Vue data and plotting outdoor temp on it (in Celsius, our design temp is 11F/-12C). 3 ton cold climate heat pump with 5 kw backup in Climate Zone 5. What do you think of the chart? What do you see? #energysky #heatpump

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

I'm coming to Denver this year to teach thanks to this grant!

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Reposted by Nate the House Whisperer

Joseph D. Ortiz @earthsciinfo.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Annual Electrification update: In '22 we swapped a worn out gas range for induction. In '23 we replaced a 30-yr old AC with banned refrigerant for a 3-season HP & in '24 a gas water heater for a HP water heater when the gas one failed. How are things going? 🧪🔌💡☀️💨💧🔋 a 🧵

In '24 we had the cross over set at 15°F and used supplemental gas (aggressive recovery) when the temp outside dropped by >2°F/hr. In '25 we shifted the crossover to 20°F but turned off the aggressive recovery. Jul '25 was warmer than Jul '24. Dec '25 was the 3rd coldest month since the switch started but we used less gas. With these changes, we used less gas for heating so far in '25 than '24.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

This is a review of the 1985 camper that we renovated into an Airbnb. Note how he says it was warm even though the temps were in the teens. It has a 1 ton mini split. It also has a really awful building shell, it’s poorly insulated and air sealed. Heat pumps work just fine in the cold.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

This is from a client electrification project just outside Washington DC. We ran the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors w/ a single 2 ton heat pump system that lives in the basement. Everyone was FREAKING OUT that it was so small in a 2000 sf area. It got spray foam which you can see a bit of. 1/N

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Nerdy But Important: Thermostat Settings for Hybrids Josh Green, CEO of Mysa Thermostats, is talking at this month's Hybrid Heating Coordination Group about how various settings of hybrid/dual fuel HVAC affect comfort, performance, and operating costs.

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Shreyas Sudhakar @shreyassudhakar.com · 02/01/2026

I want to start off my 2026 with a little gratitude - a big thank you to @energysmartwv.bsky.social! Nate was an early booster of @heatpumped.org, encouraged me to start the podcast, and has been a steady supporter along the way. He’s a HP veteran and I’m grateful that he took me under his wing!

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

I don't fail often at air sealing, but I missed my target on our latest project. It's a good intro to air sealing, what do you notice? bit.ly/airsealingSt... #electrifyeverything #energysky #airsealing 🔌💡

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Utilities don't usually play well together, but in the case of hybrid heating (furnace + heat pump) in Utah, there is an exception that has lead to some excellent results. Neil Kolwey of Southwest Energy Efficiency Project is telling the story today at 2 PM EST for the monthly hybrid heating call.

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Spray Foam! I'm a big fan of spray foam in retrofits. Here's what a project looks like on a 100 year old coal camp house. I also show some indoor air quality testing I did on projects. Check it out, what strikes you? www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2yG...

youtube.com

Spray Foam Day! Steampunk Pt 3

YouTube video by Nate the House Whisperer

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Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

I caught a mini split on our 1948 camper in defrost this morning. Quick explanation. #energysky #heatpump #2wayAC

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