Heres a Link: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/saving-energy-manual-j-and-manual-d Even when they do the calculations, the results are usually wrong In his posted comment, Bailes raised an interesting point: the problem of “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) Manual J calculations. Several energy experts have commented on the GIGO problem, including John Proctor, Hank Rutkowski, and Allison Bailes. Hank Rutkowski, the mechanical engineer who wrote the original Manual J document, was recently interviewed for a profile posted on the Green Building Talk Web site. The piece notes, “Rutkowski estimates that only 10% of heating and cooling equipment sizing decisions are based on some type of Manual J calculation and that less than 1% of the jobs are based on an aggressive implementation of the recommended design procedures.” Rutkowski explains the GIGO problem this way: “Manual J is a good tool if you use it aggressively. Follow the rules and it will give you a reasonable margin of safety. But the average contractor says, ‘Better safe than sorry,’ so he fudges here and there. He adds 5 to 10 degrees to the summer and winter design temperatures, calls the building ‘average’ instead of ‘tight’ and doesn't take credit for shading by interior blinds and drapes. Then when he finally comes up with a load number for sizing, he throws in an extra half-ton of AC just for the heck of it.” For a high-performance home, sizing by Manual J may still result in oversizing Several years ago, I had a conversation with building scientist Joe Lstiburek about air conditioners installed in Building America homes in Las Vegas. “HVAC designers are committed to the institutional oversizing of air conditioning equipment,” Lstiburek told me. “The average system is sized at 150% to 200% of the requirements of Manual J. They oversize because they don’t know what they will get for a building envelope, and to compensate for duct leakage and inappropriate refrigerant charge. If you size according to Manual J, there is already a fudge factor built in. But most designers then add another fudge factor.” According to Lstiburek, their experience proved the high-performance Building America homes in Las Vegas could have had HVAC systems sized at about 60% of Manual J. To be conservative, his team recommended installing systems sized at 80% of Manual J. Does oversizing matter? There are strong arguments against routine oversizing of HVAC equipment. The best argument is simple: oversized equipment usually costs more than right-sized equipment. Oversized equipment suffers from short cycling. For example, an oversized furnace brings a home up to temperature quickly, and then shuts off. A few minutes later, it comes on again, only to shut off quickly. Many homeowners find the see-saw sound of a short-cycling furnace to be annoying. When air conditioners short cycle, the units don't run long enough to achieve much dehumidification ��" at least in theory. (During the first few minutes of operation, an air conditioner cools a house. But not enough moisture has collected on the cold coil or on the pan below for any water to have actually gone down the drain. When the air conditioner turns off, all of the moisture in the pan and on the coil just re-evaporates.) The conventional wisdom may be wrong, however Increasing evidence shows that energy experts have exaggerated the negative effects of equipment oversizing, however. Studies have confirmed that oversized furnaces don't use any more energy than right-sized furnaces. Moreover, newer modulating or two-speed furnaces operate efficiently under part-load conditions, solving any possible problems from furnace oversizing. Although there are ample reasons to believe that oversized air conditioners are less effective than right-sized equipment at dehumidification, at least one field study was unable to measure any performance improvements or energy savings after replacing an existing oversized air conditioner with a new right-sized unit. The bottom line The main reason to choose right-sized equipment is to avoid paying too much money for equipment you don't need. A Manual J calculation will ensure you don't spend more than necessary for your furnace, boiler, or air conditioner. Moreover, a Manual J calculation will provide room-by-room heat loss and heat-gain information that is essential to good duct design. Without good duct design, you're running the risk of comfort complaints.

Hi dmb, I am so sorry to hear about your predicament with your 19 year old cat but I have to say that I thought I was reading about my 18 year old female cat when reading your cat's symptoms. I am at the same place you are - what to do now? However I have gone one step further than you and thought this migh thelp you. I have been giving my cat the Sub Q fluids for her renal failure for the last 2 years now and she really rallied once I started to that. Also at the same time I have been giving her renal support probiotics (2 kinds) to support her kidneys and that plus the fluids gave her back a couple of years for sure. However about 2 weeks ago she started to bang into things and I realized she had gone blind and that my stupid Vet hadn't ever mentioned blood pressure taking especially if the cat has thyroid or kidney issues and my cat has both. She had the radioactive iodine treatment about 3 years ago so I was expecting the kidney issues but after I reached out to a different Vet they told me that her blood pressure probably caused the blindness together with the renal or the thyroid issues. Her thyroid might have gotten worse despite the iodine treatments. Sigh. The new Vet said that she probably had a stroke during the night that I didnt know of and that she was totally blind. I was so upset. Also she has gone totally deaf before this stroke so now she is deaf and blind and last week she took a step backwards and seemed to be acting confused like she did when she had the first stroke. She was starting to adapt to being blind and had figured out where to jump and where not to and I was so excited then she took a backslide. Another stroke? Who knows. I really think you should try the Sub Q and the 2 renal support powders that you just mix into your cats meals (wet is best in food for this) and you will notice a big difference in her health. However the deafness and blindness is another thing. I am trying to decide if her quality of life is worth keeping her going. Now she is so blind that she just seems to be giving up and laying down wherever she is and just goes back to sleep and this is so unlike her. Also she is getting grouchy (Himalyan) and never was like that before. Now she only responds to touch and when I touch her she knows it's either to put a needle behind her neck for the sub q fluids or to stick a pill down her throat for high blood pressure or to move her to the litter box so when I just pick her up to pat her she growls. I mean what kind of life is this now? I don't know. She has been the best cat ever, always gentle and loving and she appears okay in other ways. She is still grooming herself, eating well, pooping well etc but I know her kidneys won't last forever and with the blindness and with no hearing I just don't know. I am giving her a blood pressure med ever since a new med took her blood pressure 2 weeks ago but like I said since that she has slipped. I don't envy your situation because it's mine too but maybe try the sub q and renal support and the blood pressure meds and see what you think. The best of luck with whatever your decision is. I know you will make the decision with love and respect for the cat no matter what. My prayers are with you and your pet.

JJ, Renal failure is extremely common in elderly cats (and often in not-so-elderly cats). Unfortunately, it is as variable a disease as are the number of cats who endure it. There really are no "norms" where renal failure is concerned. There are cats who live for years after diagnosis, and there are cats who fail very quickly. The only thing you can "expect" with renal failure is the inevitable end. It is a terminal diagnosis. As lf mentioned, many of the symptoms of CRF are manageable. The keys to management of CRF are education and vigilant caretaking. You have already been given the URL to one CRF website, but the website which I consider to be the "CRF Bible" is linked below. If you spend as much time as possible reading through these sites, you will learn a tremendous amount about this disease, its associated ailments, and its management. There is nothing more important you can do for your cat right now than to educate yourself about CRF. To answer your questions, at-home subQ fluid administration is a critically important skill to acquire and practice. Your vet can and should teach you how to do the fluid administration, and the websites offer pictorial tutorials to reinforce the procedure and offer helpful tips that your vet might not mention. You'll probably find it a bit nerve-wracking at first, but you'll get the hang of it, and your cat will become more and more cooperative as you become more proficient. It really is a life-saving procedure that provides considerable health benefits to the CRF cat with negligible (if any) discomfort. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of CRF is that a cat's condition can change from day to day, sometimes hour to hour. A cat who is critically ill one day may rally to relative health the next ... or not. We CRF caretakers tend to hold out for the next rally because it's so difficult to tell when a bad day will turn around or when it really does mark the end. If your cat does require hospitalization at some point, you will just need to trust your instincts and your knowledge of your own cat to help you decide whether to give him a chance to rally or to let him go. I, too, have a cat who is in the early stages of CRF with slightly elevated BUN and CREA values. He's my fourth CRF cat, and I know that he could become critical at any moment, or he could live in reasonable health for years. I've been down this road before, so I know what to watch for. I'll be having bloodwork run on him every 3 mos or more frequently if he becomes symptomatic. When his brother developed renal failure a year ago, I couldn't get his condition stabilized and was having to run bloodwork every couple of weeks to keep up with his changing blood values and symptoms. Unfortunately, I lost Bitsy just 3 mos after diagnosis. My first CRF cat, though, lived quite happily for 4 yrs after diagnosis. That's how variable this disease can be. I know you must be feeling overwhelmed right now, and you'll probably feel even moreso once you start reading the CRF websites. Don't let all the info make you crazy. I had to read the same info many, many times before it sank in and stuck. Just remember that the more you know about this disease, the better you'll be able to manage your boy and keep him comfortable and reasonably healthy for as long as possible. I wish you and your cat the best, Laurie Here is a link that might be useful: Tanya's CRF Information website

Older cats bring so much joy to our lives. Does she use the litter box perfectly? No. Does she perfectly groom herself? No. But does she show so much love? Yes. My kitty is hyper thyroid and takes a quarter of a pill twice a day. She eats only "kidney friendly" food which is important for you cat lovers out there to know about! Kahlua the kitty is sitting next to me as I write this. It's so hard to think about letting our beloved pets go but remember this: no one can tell you that your cat is too old. If she's eating and drinking water and appreciating affection, you be the judge. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your old cat walk up to you and say hello everyday. Yes, they may walk slowly and not jump so high to the highest place they can find, but these old cats LOVE the love we give them. And who doesn't love waking up to a beautiful cat literally sleeping on your neck? Haha Live on pretty kitties!!!! Xo