PODCAST #48 PRODUCTS WILL SAVE US: Keith Aldridge on Future Solutions in Stuff

Today we talk with Keith Aldridge, VP of Business Development for Advanced Energy, on what the programs get wrong, why human QA will disappear, and what your clients really want. Recorded at the ACI Regional Home Performance Conference in San Diego, CA.

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Passive House Explained in 90 Seconds

This video’s not one of ours, but we love it so much! If you’ve heard of Passive House (or Passivhaus) building certification, this entertaining little video breaks it down nicely! Since I just became one of the first Passive House Raters in the Midwest, we hope to be doing more and more passive construction projects soon.

Passive House Explained in 90 Seconds from Hans-Jörn Eich on Vimeo. Thanks to Hans for creating this Passive House video!

I'm a Passive House enthusiast. I'm involved in this great movement to create highly energy efficient buildings that use 80 to 90% less energy. But how? I get asked often what a Passive House is. This is the low down in 90 seconds.

PODCAST #47 BIG SEXY MORTGAGES: Kerry Langley on How to Borrow More, Lend More, and Keep More with Energy Efficient Mortgages

Today we talk with Kerry Langley of Synovus Mortgage about how his company collaborated with Southeastern builders, HERS raters, and homebuyers to make an absolute killing for everyone involved. Corbett: "Why hasn't everyone been lending money this way?" Kerry: "I have absolutely no idea." YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS.

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New BPI Exam Prep Promises Higher Certification Rate

July 12, 2013 – Chicago – Standards for the home improvement industry have been given another push up the ladder with the launch of BPIexamprep.com . The online training, from Home Performance Diagnostics author Corbett Lunsford, is designed as a supplement to BPI Training or for professionals who need to self-study due to limited time, budget, or access to training.

Homeowners and government programs alike have been demanding a growing army of BPI Certified contractors , and even building codes are now recognizing the certification for new home quality control. "BPIexamprep.com has been years in the making, and something I wish I’d had when I was getting ready to challenge these certification exams," says Lunsford. The modular, self-paced video course offers students all the information needed to put the finishing touches on preparation for any of the main five BPI Certification exams: Building Analyst, Envelope Professional, Heating Professional, A/C and Heat Pump Professional, or Multifamily Building Analyst.

While BPI Exam Prep is not meant to take the place of a week-long hands-on BPI Training, it does help students pass the exams the first time. Many people who seek BPI certification have been out of school, and out of the habit of test-taking, for years. "BPI exam sets have a standard price of $750, so it can be expensive to have to re-take these tests," laments Lunsford. "I got sick of watching other school’s students fail these exams on their first try, simply because they didn’t know what to expect. The psychology of test-taking is a huge hurdle, and this course helps students get over it."

The online course is self-paced, interactive, and includes 6 modules: 5 guidance videos from Lunsford and a 100-question practice BPI exam. After having trained hundreds of BPI Certified Professionals, and proctored hundreds of BPI exams, Lunsford and his Building Performance Workshop are standing up for students everywhere, and giving them the edge they need to ace the test.

FOR A FREE, INTERACTIVE VIDEO GUIDE TO BPI CERTIFICATIONS, OR TO GET A TOUR OF THE COURSE, VISIT:
http://bpiexamprep.com

Ventilate it right, and Ventilate it Right. Did I say Ventilate?

We recently ordered ourselves a copy of the new ASHRAE 62.2-2013 standard and today I spent some time sifting through the madness.

In Illinois, this is becoming a pretty regular topic of discussion since all new construction requires mechanical ventilation. Plenty of our clients are still using exhaust only ventilation under the 62.2-2010 standard, but as Joe Lstiburek pointed out in this article, it doesn’t always work as planned. And as an energy modeler, I personally know that designers who use exhaust only ventilation with the new standard are going to be hit hard with some serious energy penalties from the increased rates. While this is not meant to be totally encompassing, here is a quick synopsis:

• Mechanical vent rates have been increased to a total ventilation base model of  7.5cfm( Bedrooms+1) + 0.03cfm(Floor Area) and no longer assume default leakage of 2cfm/100ft^2
• In order to take credit for infiltration, a blower door must be performed, and Effective leakage area, Normalized leakage, and effective annual average infiltration rate must be calculated. The required mechanical ventilation rate is the difference from the total ventilation and the effective annual average infiltration rate [the effective annual average infiltration rate must be NO GREATER than 2/3 of the total ventilation rate]
• 2013 standard assumes no ‘reasonable’ leakage in multifamily buildings
• CO alarms are now required in all dwelling units
• Similar to previous standards, does not address unvented combustion sources, material off-gassing, smoking, etc…
• Thermal comfort not considered in ventilation strategies
• Ventilation rates must be measured and net ventilation must meet the required ventilation
• When atmospheric OR solid fuel burning appliances are within pressure boundary, the net sum of the two largest exhaust fans must not exceed 15cfm/100ft2. If this occurs, capacity must be reduced or outdoor air must be introduced.
• Ducts/air handlers outside the envelope must be sealed to reduce leakage to a rate of 6% of total airflow when tested at 25Pa
• Mechanical systems that supply air though 10 or more feet of ductwork AND through a thermal conditioning component require a minimum MERV 6 filter
• Multifamily dwelling units must meet the total ventilation rates of a single family home, with no credit for infiltration
• Corridors and common areas of multifamily buildings must be ventilated to 0.06cfm(Floor Area)
• Existing building shall be ventilated to the total ventilation as described above and no credit for infiltration may be used unless it is tested. If the credit for infiltration is greater than the total required ventilation, no ventilation is required.

In short, what this says to me is that all buildings need to be tested with a blower door to take advantage of the infiltration credit, and that all ventilation systems should be balanced (meaning supply outdoor air = exhaust air) with heat/enthalpy recovery systems. If you on the ground trying to collect all the dropped HERS points you can, you may just have to make some changes to your ventilation design in order to do so. Luckily, blower doors are required in our state already – but calculating that infiltration credit is something that will cause most designers to pull their hair out…

MORE THAN AN ENERGY AUDIT: Our Home Performance Analysis

Building forensics expert Corbett Lunsford explains what you should expect from any home performance testing report.  Included: Recommendations for Home Improvement, Infrared Thermal Inspection Report, Air Leakage and Pressure Testing, Combustion System Analysis, Investment Analysis, and Bonuses.

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Livin’ La Vida Verde

Carbon Footprint. Sustainable. Life-cycle Analysis.  Zero impact. Eco-friendly. Green. Greenwashed. The terminology is as diverse as the people involved in what we’ve come to call “the environmental movement”. The origins of the movement are equally diverse. In his book, Blessed Unrest, Paul Hawken goes so far as to suggest the growth in environmentalism might be a biological reaction of the planet’s dominant inhabitants. Deep down, our instincts are telling us we must protect our habitat in order to survive.  It’s no longer “Save the Whales” now it’s “Save Us!”

Theories. Musings. This is fun stuff to think about, and is partially what this blog is: Exploring where this movement came from and where it might be going. Many people have widely varying opinions about this, but the fact is that the future is a clean slate. To take Donald Rumsfeld’s words out of context “as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

There are technologies that have been in development for decades and are widely written about like photovoltaics and electric cars. But for as often as these are written about, there are hundreds quirky solutions that very well may become leading technologies. For example, Richard Wool at the University of Delaware is exploring how to make circuit boards out of chicken feathers. Or how about the National Environmental Research Council, who are studying ways that oysters and mussels (because they naturally filter water) can be used to combat water pollution.

If you choose to participate in this blog (and we really hope you do) send us the weird, fun environmental “hey-I-heard-abouts” that make for interesting reading and writing.

Mostly, however, this blog is about people. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of people in this city who consider themselves environmentalist. Heck, there are probably dozens of environmentalists in Chicago who never call themselves “green”. They’re simply trying to do the efficient, respectful, and smart thing. From the gloom-and-doom professor to the vegan cyclist, from the local insulation man to the master composter, from those mining the alleys for treasure to those handling Chicago’s municipal waste; This blog is to explore the subject of “Green” from all angles.

In 1971, Greenpeace rented 12 billboards and posted this: “Ecology: Look it up! You’re involved”. Thank you for being involved, and thanks for participating in our new blog!

Looking Forward,
Steve

Check out these links referenced in this posting:
Paul Hawken’s Book - http://www.blessedunrest.com/
Donald Rumsfeld - http://politicalhumor.about.com/cs/quotethis/a/rumsfeldquotes.htm
Chicken Feather Circuit Board - http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1247399
National Environmental Research Council - http://www.nerc.ac.uk/
Greenpeace - http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/

Car Sharing is Awesome for our Company

We’ve recently begun using I-GO, Chicago’s non-profit car sharing service (www.igocars.org), and we love it.  Since we don’t have a conventional office where clients visit us, our transportation to the energy audits is important in several respects:

Reliability- we arrive on time, and always have a clean, working vehicle with enough gas to get us there.  I especially like the fact that if you’re in a hurry and waiting for your car to show up, the previous driver gets fined and the office will help you get a new car, and even pay for a cab to take you to it.  That was one of my biggest hangups before we got our account.

Advertising- the company’s logo, phone # and URL are all on the magnet we can stick to the outside of the car.  The magnets run us under $50 for the pair, and look great on any paint color.  Wrapping a car costs thousands of dollars.

Credibility- since we’re in the green industry, our clients are always impressed to see us walking the walk; the importance of clients who are impressed with you cannot be underestimated.

Hassle Free- this is my favorite part.  I pick the car up where it’s supposed to be, I drop it off when I’m done.  Not responsible for what happens before or after I have it, and in the middle it’s insured.  I don’t have to find and maintain relationships with honest mechanics (where are those guys?), don’t have to change oil or tires, don’t have to track mileage to write off in my taxes.

I highly recommend it, if you live in the city.  There are I-GO cars in every neighborhood, and if you’re reasonable about booking a few days in advance, you can get pretty much everything you’d have with your own vehicle, minus all the downsides.