Tag: energy code

Energy Star V3 Homes – HVAC Lessons Learned – Recorded Webinar CEUs

Post author By admin
Post date May 23, 2013

In this webinar, Ryan Miller, Program Manager of Advanced Energy’s Quality-Assured Professional (QAP) for HVAC program, one of two national HVAC Contractor credentialing programs for the ENERGY STAR® Certified New Homes program v3.0, will present lessons learned from the HVAC Contractor owner/operators the program has worked with during its first year in operation.

Topics include:

1. The changing role of HVAC Contractors working in the ENERGY STAR® program. What HVAC Contractors are required to do and should be doing.

2. How to save time, money, and increase customer satisfaction by performing quality ENERGY STAR® work. Tips for developing internal quality control plans and procedures will be provided.

3. Training crews on performing ENERGY STAR® jobs. What they need to know, how you can train them, and resources available to them that can decrease their time and cost on jobs while increasing quality.

4. Marketing your company as a (ENERGY STAR® v3.0 required) credentialed HVAC Contractor. Tips for setting your company apart from others in the market.

5. How to evolve your role with Builders and Raters from receiving design plans to having significant input in the upfront design process. How acting as an HVAC design advisor on ENERGY STAR® jobs, not just an installer, can yield across the board savings for all parties involved and reduce comfort issues.

Target Audience: HVAC Contractor owner/operators currently working in or interested in working in the ENERGY STAR® Certified New Homes program. Prior experience in the ENERGY STAR® program is not necessary

Recording can be viewed here

Please take a min to fill out this survey after viewing. Thank you!

Instructor

Ryan Miller: Project Manager II and Quality-Assured Professional (QAP) Program Manager, Advanced Energy Corporation

Ryan Miller joined Advanced Energy in 2011 to manage residential new construction projects for utility and other clients from across the country. As a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Six Sigma Black Belt, Miller brings significant project management and business process improvement experience to the organization and its customers.

In 2012, Miller managed the development and launch of the first nationwide residential energy efficiency program in Advanced Energy’s 30-plus year history with the Quality-Assured Professional (QAP) program. As Program Manager, Miller is responsible for the managing the strategic direction of the program as well as the day-to-day administration of the staff and program participants.

Prior to joining Advanced Energy, Miller was the Operations Manager for a home performance contractor in Durham, NC, where he learned energy efficiency improvements and HVAC contracting from the ground-up. Managing the office and warehouse functions of the company, Miller made significant operational and financial improvements to the organization. Prior to this experience, Miller served as Business Process Manager for Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC) in Austin, TX. In this position, Miller again tackled business and system improvement projects throughout the state, working closely with the statewide electric cooperatives and other utilities to lower costs, improve efficiencies, and lead training initiatives.

AIA & GBCI CEUs In order for CEUs to be processed we will need a small donation based on what value you found on the course. As a 501(c)3 charitable organization (view our details), we deliver green building education courses throughout the Midwest at minimal cost and at no profit. Please support us to help keep these going. Your donation to the Green Home Institute may be tax-deductible. Please check with your accountant or tax attorney for details.

Tags energy code, energy star, ESv3, HVAC ESV3

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Cottage Home Sets New Standard for Sustainable Lakefront Living

Post author By admin
Post date September 6, 2012

Using his home building expertise, Brian Bosgraaf started Cottage Home in 2000 specializing in building custom homes along Lake Michigan. Cottage Home has designed and built more than 70 custom homes along the West Michigan shoreline, including 13 LEED certified homes. In an interview with Brian, he expressed his passion for LEED certification and sustainable construction practices.

hen Brian and Jeremy vanEyk (Vice President) were asked about their commitment to building LEED, they responded that Cottage Home is committed to utilizing healthy, affordable, efficient, and durable construction practices that are already above code, energy star and even LEED at times. Brian says he considers LEED only one of the many tools in his toolbox. Other such tools include creative design, customer service, careful selection of materials, and creating a sense of place. In order to make it simple for the customer, Cottage Home uses a fixed price prior to starting construction which already includes LEED qualifications. This allows some of the cost of LEED certification to be absorbed by both the customer and through the Cottage Homes marketing budget. Brian believes this method works due to his design and construction teams working together throughout the construction process, which creates a feedback loop that fosters constant improvement. Including LEED certification into the final cost helps facilitate more sales than presenting each option with separate pricing.

Since many homeowners today are educated and concerned about sustainability and environmental issues, many take time to study the details of LEED on the website of Cottage Home and take comfort in knowing LEED is a third party certification. Clients are aware of LEED’s achievements and credibility, and often wonder about how changes to the house affect the LEED certification level. Much of Cottage Home’s customer base is from the Chicago area where LEED is prevalent in their office buildings, and a result, many clients have experienced the advantages offered by LEED construction firsthand. These clients have often already invested in commercial LEED projects and are now ready to transition these same high standards to their personal lives. Jeremy decided to experience the benefits of LEED firsthand and chose to have his own house in Zeeland, certified LEED Platinum.

Building on the lake front comes with complications such as extreme wind loads, humid changes, temperature fluctuation, and other variables. To overcome these challenges, Cottage Home uses high performance home measures to control the entire process though design, build, and some maintenance which allows more control of green features. Cottage Home designs and builds what is right for each particular home which may result in homes varying in different HVAC, insulation, passive solar heating, and various climate control systems. One particular feature that is commonly used in these homes, including Jeremys, is an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator). An ERV automatically exhausts stale air from the inside of the house and replaces it with fresh air from the outside. Another key feature used in many of the homes is a geothermal system. There are a few different types used, but all contribute to the energy efficiency of the homes in some way. Several techniques are used to increase water efficiency in the homes, such as tankless water heaters, which only heat water when necessary, water collection systems to help with sprinking and irrigation, and faucets and showerheads that work with less water than traditional ones. Insulation, as well as materials such as flooring, home furnishings and walls are all aspects that need to be carefully considered when building these homes.

As leaders in the industry we asked Brian and Jeremy what they saw in the future of design and construction. Jeremy believes that being able to evaluate the effectiveness of high performance systems and insulation through energy bills is important. Along with water collection systems to reduce storm water runoff and help irrigate the lawn. Brian agrees that we should have a system to allow clients to ensure they are getting the most effective homes. He foresees homes that can be manipulated to meet the client’s needs at any given time. An example of this would be homes with the ability to accommodate a family of four, which can then transition to accommodate sleeping arrangements for twenty. Along with being able to better meet a client’s needs, he would like to see energy loads distributed to only sections of the house in use, as well as the ability for clients to control how energy is used throughout the home (on site and from satellite locations). Cottage Home sees one challenge to moving forward with these ideas is getting sub-contractors to approach basic air sealing, insulation, proper HVAC sizing, and design aesthetics with an effective mindset. Cottage Home has established themselves as innovators and leaders in the design of luxury LEED lake front homes. They continue to partner quality, design and the environment hand in hand to produce sustainability along our beaches.

Quick Numbers – Average HERS Score 51 Average LEED score 75

Learn & see more about their LEED projects below.

51 W. Central

Beach House on Monroe Blvd.

Fabun Road Cottage

Green Cottage at Suequehanna

LakeBridge Beach House

Summer’s Gate 4 and 8

The Havens Cottage

Waukazoo Woods Residence

Tags chicago, durability, energy code, energy star, HERS, Illinois, leed, leed for homes, LEED Gold, LEED Platinum, LEED Silver, michigan, real estate, Single-Family Projects, slider

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2012 IECC Energy Code vs Green Home Certifications

Post author By admin
Post date July 9, 2012

Many states are in the process of adopting in whole or with modifications the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). This new code raises the bar in construction design for residential and commercial structures, and as a result, architects / engineers / contractors building to the new code will be affordably offer a choice to their clients for pursuing several above-code certifications such as Energy Star and LEED without too much additional effort or cost.

The new national energy code includes mandatory blower-door testing for building air leakage (less than <3.0 ACH at 50 pascals), which will measure how well contractors have sealed up penetrations between the outdoors and indoor conditioned space. This testing will be required for all projects permitted after the new code goes into effect. Some states have made modifications to the adopted code, such as Illinois which has changed the ACH rate to 5.0 ACH @ 50. View our archived July 12 webinar to learn more about IL Energy Code changes.

Other aspects of the 2012 IECC such as requiring hot water pipe insulation and mechanical ventilation are new items that projects will need to implement. Learn more on a free webinar held Thursday July 12.

So, how do national IECC 2012 requirements relate to voluntary above-code programs like Energy Star, LEED and Passive House? Pretty well actually. has assembled a matrix identifying several energy-related items as written in the code and indicated what the impact or requirements would be in one of these above-code third-party green certification programs. Download national comparison matrix as PDF.
(Illinois-specific modifications are shown in the image below)

Download National IECC 2012 Code Comparison matrix as PDF

What does this mean? Well just by building to the new code, these projects will be very close to meeting the Energy Star for Homes program requirements, and will score very well in programs that require Energy Star version 3 such as LEED or Green Communities. Other green programs that don’t require Energy Star, such as National Green Building Standard or local green home programs will also heavily reward these projects.

LEED for Homes will be requiring Energy Star version 3 beginning at the end of the year, so right now a project can still earn LEED certification by building to Energy Star version 2 requirements which should be easily met on any home that meets IECC 2012.

Take advantage of this sweet spot and earn market recognition by attending a LEED workshop or sign up to earn LEED certification today!

Tags 2009 energy code, code matrix, energy code, energy star, Energy Star V3, Green Communities, IECC 2009, IECC 2012, leed for homes, MUEC 2009, ngbs, passive house, slider

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Download the Energy Code for Free

Post author By admin
Post date October 5, 2010

The folks at ICC have made the download of the IECC 2009 Energy Code available at no cost – yes that’s right – you can download it for free at www.iccsafe.org/FreeIECC.

The national model energy code of choice for states, cities and counties that adopt codes, the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is referenced in federal law determined by Congress through the Energy Policy Act of 1992. It is the only energy code that serves as the basis for federal tax credits for energy-efficient homes, energy efficiency standards for federal residential buildings and manufactured housing, and state residential energy code determinations. The 2009 IECC is the target building energy code that all 50 Governors agreed to achieve compliance with under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

We’ve talked before how IECC 2009 compares with LEED for Homes, and this reference material being made available for free is a great tool for residential design and construction teams.

Tags energy and atmosphere, energy code, EPAct, iecc, leed for homes

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New Energy Code Aligns Well with LEED for Homes

Post author By admin
Post date March 29, 2010

On January 29th 2010, the Energy Efficient Building Act became effective in Illinois for most new residential construction and remodeling in Illinois. What does this mean for builders and project teams in Illinois? If you’re going to be constructing to the new building code, you are implementing many strategies that can earn credit in LEED for Homes.

The new statewide residential energy code was signed into law on August 28^th 2009, and covers new construction as well as remodeling. The Code applies only to the portions of that structure that are being added, altered, renovated, or repaired. Illinois joins states such as Iowa, Pennsylvania, Montana and California.

The Energy Efficient Building Act adopts the requirements of the latest edition of the International Energy Code, which is currently the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), also known as IECC 2009. Apart from a few exempted communities such as the City of Chicago, no local municipality has the authority to mandate energy requirements less than or greater than the requirements of the 2009 IECC.

So how does this new code match up with LEED for Homes? Well, the 2009 IECC reflects the good building practices people have been using to construct energy-efficient green homes such as a LEED home. In fact, IECC aligns very well with LEED for Homes prerequisites and the credit areas that earn points. Here is a matrix showing certain aspects of IECC and LEED for Homes:

	LEED for Homes	IECC 2009
2 x 6 exterior studs or 1” rigid insulation (R-20)	Earn points	X
Insulation around foundation walls / slabs	Earn points	X
Ductwork must be sealed and tested (Conditioned space / Unconditioned space)	X / X	— / X
Ducts in unconditioned space insulated R-8	X (R-6)	X
50% of lighting be ENERGY STAR lighting	Earn points	X
Gasketed doors on wood-burning fireplaces	X	X
Blower door test for air infiltration	X	Easiest option
Programmable thermostat required on forced air system	—	X

Remember, LEED for Homes is built on the successful ENERGY STAR for Homes program, and the lower the HERS Score, the more points a building can receive in the Energy and Atmosphere credit area of LEED. And ENERGY STAR for Homes currently references IECC 2006 rather than IECC 2009.

What does this mean for builders and project teams in Illinois? If you’re already constructing to IL state code, you are implementing many strategies that can earn credit in LEED for Homes. And if you’re doing a blower door test, you’re already doing some of the testing and verification required in LEED for Homes. So why not receive recognition for your work? Since the learning curve will already be much shorter, going through the LEED certification process will give your homes extra market recognition, as well as marketing power in northern Illinois’ green MLS.

By the way, for those that need to learn more about the IECC 2009 provisions, there are many training opportunities around the state of Illinois being delivered by ICCsafe.org.

Tags energy and atmosphere, energy code, energy star, iecc, leed

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