LEED Version 4 Details and Delay Consequences In this article, Brenda Martens, LEED Fellow and Founder of aedify, outlines LEED Version 4. She discusses how v4 differs from v3 and the consequences of the delayed release of v4. Plagued with difficulties and delays, v4 has been the most controversial… Continue reading “LEED Version 4 Details and Delay Consequences”
New Free Lecture: “Integrative Design Process” With Bill Reed Ever met Bill Reed? He’s a bit of a celebrity in the world of sustainable design. In this free lecture Bill demonstrates the integrative design process through a series of case studies. Register at this link for complimentary access to… Continue reading “New Free Lecture: “Integrative Design Process” With Bill Reed”
Five Questions about Hydronic Heat Sources On the Mastering Hydronic System Design Course discussion board with expert instructor John Siegenthaler… Takeaways: Although closely spaced tees are great for hydraulic separation, a modern hydraulic separator provides air and dirt separation in addition to hydraulic separation. When considering whether to use… Continue reading “Five Questions about Hydronic Heat Sources”
Free Lecture: Award-Winning Green Roof and Wall Projects: Design and Implementation In this free lecture, Stephen Peck, Founder & President of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, showcases and profiles Green Roof and Wall Awards of Excellence winners from the fall 2014 CitiesAlive conference, including inspiring, high-profile work that pushes the envelope… Continue reading “Free Lecture: Award-Winning Green Roof and Wall Projects: Design and Implementation”
Why the World Needs LEED v4 Project Managers “LEED v4 Project Management” is our first LEED course ever. We sat out the first wave of LEED education because there were a lot of great courses out there already. So why get into LEED now? A: Because LEED v4 project… Continue reading “Why the World Needs LEED v4 Project Managers”
Moisture Matters in Mastering Building Science The following is a conversation between 4 students and Allison A. Bailes III, Ph.D. from our Mastering Building Science course. Dr. Bailes is the founder and owner of Energy Vanguard in Decatur, Georgia. His academic credentials in physics (BS, MS,… Continue reading “Moisture Matters in Mastering Building Science”
Home Performance Coalition, Home Energy Magazine, and Rick Karg Tackle ASHRAE 62.2 This week we launched a new course, “ASHRAE 62.2 Ventilation for Single-Family Dwellings”, for Fall 2015. To understand why this course is special, you need to meet the A+ team. Rick Karg has been on the ASRAE 62.2 committee since… Continue reading “Home Performance Coalition, Home Energy Magazine, and Rick Karg Tackle ASHRAE 62.2”
3 Reasons to Rethink Crawlspaces in Passive House Design On NESEA’S BuildingEnergy course Passive House Design course discussion board… Takeaways: Typically, Passive Houses do not feature crawlspaces (a foundation that is five feet or less, and fully enclosed — or, not vented to outside) because: If the thermal boundary is at the… Continue reading “3 Reasons to Rethink Crawlspaces in Passive House Design”
Interview: How to Create a Holistic Built Environment – Transportation, Solar, and More We reached out to Ryan C.C. Chin, Ph.D., the Managing Director and Research Scientist of MIT Media Lab’s Changing Places group, to learn about the initiatives his group is working on to reshape cities into more holistic systems and how the HeatSpring community of contractors,… Continue reading “Interview: How to Create a Holistic Built Environment – Transportation, Solar, and More”
Boost Your Webinars: Create Dynamic, Community-Building Online Lectures In this article, I outline why we host online lectures instead of webinars at HeatSpring and share information for ways that we can help you and your business (cleantech, high performance building, geothermal, and more) start hosting dynamic, community-building online lectures,… Continue reading “Boost Your Webinars: Create Dynamic, Community-Building Online Lectures”
3 Reasons Your PV System Load Profile is Overinflated and How to Fix It The article below is a discussion from our course, Batteries in Solar PV Systems, led by Christopher LaForge. Christopher LaForge is the CEO of Great Northern Solar and a NABCEP certified photovoltaic installer. He has been designing, specifying, and installing systems… Continue reading “3 Reasons Your PV System Load Profile is Overinflated and How to Fix It”
Interview: Battery Expert Christopher LaForge on the Tesla Powerwall The debut of the Tesla Powerwall has made quite a splash in many circles. Claiming to outperform current battery systems for solar, it has the potential to make a large impact on the storage side of the production of solar… Continue reading “Interview: Battery Expert Christopher LaForge on the Tesla Powerwall”
Passive House Design: An Investment in the Future This is a guest post by Mike Duclos. He is a Certified Passive House Consultant and principal and founder of DEAP Energy Group, a consultancy providing a wide variety of deep energy retrofit, zero net energy, and Passive House related… Continue reading “Passive House Design: An Investment in the Future”
3+ Ways to Replace Spray Foam Insulation in Your Basement Here’s a discussion feed from one of our best-selling courses, Zero Net Energy Homes. In the discussion, one of our students asks Marc Rosenbaum for foam-free ways to retrofit her New England basement. Here are the alternatives to spray foam… Continue reading “3+ Ways to Replace Spray Foam Insulation in Your Basement”
Why We Chose HeatSpring as Our Educational Partner Mark Eatherton, Executive Director, Radiant Professionals Alliance authored the below article. We had a chance to see Mark at the ASHRAE conference a few weeks ago and when we told him we’d love to feature him in HeatSpring Magazine, he sent us… Continue reading “Why We Chose HeatSpring as Our Educational Partner”
Christopher LaForge: Battery Capacity – The Basis of Storage The article below was written by Christopher LaForge, NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional and IREC Certified Master Trainer. Christopher LaForge teaches Batteries in Solar PV Systems, a 6-week course that provides in-depth analysis of the issues surrounding the use of batteries for… Continue reading “Christopher LaForge: Battery Capacity – The Basis of Storage”
John Siegenthaler Reviews Heat Pumps In the article below, John Siegenthaler, Principal of Appropriate Designs, explains how air-to-water heat pumps offer new opportunities for hydronic pros. At the end of the article, John runs the numbers to answer the question: “How does the performance of… Continue reading “John Siegenthaler Reviews Heat Pumps”
Join Us: HeatSpring Alumni Meetup at AHR in Chicago Online classes are cool, but they’re even better when you can meet in real life. AHR is a great opportunity to do just that. Date: January 27th from 4-6pm Location: AHR – McCormick Place in Chicago Cost: Free (RSVP Here)… Continue reading “Join Us: HeatSpring Alumni Meetup at AHR in Chicago”
Building Innovation 2015 Offers 32 Continuing Education Units Architects, engineers, installers, contractors, and building science professionals…Read this article to learn more about free online courses and how you can earn 32 AIA credits this January! I met Richard Paradis, Director of Whole Building Design Guide, a branch of… Continue reading “Building Innovation 2015 Offers 32 Continuing Education Units”
Steep Challenge: A Case Study of a Sloped Residential Green Roof In this guest post, David Aquilina, a business communications professional who represents Xero Flor America*, outlines a green roof project at Lake Toxaway, North Carolina. He provides details behind the design and installation. At the end of the article, you can… Continue reading “Steep Challenge: A Case Study of a Sloped Residential Green Roof”