Energy Models: Design Tools & Energy Use Simulators “What is an Energy Model?” In this brand new free course, P.E. and LEED Fellow Chris Schaffner explains. Chris describes a variety of methods for modeling building energy consumption. He starts with simple energy estimating tools of increasing complexity and… Continue reading “Energy Models: Design Tools & Energy Use Simulators”
Zero Energy Homes: Economics, Efficiency & Renewable Energy Integration What are Zero Energy Homes? How are they cost efficient and how do they help significantly lessen energy use? In this $30 course, sustainable building expert Ann Edminster has the answers. This course, designed as an introduction to all things Zero… Continue reading “Zero Energy Homes: Economics, Efficiency & Renewable Energy Integration”
Sustainable Brewing: A Small, Solar-Powered Company in the Business of Beer Throwback Brewery: where great beer, solar and sustainable business practices collide. In 2010, co-Founders Annette Lee and Nicole Carrier opened their brewery in North Hampton, New Hampshire with the vision to create 100% locally-sourced beers, as well as to promote other aspects of… Continue reading “Sustainable Brewing: A Small, Solar-Powered Company in the Business of Beer”
Volta: A Start-Up Company Powering West Africa As the solar and clean energy industry grows, it’s no surprise that the target market for renewable energy technologies is now expanding to include developing communities and countries. In fact, a host of new start-ups and innovative business models are… Continue reading “Volta: A Start-Up Company Powering West Africa”
Rethinking the Global Economy with Sustainable Solutions In 2002, sustainable business guru and Time Magazine’s “Hero of the Planet” Hunter Lovins founded Natural Capitalism Solutions, an organization that helps communities, companies, and countries implement genuine sustainability solutions to change the way business is done worldwide. NCS is a… Continue reading “Rethinking the Global Economy with Sustainable Solutions”
zHome: Setting a National Net Zero Energy and Green Building Precedent Almost ten years ago, Built Green, an environmentally-friendly residential building program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, began a project to develop the first net energy townhome complex in the United States. The project was created… Continue reading “zHome: Setting a National Net Zero Energy and Green Building Precedent”
Heat Recovery Ventilation Considerations in Zero Net Energy Homes Marc Rosenbaum discusses heat recovery ventilation considerations for zero net energy homes on the Zero Net Energy Homes course discussion board… Exhaust-only ventilation home health concerns Student 1: Do you know of any potential health impacts from living in a depressurized space–… Continue reading “Heat Recovery Ventilation Considerations in Zero Net Energy Homes”
Venting About Ventilation There is much debate within the building science community about how much ventilation is enough. Building science as a discipline has to deal with a lot of messy, noisy data, entrenched mythologies, and strong tendencies towards confirmation bias. On the… Continue reading “Venting About Ventilation”
A Free Strategic Leadership Course for the Sustainable Building Community Join Kathleen O’Brien and amplify your leadership effectiveness today In a series of 20 presentations and interviews recorded in 2014, Kathleen O’Brien shares the strategic leadership model that is at the core of EMERGE programs, along with case studies, and… Continue reading “A Free Strategic Leadership Course for the Sustainable Building Community”
What’s the Difference Between Energy and Heat Recovery Ventilators? On the Mastering Building Science discussion board, Allison A. Bailes III, PhD asks students: What is the difference between an ERV and an HRV? Allison A. Bailes III, PhD: In the homework, I asked, “What is the difference between an… Continue reading “What’s the Difference Between Energy and Heat Recovery Ventilators?”
The Impact of Air Tightness on Ventilation in Passive House Design When many first hear of the Passive House blower door test requirement of 0.6 ACH at 50 Pascals of test pressure, the first thing that comes to mind is the difficulty of designing and executing air barrier details that deliver… Continue reading “The Impact of Air Tightness on Ventilation in Passive House Design”
Minimize the Energy Your Building Needs with this new Free Tool Download Ann Edminster’s Free Tool ‘Minimize the Energy Your Building Needs (Energy Free: Homes for a Small Planet, Chapter 4)’ This chapter from Edminster’s award-winning, residential zero-energy primer covers key performance issues such as building geometry, enclosure design, comfort strategies and… Continue reading “Minimize the Energy Your Building Needs with this new Free Tool”
Sustainable Building Advisor: Greywater Uses & Project ROI On the Sustainable Building Advisor discussion board… Expert instructor Ann Edminster discusses greywater uses and the often intangible, but very important ‘non-energy’ returns on investments. Student 1: Has anyone heard of greywater solutions for dust mitigation? It is common in construction to… Continue reading “Sustainable Building Advisor: Greywater Uses & Project ROI”
Design Interventions for a Healthy & Happy Workplace Are you happy at work? Kirsten Ritchie, Director of Sustainable Design at Gensler, identifies 10 key health and happiness attributes prevalent in the workplace that affect personal productivity and, ultimately, the fiscal bottom line of a business. Kirsten provides suggestions for… Continue reading “Design Interventions for a Healthy & Happy Workplace”
Leaders in High Performance Building: Best Green Energy Efficient Custom Home of 2015 At HeatSpring, we celebrate innovative builders and designers who work to improve the overall quality and performance of public and residential buildings… Our Leaders in High Performance Building Giveaway was created for those who have helped plan, design, construct, and/or operate a high performance building. Entrants… Continue reading “Leaders in High Performance Building: Best Green Energy Efficient Custom Home of 2015”
Two New Free Lectures on Healthier Homes and Buildings Enroll in Two New Free Lectures on Healthier Homes and Buildings Carbon Monoxide: What We Do Not Know Can Hurt Us‘ and ‘Green, Healthy & Profitable Buildings and Homes‘ In his free ‘Carbon Monoxide: What We Do Not Know Can Hurt… Continue reading “Two New Free Lectures on Healthier Homes and Buildings”
Free Lectures: The Greenest Urban Building in the U.S. & The Largest HVAC Experiment Enroll in Two New FREE Sustainable Building Advisor Lectures “The Greenest Urban Building in the United States” & “The World’s Largest Side-by-Side HVAC Experiment” The Greenest Urban Building in the United States Remi Tan of KMD Stevens describes the San… Continue reading “Free Lectures: The Greenest Urban Building in the U.S. & The Largest HVAC Experiment”
Free Lecture: ‘Real Zero’ Net Energy Homes Enroll in ‘Real Zero‘ today! In this free lecture, Bruce King discusses the faults of our current home construction elements and the industry shift toward “net zero” buildings. During the lecture, King addresses questions that often arise in the green building… Continue reading “Free Lecture: ‘Real Zero’ Net Energy Homes”
Free Lecture: Human Habitat – The Evolution of Efficiency Enroll in Human Habitat: The Evolution of Efficiency today! “You can judge your impact on the planet by how much energy you use.” Chris Dorsi characterizes a dozen countries around the world in terms of electricity consumption, or kWh per… Continue reading “Free Lecture: Human Habitat – The Evolution of Efficiency”
FREE Lecture: Passive House – Less Energy and More Comfort Enroll in ‘Passive House: Less Energy and More Comfort‘ today! In this free lecture, James Bill cites several examples of Passive Houses and the comfort and efficiency these structures provide. Bill discusses the “FRAM” by Fridtjof Nansen (this first crew spent… Continue reading “FREE Lecture: Passive House – Less Energy and More Comfort”