What is Home Performance?

Building science is the key to transforming houses into high-performing homes that prioritize occupant health, maximize comfort, and minimize energy waste. But what exactly does it entail? In this short excerpt from our BPI Building Science Principles (BSP) Certificate Prep course, HeatSpring instructor Brynn Cooksey dives into the core concepts that define this multidisciplinary field. 

As you begin your career journey in this field, understanding the foundational principles is key. This video sets the stage by exploring how building science views a house as an interconnected system, where each component impacts the others in sometimes surprising ways. 

What is home performance?  Home performance is a systematic approach to improve the health and safety of the building,  improve its durability,  reduce energy consumption,  and increase comfort for the occupants.

 Home performance is really just science – building science at that. Building science involves the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and thermodynamics. 

Now let’s talk about the house as a system. When we discuss the house as a system concept, you must understand that all systems are interrelated. For every change in one system,  there’s a reaction in another system.

 Sometimes those changes that we make can actually  become undesirable or unhealthy for the building occupants.  So as a building science professional,  we need to test and verify everything that we do. 

 Here are some of the typical systems that are interrelated when we talk about a house as a system.

Oftentimes, we’re looking at the building shell or structure, mechanical systems, other environmental concerns, and then the occupants, their behaviors, and characteristics. 

 Let’s talk about an example. If I have an older house with an uninsulated  attic, I have a significant amount of heat energy leaving the conditioned space and traveling outside.As a result, this makes the heat in the cooling system work harder than it should. This is a prime example of a house as a system.

Here’s another example. I have leaky recessed lighting fixtures in the attic space. Those leaking recessed light fixtures causes an increased heat loss or heat gain, and in the wintertime, it can cause ice dams. This represents a significant energy loss. Again, this is a house as a system. 

Now let’s discuss the building shell or envelope. You will see those two terms used interchangeably in the building science industry. And it’s composed of several parts. We have the foundation. We have the roof. We have doors. We have the windows and walls.

We also have our mechanical systems inside our homes or buildings. These mechanical systems include HVAC systems, plumbing systems, electrical, major appliances, and lighting. 

The environment is a critical part of the house as a system approach. In that environment, to keep the occupants comfortable, we need to control the temperature, manage the humidity, ensure that the home or building has ventilation, and  also make sure that we have great indoor air quality.

Ready to get your BPI Building Sciences Principles Certificate? Enroll in the BPI Building Science Principles (BSP) Certificate Prep course!