Tuesday Workshop - Marc's Zero Net Energy Deep Energy Retrofit

A building energy geek gut-renovated a small house. Learn about the decisions made, and consequences thereof; about choices of construction assemblies, materials, windows and doors, and mechanical equipment. Successive blower door test data will illustrate how the building was tightened to exceed the Passive House standard. Detailed energy use data will be presented, and performance data of the solar electric system, heat pump, heat recovery ventilator, and heat pump water heater will be presented, and will be compared to the energy model. Lessons learned, opinions, and some less-than-obvious observations about various aspects of the project will be shared. As always, both mistakes and successes will be cheerfully presented, and there will be plenty of time for discussion.

Tuesday Workshop - Energy Auditing 201 of Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings

How to perform a cost and time efficient energy audit. Find out the major elements of an energy audit including: benchmarking, useful survey equipment and tools, data logging, simple calculation methodologies, project cost estimating, and common mistakes. Discuss the most common findings (Energy Conservation Measures). Separate myth from real answers.

Tuesday Workshop - Pushing the Envelope and Air Barrier for Commercial and Institutional Cold Climate Buildings and Lessons Learned

This workshop will investigate the design process for analyzing and constructing a building envelope to meet aggressive air-sealing goals for new and renovated commercial and institutional projects in cold climates. Example details from four case study buildings will be shared with a central focus on decisions, changes, best practice guidelines, thermal analysis, lessons learned and specific challenges encountered during the construction process.

Applying Passive House Principles to 160 Units of Affordable Housing - Lessons Learned

Fairfax Gardens was a 150 unit dilapidated public housing development in Taunton, MA. The THA selected Trinity Financial to be the developer, owner and operator of a 160 unit replacement program on two sites. The Hope VI Program requires a very competitive funding application that includes strong sustainability incentives measured using Leed and/or Enterprise Green community checklist criteria. The Fairfax Gardens funding application was successful in part because it committed to very aggressive energy conservation measures.

Tiny Bubbles: The Deal With Spray Foam

“Is Foam Evil?”—that’s how this session was originally titled. Saner heads prevailed: foam is so highly insulating, so airtight, so slick on the jobsite, how could we ask such a question? Wait—it’s just those wonderful features that suck us in and make us love foam and forget about those toxic chemicals, occupational hazards, climate impacts, and faulty installations. Is that evil? Come discuss design choices, material options, and building science with our panel.

Balancing Historic Preservation and Energy Performance

Historic New England’s approach to weatherization emphasizes preservation over intervention. But as shown by the energy retrofit that achieved an over 60% reduction in energy usage at the Lyman House, a National Historic Landmark, energy performance and preservation can co-exist. This session will discuss HNE’s preservation philosophy and how it guides the organization’s energy conservation projects. We will share an energy usage analysis of all 36 HNE properties and discuss how that information is used to prioritize actions.

Managing Moisture to Achieve Long-Life and Low-Maintenance

Designing for durability is essential for green buildings, because if you double the life of a building, regardless of construction type, you halve the environmental impact of its construction. In the design of buildings and building components to achieve long-life, moisture must be managed and understood, including the ability to have effective and efficient maintenance and repair. Drawing upon decades of hands on experience, two building scientists will present the nitty-gritty of good design that embraces and understands moisture. From the tried and true water shedding techniques of century old buildings to the shocking truth about pressure-sensitive tapes and liquid sealants, participants will learn how to handle moisture with low-tech physics and high-tech materials and tools.

Introduction to Building Science and Diagnostics

This overview of residential energy efficiency is appropriate for future auditors, would-be retrofitters, and anyone else who lives in a house. It starts with the basics of heat, air and moisture flow. Various insulation and air sealing materials are discussed. Heating fuels, heating systems, and hot water systems are compared. Common building performance problems and their solutions are outlined. There is a brief description of blower door testing and related diagnostics, along with suggestions for prioritizing recommendations.

Net Positive Energy: Power and the Living Building Challenge

The Living Building Challenge Energy Petal is intended to signal a new age of design, wherein the built environment relies solely on renewable forms of energy and operates year round in a pollution-free manner. In this in-depth review of the Energy Petal, participants will gain an understanding of how to create Net Zero Energy buildings. This interactive session will present detailed case studies of several Net Zero Energy certified buildings - identifying the design and operational challenges these projects had to overcome to meet their Net Zero Energy goals.

Here Comes the Sun (Again)

In a cold climate, the sun is a commodity not to be ignored. In 2014 engineer Marc Rosenbaum gave you the master's session. This session comes from the perspective of a designer who also works to integrate the sun in all aspects of design. High performance, energy efficient buildings should take advantage of what the sun provides. Designing in concert with the sun can bring comfort and beauty to the experience of being in a space. This session explores various ways residential design and construction can benefit from the sun's energy.

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