This episode is part of our Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.
David Holtzclaw is the founder and principle of Transduction Technologies, a small engineering firm based out of Omaha, Nebraska that provides science analysis, testing, and energy consulting services to residential and small commercial clients. In this episode, we are talking about weatherization and home energy efficiency.
David and his team perform a number of services including energy evaluations, duct leak testing, ventilation testing, pressure mapping, combustion testing, infrared imaging and cost benefit analysis of implementing renewable energy systems as a whole. We discuss how the home energy efficiency market has grown over the past few decades, the top things you can do to your home to improve your energy efficiency, and both the tail and headwinds the IRA bill is bringing to consumers and contractors alike in Nebraska.
In this episode, we cover:
- [03:11]: Origin of home energy auditing in the 1980s and creation of ResNet
- [05:29]: Home Energy Score (HES) for existing homes, Home Energy Rating System (HERS) for new homes
- [07:23]: ResNet's relationship with BPI (Building Performance Institute)
- [09:04]: Emergence of the first energy code for new construction, the IECC (International Energy Conservation Code)
- [11:17]: The impact of high interest rates on the demand for energy audits
- [14:47]: David’s transition from aerospace and NASA to founding an energy efficiency company
- [20:43]: An overview of his customer base
- [24:27]: The main culprits of an energy-inefficient home
- [29:45]: David's approach to customizing homes during the design process
- [32:11]: Insights into mechanical ventilation
- [34:30]: How upfront investments like triple pane windows pay off
- [38:50]: Why cheaper heat pumps may be pushed over better models with the IRA
- [42:08]: The impact of politics on state energy efficiency funding
- [49:22]: Advice and cautions for listeners planning to electrify and weatherize their homes.
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Episode recorded on Aug 17, 2023 (Published on Oct 12, 2023)
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
