Building HVAC Science

What is LEED? Who is involved in LEED? Why should I care about LEED? In today's episode, Bill Spohn welcomes one of the leaders in the green building industry, Charlie Cichetti, Owner of Green Building Education Services (www.GEBS.com) and the Sustainable Investment Group (www.SIGEarth.com). Charlie covers the history of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) as well as recent changes and where things are headed in the future. We hear about the shift in focus from buildings to the people that work, live and play in buildings. Charlie shares with us details from his career and passion for the industry and the work he does. He also hosts a podcast where he recently interviewed Bill Spohn. You'll find it here: Green Building Matters Podcast, Episode 26: Several times we note the Well Building Standard (www.wellcertified.com) as well as other standards and a new health oriented commercial building certification sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control (US CDC) called FitWel (www.fitwel.org)

What will housing look like in the future? Who are some of the leaders? What are some the topics driving this industry? Bill Spohn welcomes back Chris Dorsi, contractor, educator, author and founder of HabitatX.com to give an overview of all the great discussions held at the 2018 HabitatX conference. We discuss the human aspect of housing which ties in intimately with the nature of this conference; it's about the people. We take a walk through the 3 days of the conference* discussing how the structure of the agenda has evolved, who the participants are, including the 3 HabitatX Fellows that were sponsored this year. (Learn more about the fellowship application process by contacting CDorsi@HabitatX.com.) * follow the agenda at www.habitatx.com/2018-summer-national-conference/agenda/ We touch upon the timely topics of passive house construction, healthy homes, building material content disclosures and generating consumer demand for high performing homes. Check out the resources at www.loveschackarchitecture.com, www.PearlCertification.com and www.HaywardScore.com and www.transparencycatalog.com to learn more. New this year is the publication of the HabitatX journal at Medium.com. See there the write ups that mirror this year's agenda: www.medium.com/habitat-x-journal. Check it out. You don't want to miss this conference next year… the 2019 agenda will start to take shape by Fall 2018, so check back frequently at www.HabitatX.com

Bill Spohn welcomes Chris Dorsi, contractor, educator, author and founder of HabitatX.com. Chris describes the current arc of his career which he describes as serial interventions starting with cutting timber for housing. Chris shares with us his very thoughtful, respectful and practical perspectives on the housing industry, with a focus on building better habitats for people. We discuss passive houses, factory-built homes and the lost cost of space that no one wants to live in. You'll also be amongst the first to hear about his new initiative: House and Home: The New Pattern Language where Chris seeks to place in the context of today's world the concepts set forth in the 1977 publication: A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, et al. In this episode, amongst many other topics, you'll learn why he founded HabitatX and the meaning for the name for this un-conference/movement.

Show notes AirQuest 4 In this episode, Bill Spohn continues where he left off in Episode 3 of his AirQuest series, discussing airflow measuring methods and techniques. Bill covers vane anemometers as well as the garbage bag method (bag inflation device or BID) For a free copy of the ANSI standard mentioned in this episode go to www.bit.ly/RESNET-380 If you'd like to see a BID in action, the EPA Energy Star program created this explanatory video which can be viewed at this link: www.bit.ly/380-BID For a 4 part video lesson by Bill, start with lesson one on YouTube, at this link: http://bit.ly/AirFlowVideos If you are interested in learning more, you can contact Bill at Bill_Spohn@BlueCollarRoots.com

Show notes AirQuest 3 In this episode, Bill Spohn continues where he left off in Episode 2 of his AirQuest series, discussing airflow measuring methods and techniques. Bill Covers the TrueFlow measuring grid, air flow capture hoods and thermal (hot wire) anemometers. For a 4 part video lesson by Bill, start with lesson one on YouTube, at this link: http://bit.ly/AirFlowVideos If you are interested in learning more, you can contact Bill at Bill_Spohn@BlueCollarRoots.com

Today Ed Kisiel of EKABuild Corp. joins us to discuss the way he goes about constructing super tight homes using standard construction techniques. Ed describes his process and his respect for the House as a System concept: that is the envelope, mechanicals and architectural design all need to work together in harmony. He's an open minded civil engineer turned builder who has a thirst for learning more about building science, building materials and modes of construction. Some of Ed's favorite resources include Matt Risinger (www.youtube.com/user/MattRisinger), Allison Bailles (www.energyvanguard.com), Green Building Advisor (www.greenbuildingadvisor.com) and Joe Lstiburek (www.buildingscience.com). If you are interested in learning more, you can contact Ed via his website www.EKABuild.com

Bryan Barnes of Aeroseal, LLC joins us today to discuss two revolutionary technologies that greatly impact Building Performance: AeroSeal for sealing ducts from the inside out and AeroBarrier for sealing a building enclosure in the same manner. We hear about the science behind Aeroseal and the dramatic performance increases in comfort, energy and the health of the environment. Their smart-liquid sealant turns into an aerosol in their machine and actual finds and seals holes and gaps up to ⅝" in stated performance, yet larger holes have been sealed. If you're an HVAC contractor, consider AeroSeal to make you customers more comfortable with far less time & labor in duct sealing in retrofit work allowing you to reach buried ducts. It's also a time saver in new construction duct sealing, too. If you're a builder, consider what AeroBarrier can do minimize the air changes of the envelope you are building to meet and exceed any existing or anticipated energy codes. If you are interested in learning more, or becoming a dealer of these highly differentiating products, go to www.AeroSeal.com or www.AeroBarrier.com or email our guest Bryan at Bryan.Barnes@AeroSeal.com

In this episode Bill chats with Ted Kidd and Nate Adams, two people who share an extreme passion for making better home performance the norm and not the exception. Our conversation gets tough on state energy programs, utility-based programs as well as BPI where we develop out the pros and cons. You can learn more about their aspirations and get some great tools and free resources by visiting www.NateTheHouseWhisperer.com You can reach Ted through Nate by emailing at Nate@EnergySmartOhio.com or calling Nate at +1-330-524-6495. They have written a easy reading, attractively produced, comprehensive book which you can find by searching for "The Home Comfort Book".

In today's episode, Terje Gronas tells us about his 2-year struggle to get the healthy, comfortable and energy efficient home he wanted for his family. He discusses the heavy study and personal interventions he had to make to get what he wanted and paid a premium for. "T" talks about the big picture for contractors and techs: the air in a home can greatly affect you're families health and even, perhaps, health care costs overall. As more and more technicians take pride and care in their work, Terje believes you can have a net positive impact on families and in a cumulative sense, society. He has built a Facebook page to share his journey; search for "Energy Star Homes, The Horrors"

On today's show, Bill welcomes Matt Rivers from Onset Computer, manufacturer of the world famous line of Hobo Data Loggers. Matt describes their three main markets: Indoor, Outdoor (Weather) and Water Quality. We hear of the long list of parameters that can be logged that allow technicians, engineers and researchers to collect meaningful time stamped data to do better work. Also discussed is the positive impact of BlueTooth connections, cloud-based data services as well as cellular and gateways for remote, real time monitoring. With loggers starting at under $50, everyone has a chance at improving their game with data. More info at www.OnSetComp.com or to purchase www.TruTechTools.com/Hobo