Tag Archives: EnergyStar

Are you up to the Challenge – the Building America Challenge?

BA_PartnerSince 2008, hundreds of builders in cooperation with DOE, the NREL and numerous other parties have taken up the Building America Challenge to build thousands of high-performance homes. The end goal is to too help all builders reach the Net-Zero mark by 2030 as economically as possible. Since 2008 the target has been set at
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Posted in Goverment Programs, Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Air Sealing: The Attic Hatch

duct-cover-hatch-finish-viewIn our ongoing series on Air Sealing, we are going to focus on the dreaded attic hatch, or as Allison Baile’s of Energy Vanguard so eloquently calls it, “A Mind-Blowing Hole in Your Building Envelope.”  Instead of crunching the numbers as he did, one just needs to walk by one in a hallway during the
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Posted in Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged | 9 Comments

Test Taking Tips: ENERGY STAR V3, RESNET, CEA, & BPI

Energy Star PartnerWhew, as of yesterday and taking the ENERGY STAR V3 test (long story short – the test was not available when I took the original class), that is it for the test taking (at least in the foreseeable future). As I was sitting there taking the test, I was amazed at how many people were
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Posted in Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Duct Testing – FAQ’s

duct-testing-new-constructionIn layman’s terms, what is a duct test? A duct test is simply hooking up a specialized fan & checking to see how “leaky” your duct’s are. How does one perform a duct test / what should I expect to see? Using a calibrated fan & connector as shown above, we hook the fan up
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Posted in Infrared & Energy Auditing | Also tagged , , | 1 Comment

Day 2: ENERGY STAR V.3 Training

AllisonWell today was the last day for the mandatory class, where we finally went through the final three checklists. We started the day off with a RemRate file & simply told to get it into compliance with the new version of ENERGY STAR. As a quick tip for any fellow raters, do not forget about
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Posted in Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged , | 4 Comments

Day 1: ENERGY STAR V.3 Training

Energy Star PartnerThis week brings me back to the great city of Atlanta, this time for 2 quick classes. The first class is a mandatory 2-day class for all ENERGY STAR® raters who wish to continue with the program after January 1st of 2012. Based on my schedule for this year, it was simply best to get
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Posted in Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged , | 2 Comments

Building Green Homes: Looking back & Lessons Learned

Final_MILCI guess I can credit some of my desire to learn about and utilize energy efficient designs, green buildings, & solar power with the area I grew up in. I can recall some of our schools field trips where we would go see new houses being built with photovoltaic panels, and eating food cooked on
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Posted in Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Becoming a RESNET Certified Rater & the next steps

Energy Star PartnerAs we mentioned back in Energy Auditing Services Update – RESNET Certification article, we have completed all the steps required to become a Certified Energy Rater with RESNET. Unlike the BPI certification we received earlier in the same week, there is a lot more involved in this process than simply taking a written test &
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Posted in Infrared & Energy Auditing | Also tagged | 12 Comments

ENERGY STAR: Can it and should it be saved?

As many of our regular readers know, we have long supported and still recommend purchasing ENERGY STAR® rated products. Unfortunately, though there have been some issues that have popped up lately that have caused many groups and individuals to question if the program is more fiction than fact. On the flip side, we have some people
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Posted in Goverment Programs | Also tagged | 5 Comments

In case you missed it; October is National Energy Awareness Month & a quick primer on the Energy Tax Credit

Ok, I admit it, I had no clue and this is its 22nd year of it being observed. Obviously though I am not the only one, as one site that lists all the different “National Fill in the Blank Month’s” has over 30 listings just for October and not one of them is about energy.
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Posted in Goverment Programs | Also tagged , | 4 Comments