Archive for February, 2012|Monthly archive page

EPA’s New Guide for Protecting Health During Remodels

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

Last week, the EPA Released an New Guide for Protecting Health During Home Energy Upgrades

Haven’t you heard the great news?! The EPA has just released an online guide book for Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades! This is fantastic news because this means that the general public has access to this information when they are going to do remodeling jobs and therefore as a homeowner or someone who probably lives inside of one of these “Indoor Environments” can take advantage of the knowledge. The 48 page online guide books will run the reader through the scope of how to deal with contaminants that they might raise up in their home as they try to make their home more energy efficient or “green” on their own. The book has a very details yet limited scope, I know, totally vague, about things like asbestos, carbon monoxide, even pests- yeah, in that order. It is pretty interesting, actually! The EPA even delves into the systems of the house and safety issues. It is set up in a very user friendly- almost childlike way. Super simple and a great bit of information. Get spoon fed the information that will keep you safe in your home with this EPA document.

The EPA says that this book is the first book of its kind and it can be used to:

•    Identify, manage and reduce indoor air quality-related health risks during home energy upgrades, retrofits or remodeling.
•    Improve the quality of work performed across the energy efficiency industry.
•    Promote occupant health and safety.
On the recent release of the valuable tool to the online following, the EPA stated that “The Protocols were developed by EPA in collaboration with leading scientists, the building industry and federal partners. With your help, the EPA guidelines can improve quality of life for families and ensure homes across the country meet both the energy and health needs of future generations.”

Don’t forget that if you’re looking to do Indoor Air Plus on new construction, this is something very similar to this guide book that we can actually help you out with! To get your copy of the EPA’s online guide for Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades simply click on that link, and you can check it out!

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HAND Reaches out in Arlington

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

HAND, Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers, hosts a green building discussion in Arlington

Did you know that HAND has been established for over 20 years in Arlington, helping to grow nonprofit developers in the Northern Virginia market? That is pretty fantastic. Builders from all scopes came out to the HAND meeting on Wednesday, January 25, to listen to Emer O’Donovan of Weincek+Associates who had put her head together with Jill Norcross of HAND to pull together a fabulous discussion regarding Weincek+Associates’ project, Colonial Village, a current EarthCraft project that is not only seeking to become a more energy efficient project, but is also a wonderful case study for historical preservation in Northern Virginia.

After Ms. Norcross introduced the group she turned the discussion over to Ms. O’Donovan, lead architect on the Colonial Village project, who chatted briefly about the challenged of the project and why EarthCraft was brought in to consult and be a part of the project from the onset. She discussed that EarthCraft is brought in at the funding stage of development so that everyone will understand the full scope of work and all trades will be on board with the energy efficiency plan from the onset.

A nice cue for Chris Conway to step into the ring, EarthCraft’s Lead Technical Advisor for Northern Virginia and the on-site EarthCraft representative for the Colonial Village project then discussed the phases of construction and how EarthCraft has worked for the Colonial Village project.

The Phases of Construction where you will see EarthCraft onsite:

  • Predemolition- assessing the building before construction begins
  • Immediately after demolition- assessing the actual project findings and to make any adjustments to the energy efficiency plan as needed with the project team
  • Series of project site visits throughout construction- to ensure that the construction trades are implementing the plan of action set forth in the original construction charette
  • Pre-drywall Inspection- assessing the air-sealing, insulation, duct-work implementation to ensure that the building has been built tight and will be ventilated right
  • Final testing- assessing the clean, dried in, finished out space to test for duct leakage inside and outside of the thermal envelope

After Chris completed his chat about his work on the project and the current status, the group walked over to the site and was able to watch the Conway Energy team representing EarthCraft perform a duct leakage and blower door test on a finished out one bedroom unit on the ground floor of the Colonial Village remodel project. Chris walked everyone through the process and shared the details as to why the findings were as they were. He fielded questions as they arrived and the group was able to see the team in action.

Overall, the HAND green building luncheon for the Colonial Village project was very informative, highly valuable event with a great group of people who are passionate about their industry. From the folks at Hamel to the Habitat for Humanity Northern Virginia and Arlington County members, the HAND group provides a great service to Nonprofit Developers in Arlington and we commend them for 20 years of service to the community.

 

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Posted in Current Projects, EarthCraft Virginia, Northern Virginia Green Buildings | No Comments »

Homes are Shrinking!

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

As Americans shift their thoughts from bigger is better to efficiency, we find the “New American Home” is smaller!

Last week, Dawn Wotapka of the Wall Street Journal reported that we are shrinking. Well, not really. We aren’t shrinking, but maybe our need for the gigantic mansions of our past are slowly be surely creeping down to a smaller scale. She says this because the National Association of Builders is hosting the builder’s show down in Orlando this February and the home that is showcased  “which measures 4,181 square feet and is one of the smallest in the popular program’s 29-year history, shows that the love affair with McMansions seems to be waning.” This is exciting to folks like us who are all about efficiency in design and have seen the “waning” of the McMansion for some time now.

It is interesting that the builders are only just now realizing that the public has downsized. Realtors probably could have told you that a couple of years ago, as the McMansions started to tick off area homeowners who were feeling that the over-sized homes were changing the look and feel of older, established neighborhoods and 5,ooo square feet for 2 people  just seemed overly opulent. Now, as we see more folks, especially the baby boomers tackling the issue of downsizing and eliminating the minutia from their lives, we see people going back to “right sized” homes, or shall we say, homes that make sense for the way folks tend to live in their home. People seem to just want to be able to manage their homes and not have  a whole section of a house shut off that they realize that they don’t even use. That is just depressing!  Plus, when you have a smaller scale home, you have less bills for utilities, now, don’t you? Hmmm…. now that just seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?

The showpiece down in Orlando for this year’s convention is still a gorgeous home which is not only a fantastic display of craftsman ship (from the select few images that we can check out online, but it is also noted that the home “boasts energy-efficient features such solar panels to run the HVAC system and to heat hot water.” You know how we like energy-efficient items in our line of work.

 

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