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Housing Innovation Awards Recognize Leadership in Residential Efficiency
Sam Rashkin
Today’s housing market is incredibly competitive. Constructing homes that sell and that continue to delight homeowners for years to come is a challenge. [continue reading]
"Cool Smart" Program Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Lisa Rinkus
A dozen Northeast companies received COOL SMART awards during the New England Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) golf tournament this month. Sponsored by the Massachusetts/Rhode Island COOL SMART program, these awards honor contractors for energy efficiency practices, leadership, and quality installation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The annual golf event, held in Stow, Mass., attracts approximately 150 participants throughout the region. [continue reading]
ORNL Researchers Develop 'Autotune' Software to Make it Quicker, Easier, and Cheaper to Model Energy Use of Buildings
Katie Jones
There are many ways to save energy in residential and commercial buildings. There are products that use less energy for lighting, heating, and cooling; materials that better insulate and seal building envelopes; and architectural and engineering designs that lower utility bills through efficient use of space and renewable energy. In fact, experts specify up to 3,000 parameters when modeling a building’s energy use. Building Energy Modeling (BEM) uses computer simulations to estimate energy use ... [continue reading]
5 Ways to Improve Homeowners' Energy Efficiency Outdoors
Josh Weiss-Roessler
When most people think about ways to save energy in their home, their minds first go to insulation. It makes sense that homeowners would want to focus on insulation—after all, when you minimize air leaks, you can cut down on your use of central heating and cooling units, resulting in tangible savings on the next utility bill. [continue reading]
Aeroseal Acquires Comfort Institute
Brad Brenner
Aeroseal LLC, the owner and licensee of aeroseal duct sealing technology has acquired Comfort Institute (CI), a leading provider of home performance equipment and training for the HVAC industry. The acquisition combines the two organization’s expertise to create an authoritative outlet for home performance training and ongoing professional support. [continue reading]
Some Highlights from the NASCSP Annual Training Conference, 2014
Jim Gunshinan
The National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) met in Raleigh, North Carolina, for its annual training conference. Here are some personal highlights: • Raleigh, North Carolina, is a beautiful town but hard to take in from the 6th floor of my hotel room. All I saw were trees and a clump of tall buildings downtown. That’s why the city is called “City of Oaks”. • At one session, folks ... [continue reading]
Energy Star Promotes LEDs with Facts and Fun
Christel Ghattas on behalf of Energy Star
What do fortune tellers, couch potatoes, and amateur make-up artists have in common? They’re all hopelessly in the dark about the life-changing benefits of LED bulbs – until they learn to look for the ENERGY STAR. That’s the premise of three quirky, irreverent new spots promoting LED lighting from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. LEDs are quickly gaining steam as an alternative to incandescent and CFL lighting, but 70% of light ... [continue reading]
Shower Customers With Energy Savings This Energy Action Month
Karen Wirth
You probably know that October is Energy Action Month, the perfect opportunity for home performance contractors to promote direct install measures and start the conversation about energy savings opportunities. What you might not realize is that October is also the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense® program’s Shower Better month, and a great time to unite water savings and product performance with your home energy efficiency efforts. [continue reading]
How Your Refrigerator Has Kept Its Cool Over 40 Years of Efficiency Improvements
Marianne DiMascio
One of the great inventions of our time—the modern refrigerator—will get an efficiency makeover when new national efficiency standards go into effect on September 15, reducing the energy use of most refrigerators and freezers by about 20-25%. The new standards take effect 100 years after the first modern refrigerators were mass-produced for general use. Before that time, consumers used iceboxes (literally boxes with ice) to keep their food cold, but food safety was ... [continue reading]
Rob Nicely, Warrior for Sustainability
Tom White
I was first impressed by Rob Nicely when I heard him speak these words to an audience of builders, designers, and building scientists: "We’re the warriors of sustainability...We already know everything we need to know to build sustainable buildings—the question is, Can we internalize it into our culture and incorporate that learning into our practices?" [continue reading]
