SEON receives Vermont Community Foundation grant
SEON is the receipt of a $5,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Advisory “Modesty is our Best Quality Fund”
SEON receives Vermont Community Foundation grant Read More »
Skill and Knowledge Gap within the Building Industry
We are pushing against the tide in our building industry. For example, “Why should I be certified or spend money to take additional courses?” is a statement by far too many builders. They’ve lost the essence of what it means to be part of a tradition of this “noble profession” that in other countries value the contributions and ongoing learning within the trades. These overseas training traditions live by the root word of profession – “profess” – the expression of a code, a code of ethics that embodies lifelong learning, mastery, and mentorship.
Skill and Knowledge Gap within the Building Industry Read More »
Interviewing Your Building Professional
Interview questions to help you select a builder/contractor that has shown that they’re keeping up with the latest in high performance building.
Interviewing Your Building Professional Read More »
Construction Business Bootcamp
Learn about this 9-week Construction Business Bootcamp!
Construction Business Bootcamp Read More »
How to buy a Heat Pump System
How to buy a heat pump system? SEON answers the questions you need to know – and gives you the questions you need to ask. For those living in the New England and Northeast region. (Special thanks to Efficiency Vermont)
How to buy a Heat Pump System Read More »
Monitoring Moisture Levels in Double-Stud Walls
Most wood-framed buildings have no insulation on the exterior side of the wall sheathing. Material, usually plywood or oriented strand board (OSB), but sometimes wooden boards, installed on the exterior of wall studs, rafters, or roof trusses; siding or roofing installed on the sheathing—sometimes over strapping to create a rainscreen. That means that the wall sheathing gets cold and wet during the winter.
Monitoring Moisture Levels in Double-Stud Walls Read More »
RESFEN
RESFEN can help consumers and builders pick the most energy-efficient and cost-effective window for a given application, whether it is a new home, an addition, or a window replacement. It calculates heating and cooling energy use and associated costs as well as peak heating and cooling demand for specific window products. Users define a specific “scenario” by specifying house type (single-story or two-story), geographic location, orientation, electricity and gas cost, and building configuration details (such as wall, floor, and HVAC system type). Users also specify size, shading, and thermal properties of the window they wish to investigate. The thermal properties that RESFEN requires are: U-factor, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient, and air leakage rate. RESFEN calculates the energy and cost implications of the window compared to an insulated wall. The relative energy and cost impacts of two different windows can be compared.
Passive House Institute’s (PHI’s) software
The Passive House Institute’s (PHI’s) designPH software allows one to use SketchUp to create a model for preliminary suitability studies – to tweak the design’s energy balance and physical form in the same interface.
Passive House Institute’s (PHI’s) software Read More »
THERM
THERM is a state-of-the-art computer program developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) for use by building component manufacturers, engineers, educators, students, architects, and others interested in heat transfer. Using THERM, you can model two-dimensional heat-transfer effects in building components such as windows, walls, foundations, roofs, and doors; appliances; and other products where thermal bridges are of concern. THERM’s heat-transfer analysis allows you to evaluate a product’s energy efficiency and local temperature patterns, which may relate directly to problems with condensation, moisture damage, and structural integrity.
Rosenfeld Building Science Fellowship
The Building Technology and Urban Systems (BTUS) Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has created the Rosenfeld Building Science Fellowship to draw outstanding scientists and engineers who have the potential and the desire to contribute to the betterment of society through fundamental scientific and technological advances in the field of building technology research. Rosenfeld Building Science Fellowship participants will carry out innovative research in the area of building technology, publish impactful papers in peer-reviewed journals, present seminars at ETA and attend major conferences. Additional expectations include a final report at program conclusion to include: a brief summary of the research conducted and copies of publications resulting from the research.
Rosenfeld Building Science Fellowship Read More »