seon

475 High Performance Building Supply demonstrates open-vapor straw bale building science - 475 is a SEON member

Building Back to the Roots: Sustainable Homes, Vermont-Style

For Homeowners /

Vermont is renowned for its charming older homes, barns, and churches that encapsulate the quintessential Vermont dream. Building the Vermont Dream means embracing sustainable practices today, reminiscent of those older homes that reflect the wisdom of our great-great grandparents. Our ancestors were deeply committed to sustainable building, utilizing natural materials, incorporating passive solar design, and employing other techniques to create energy-efficient and environmentally friendly homes. However, over time, we deviated from these practices in pursuit of convenience and cost-effectiveness. To restore Vermont’s legacy of sustainable building and create a future that honors our past, we must understand why we strayed and take action. By educating ourselves and promoting sustainable building, we can revive our connection to heritage, reinstate sustainable practices, and forge a path towards a greener future for Vermont.

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Berkeley Lab WINDOW

Resources & Tools /

Calculates performance of window and shading systems. It can be used to design and develop new products, teach about heat transfer through windows, and help develop building energy codes. It calculates total window thermal performance indices (i.e. U-values, solar heat gain coefficients, shading coefficients, and visible transmittances) for glazing and framing, as well as thermal and solar optical effects of a wide range of interior, between glass, and exterior shading systems.

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Go Green with Sustainable Alternatives to Portland Cement

Did You Know?, For Homeowners /

This is one of those things you want to know before you build or retrofit / remodel your home. As homeowners, it’s our responsibility to ensure that our homes are not just comfortable and beautiful, but also environmentally responsible. One critical aspect that is often overlooked in residential construction is the use of Portland cement.

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Occupancy Simulator

Resources & Tools /

COMFEN is a tool designed to support the systematic evaluation of alternative fenestration systems for project-specific commercial building applications. COMFEN provides a simplified user interface that focuses attention on key variables in fenestration design. Under the hood is Energy Plus, a sophisticated analysis engine that dynamically simulates the effects of these key fenestration variables on energy consumption, peak energy demand, and thermal and visual comfort.COMFEN is a tool designed to support the systematic evaluation of alternative fenestration systems for project-specific commercial building applications. COMFEN provides a simplified user interface that focuses attention on key variables in fenestration design. Under the hood is Energy Plus, a sophisticated analysis engine that dynamically simulates the effects of these key fenestration variables on energy consumption, peak energy demand, and thermal and visual comfort.

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Building Performance Database (BPD)

Resources & Tools /

The Building Performance Database (BPD) is the largest publicly-available source of measured energy performance data for buildings in the United States. It contains information about the building’s energy use, location, and physical and operational characteristics. The BPD can be used by building owners, operators, architects and engineers to compare a building’s energy efficiency against customized peer groups, identify energy efficiency opportunities, and set energy efficiency targets. It can also be used by

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SEON Member, Duane Case, Employs Afghan Refugee. Photo Credit: Kyle Glenn

SEON Member Employs Afghan Refugee

News /

One of SEON’s goals is to help build a more diversified workforce in the building trades, by focusing on training and employing more non-traditional workers. One of the members of our network, Duane Case, who is a professional home builder in Bellows Falls, has been temporarily mentoring and employing an Afghan refugee who has recently relocated to the Brattleboro Area.

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Happy beavers day! How beavers and high performance builders use many of the same important techniques to building homes. photo credit energy.gov.jpg

Happy National Beavers Day: How High Performance Builders Mimic Nature’s Most Ingenious Architects

Did You Know? /

As high performance builders, we are always seeking ways to improve our craft and create homes that are more efficient, resilient, and sustainable. But when it comes to designing and constructing homes that work in harmony with the environment, we have the best mentor: nature itself. On National Beaver Day, we celebrate the incredible resourcefulness and ingenuity of beavers, whose natural building techniques have inspired some of the most forward-thinking builders to create homes that are more energy-efficient, resilient, and adaptable.

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"From Bell Bottoms to High-Performance Building: How Culture Shapes Our Approach to Sustainability"

DID YOU KNOW: The connection between Bell Bottoms and High-Performance Building

Did You Know? /

As a high-performance builder, you know that creating buildings that are energy-efficient, sustainable, and comfortable for occupants is key to staying at the forefront of the house building industry. But have you ever stopped to think about the surprising connection between your work and a fashion trend from the past?

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