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Building Science: Volume 2, Issue 2

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Building Science: Volume 2, Issue 2

SEON’s Sustainable Energy Outreach Network Newsletter

🌟 Welcome to the February edition of Building Science, Volume 2, Issue 2! In this exciting newsletter, we express gratitude for the Vermont Community Foundation’s generous $35,000 grant, propelling our mission forward. Join us for a captivating Building Science Guild Meeting on Fenestration, either in person or via Zoom. Dive into our Spring Training Classes, where members enjoy a $50 discount. Help us spread the word by downloading and sharing our training posters – a crucial step in promoting sustainable building practices. Celebrate our strides with the Vermont Homebuilder Coalition and explore exciting achievements, including Candace Pearson’s feature in Forbes for addressing climate risks. Don’t miss out on a never-used Blower Door System for sale at $3,300. Explore interesting links, valuable resources, and upcoming events. Thank you to our incredible members for their continuous support! 🙌 Scroll down to catch up on all the latest news and insights. Onward until March! 🚀 – Guy Payne, Executive Director, Sustainable Energy Outreach Network (SEON)

In This Issue:

  • Message from the Executive Director
  • Building Science Guild Meeting
  • SEON Spring Training Classes
  • Please Support SEON: Post our classes
  • Our members – in action
  • Congratulations
  • FOR SALE
  • Interesting Links
  • Resources
  • Meetings & Conferences
  • Thank you, Members

From SEON’s Executive Director

It’s February Folks

SEON expresses sincere gratitude to the Vermont Community Foundation for the generous grant of $35,000. This invaluable support will significantly contribute to our efforts in advancing training and promoting quality sustainable building practices within the community. We deeply appreciate the Foundation’s commitment to fostering positive change and sustainability. Thank you for being a crucial partner in our mission.

We also want to express gratitude to our members who share our Spring Classes. Our training is the backbone of SEON’s reason for being and how we keep SEON in operation. Below you will find the course links – along with PDF’s that you can download and post – for the Basics of High Performance Building and our Crew Leadership Development. Remember, as members, you get $50 off of the cost.

Exciting strides in Montpelier with the Vermont Homebuilder Coalition!  Our recent meeting saw unanimous support from all 15 reps, propelling us forward in crafting a dynamic high-performance certification system. We’ve consciously sidestepped RBES and mandatory certification for now, focusing on voluntary certification, backed by a robust statewide marketing effort. The positive feedback reflects collective appreciation for this strategic path. Looking ahead to our March meeting, the agenda will focus on:

  • Deciding on the standards for evaluating training programs
  • Paving the way for tackling certification-related issues
  • The potential role of the coalition in overseeing the building science training that Vermont’s Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) aims to provide to Fire & Safety professionals.

This adds an exciting dimension to our agenda, and we’ll keep you updated on further developments. Stay tuned for more progress!

We are very excited to highlight Candace Pearson, an esteemed SEON Board Member, as the lead quote in a recent Forbes article titled “Climate Risk Is Real And Calculable, But Numbers Don’t Protect Homes.” In her role as the Director of Integration at BuildingGreen, Candace plays a pivotal role in educating and consulting with developers and property owners to assess climate risks to their portfolios. The article underscores the urgency of addressing climate challenges, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions in the face of increasing climate hazards. Candace’s expertise lies in connecting climate data trends and research to the design process, fostering the development of more resilient structures. She advocates for a paradigm shift in design practices, urging architects and engineers to incorporate future climate data into their decision-making processes. As the housing industry grapples with the impacts of climate change, Candace Pearson emerges as a leading voice driving change, pushing for informed design decisions, and ultimately contributing to the creation of safer and more resilient homes for the future.

Just a quick heads-up: our newsletters are jam-packed with exciting content, showcasing our incredible members, valuable links, a fantastic blower door system for sale, and more. Don’t miss out—scroll all the way to the bottom and CLICK to open the newsletter in its entirety. Your dose of building science inspiration and information awaits!

Onward until March!

Guy Payne
Executive Director

Reminder!
Building Science Guild Meeting

Fenestration – Observations from a lowly window dude
A presentation by Russell Chapman, Architectural Consultant at Sierra Pacific Windows.

Date: Wednesday, February 28th
Time: 5:00 – 6:30 PM
Location: SEON’s Conference Room, 532 Putney Rd, Suite 204, Brattleboro
Can’t make it in person?  â–șJoin us via Zoom!

Spring Training

Basics of High Performance Building Classes

 

Leadership Development  for Crew Leaders Classes

(Instructor: Guy Payne – Executive Director)

  • Date: March 20 and 27 / 3:45pm – 7:45pm
  • Location: Brattleboro, VT
  • Sign up â–ș here
  • Date: April 17 and 24 / 3:45pm – 7:45pm
  • Location: Springfield, VT
  • Sign up â–ș here
  • Date: May 1 and 8 / 3:45pm – 7:45pm
  • Location: White River Junction, VT
  • Sign up â–ș here

PLEASE HELP
Post Our Classes Where You Can

Our Members – in Action

When Genius and AI meet

“Interesting.  The first image is my own creation.  Then I fed the perspective to Ai to see what it would come up with.  It’s a bit funky.”
â–ș Read more at Vermont Architect – Bluetime Collaborative

What do you think of no corner boards?

“Craftsmanship.

Always the highest level of craftsmanship.  Thousands upon thousands of miters, each one glued and pinned and clamped.  Definitely a labor of love to bring it all together.

This is what keeps carpentry and working with your hands interesting – to keep challenging your craft.

What do you think of no corner boards?”
â–șRead more at Shelterwood Construction

Common Spots for Air Leaks

“Common spots for air leaks are around windows and doors, electrical outlets, and recessed lighting. These areas are often overlooked and can lead to significant energy loss. Sealing them with weatherstripping, caulking, or foam insulation can make a big difference.”
â–ș Read more at Farnum Insulators

A Tricky, But Fun Passive House

“A tricky, but fun passive house we had a hand in supporting with early estimating, pre-construction, and project management. A great team effort with Mathes Hulme Builders LLC and Graphite Studios. Existing cabin was taken apart and partially salvaged by Deconstruction Works!”
â–ș Read more at HELM Construction Solutions

⁠Four Key Reasons for Building with  a Vented Rainscreen
”Rainscreens are extremely important to your building. According to Green Built Alliance, rainscreens are “one of the best ways to increase durability and prevent water damage to our homes and buildings.” ⁠

Bulk water leaks is #1 on our list of the Top 3 ways water destroys our homes and buildings.” Additionally, rainscreens also “[protect and extend] the life of siding/exterior cladding and their finishes (paint or stain). This reduces maintenance and could be more important than the quality of the finish.”⁠

â–ș Read more a 475 High Performance Building Supply

Swift Build: Cozy Havens and Energy Savings Home

“Unity’s offsite fabrication methods create precision high performance panels in our climate-controlled factory in Keene, NH—ensuring a comfortable airtight shell and a mold-free home. Not only can we produce all the components to build a home in a matter of weeks, the final product is a cozy home clients can relax in with generations of energy-efficient savings built in.”
â–ș Come watch the Webinar on Unity Home’s Streamlined Design System

Nuclear Medicine Build

“One of our many projects for the Springfield, VT hospital, we recently completed a very successful renovation of the Nuclear Medicine suite to accommodate a new scanner.  Working closely with the hospital and our subcontractors everything came together nicely!”
â–ș Read morer at GPI Construction, Inc

Clean Lines

“It’s all about details and clean lines for the Mountain Park Passive House project.”
â–ș Read more at
Mathes Hulme Builders LLC

Nested Barns

“That time we built a barn museum.”
â–ș Read more at
Mindel and Morse Builders

Stratton Mountain View

“Amazing view of Stratton Mountain from this ongoing project!”
â–ș Read more at Wadsworth Design Build

Beautiful Details
“Details from recently completed, custom home.”
â–ș Read more at Wright Builders, Inc.
Robert Swinburne - Vermont Architect - Bluetime Collaborative - has had one of his architectural sketches chosen ass one of the top sketches of the year by Morpho

Heat Pump Technology is Being Used in New Applications

“Heat pump technology has been around for decades for heating and cooling. Now manufacturers are using the technology in other applications, like clothes drying. Combined washer-dryers are great for households with limited space. Rather than two large machines, the all-in-one units can usually fit underneath a counter or in a closet.” â–ș Read more at Efficiency Vermont

Get Your Project Done By Spring

”Are you looking to get a project done before spring or when spring starts? WW Building Supply in Wilmington and Newfane is your one stop shopping supply center!”
â–ș Read more at WW Building Supply

Congratulations!

2024 Best of Houzz Service Winner
“We are beyond excited to announce that we’ve just been awarded the Houzz 2024 Best of Houzz Service Winner!  This marks our seventh award from Houzz, and it truly means the world to us. A massive thank you to all our amazing clients for your continued support and trust in our commitment to delivering exceptional service and attention to detail.”
â–ș Read more at Housewright Construction, Inc.

 

Blower Door System For Sale

Blower Door System For Sale – $3,300

Never been used. Still in the box. 

‱ Now Costs: $4,700.00
‱ Our member paid $4,313 for it

Model US5100 with Cloth Panel and DM32 WiFi
Gauge – North American Package.

Read the packing list and a link to the specs on the unit. 

Interested? Contact Joe Fortier / joe@gpivt.com

Interesting Links

â–ș A Compact, Eco-Friendly House and Three (Not-So-Little) Pigs – the home uses a fraction of the energy required to heat the average house, and the pigs handle most of the yardwork.
â–ș A Vermont A-Frame Cabin Zigzags to Gain Those Water Views
â–ș Balint Calls for $500 Billion in Federal Housing Investment

â–ș Vermont is leading New England states with the most heat pumps installed per capita.
â–ș How to take the sting out of the cost of installing a heat pump

Resources

â–ș How Much Does a Heat Pump Cost? (2024 Guide)
â–ș Best Practices for Internal Communication & Digital Organization (HELM)

â–ș The CARE (Carbon Avoided: Retrofit Estimator) Tool is used for calculating and comparing the embodied, operating and avoided carbon impacts and benefits of reusing and upgrading existing buildings or replacing them with new construction.

Meetings & Conferences

Better Building by Design: April 3–4, 2024 at the DoubleTree Hotel & Conference Center in South Burlington, VT.  The theme is “Blueprint for Equity: Energy Efficiency & the Future of Building”.

Thank you, Members