EEBA's High Performance Home Blog

Module 6: Air Sealing for 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) Compliance, presented by Joe Nebbia. Continue on to read or click on the video below to watch the one-hour session.

Installation of the air barrier and then testing of that air barrier are the most challenging parts of the residential energy code and have been since 2012. It's not something that you can get by with ignoring and hope you're going to pass. It is a challenge.  It is essential to pay attention to these details if you don't want to have a problem with compliance at the end of your build. 

Today, I will talk about the importance of recruiting a diverse workforce. My goal is to end this conversation with clear, actionable goals for everyone. We want to have a plan in place. I think that's what’s so important. I want to tell you about some of our learning objectives today. Of course, we'll review the data because I always say, "the numbers don't lie." We must look at what statistics tell us, and that will guide us in the direction of where we need to make a change. We really have to increase our awareness of our unconscious bias…how we can move from those biases and find tools to help us be more successful? It's important not just to set an action plan, that your board or your company will say this is our plan and then, four years later, no one's touched that plan. You want something that's a living document that you can continue to focus on, reassess, reinvent, and move the needle.

Solar panels are becoming a more accessible option for energy savings. Homeowners who want to “go green” can enjoy a bevy of benefits when using solar, including financial savings and feeling better about their contributions to society. You can reduce or even eliminate energy bills because of the amount of sunshine you’re collecting and the energy you’re storing. For this reason, as of 2019, Pew Research found that 6 percent of U.S. homeowners had installed solar panels at home, and 46 percent said that they are considering it -- and those numbers continue to rise. 

Times of world-wide crisis call for radical cooperation. Given the magnitude of the climate crisis, the potential devastation of its effects, and the inability of central governments to manage the crisis, it is up to local governments, non-profit organizations and citizens to move the world on the path to zero carbon. To that end, EEBA, Team Zero, and Zero Energy Project are now joining hands to build a citizens’ movement for zero carbon.

The Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) is embarking on the 6th annual EEBA Team Zero Inventory of Zero Energy Homes and invites all zero energy (ZE) builders, designers, architects, developers and owners to upload their projects to the database.

The yearly report tracks ZE single and multifamily home trends and leaders across the U.S. and Canada. Currently, the Inventory includes ~28,000 ZE projects voluntarily submitted.

When homeowners think about features they want in entry doors and replacement windows, energy efficiency is typically at the top of the list. Energy-efficient products save money, add comfort, provide better return on investment, and most importantly help protect our environment. But what about the manufacturing processes that go into making home exterior products? If you’re concerned about the environment, you can spec products that are made by companies committed to protecting it.

EEBA Sponsor: ProVia

Sustainability is no longer a niche or unique idea—it is here to stay. Eventually, homeowners won’t just see green living as a desire but as a need. Of course, reducing our carbon footprint is a key benefit, but what else is driving the demand for sustainable construction?  

With businesses opening and life becoming more normal after COVID-19, you may want to start fresh, too. The best place to begin is with your home. Rearranging, remodeling, and refreshing your home sustainably can make it feel like a real new start. Begin by asking yourself the following questions to figure out how to revive your home post-pandemic.

A green future depends on sustainable cities. It might sound contradictory, but it’s actually greener for people to reside in urban environments. In order to preserve what’s left of the natural environment, human settlements must not encroach on these areas. As the global population continues to grow at an exponential rate, cities and urban planners face the challenge of sustainability. Fortunately, many cities are succeeding. Here are the ten characteristics of a sustainable city as a result of environmentally-conscious urban planning.

Global carbon emissions dropped with the onset of Covid-19; however, with the increase in human activity in recent months, emissions are on the rise again. Additionally, the annual increase in carbon pollution over the past 60 years is about 100 times faster than previous natural increases. With the acceleration of this growth, the possibility of a 1.5* C warming peak may have passed.