May 25, 2022
BetterBuiltNW May 2022 Newsletter
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Every month this section features must-read content from past newsletters – just in case you missed it.
The Missing Air Barriers
When building homes for high energy efficiency, sealing the interior space from the exterior is crucial. A poorly designed building envelope causes comfort and air quality issues for occupants, resulting in higher energy consumption. Sam Rashkin, building industry expert, explains how crucial air barriers are to high-performance building and how to properly construct them. To read the article, click here.
2022 Realtors & Sustainability Report
The National Association of REALTORS recently surveyed its members about sustainability issues facing the industry and created the 2022 Realtors & Sustainability Report, which details how the industry is successfully marketing advanced building features to sell homes. To read the article, click here.
Programs in the News
Oregon Building Codes Division: Update to Insulation and Installation of Ducts BCD Technical Bulletin
On April 1, 2021, the 2021 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) became effective, introducing new requirements for the insulation and installation of ducts and revisions of existing provisions. Compliance with these new or revised sections became the mandatory prescriptive path for ORSC governed designs on Oct. 1, 2021. This technical bulletin highlights the intent of the new 2021 ORSC ductwork provisions for installing heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems and provides compliance examples. To read the bulletin, visit Oregon Building Codes Division’s website here.
RESNET: RESTalk EP 94: Embodied Carbon in Housing
RESNET recently released RESTalk 94, which explores how the idea of embodied carbon (emissions associated with materials and construction processes throughout the whole lifecycle of a building or infrastructure) is viewed as more important to climate efforts than carbon emitted from heating, cooling, and lighting. To view this article, visit RESNET’s website here.
Built Green: Case Study—Hamilton Urban Partners
Built Green just released a case study on Sylvan Court—a 20 unit apartment building, built in 1964 in Seattle—that recently completed an extensive renovation. Find out how the building earned a Built Green 4-Star certification on the 2017 multifamily checklist. To read the article, visit Built Green’s website here.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Technical Bulletin—Activating a Passive Radon System
In this article, the EPA explores radon in homes, which is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause cancer. By building radon-resistant new homes, builders and contractors provide a public health service—helping to reduce buyers’ risk of lung cancer from exposure to radon in indoor air. This article describes best practices when designing passive and active radon mitigation systems in homes. To read the article, visit the EPA’s website here.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Interactive Tour of the Indoor Air Quality Demo House
Get a quick glimpse of some of the most important ways to protect the air in your home by touring the EPA’s virtual Indoor Air Quality House. Room-by-room, you will learn about the key pollutants and how to address them. To read the article, visit the EPA’s website here.
Zero Energy Project: Stracker Solar—Going Beyond Rooftops
Zero Energy Project explains Strackers, which are elevated, dual-axis solar trackers that produce significantly more power than same-sized rooftop or fixed ground-mount systems while maintaining full use of the property below. As a result, Strackers are a perfect photovoltaic solution for homes with roofs that have no solar access. To read the article, visit Zero Energy Project’s website here.
Energy Vanguard: The Advantages of Filter Grilles for Your HVAC System
In this article, Energy Vanguard explores multiple strategies for duct design in an HVAC system, and they recommend using filter grilles for optimum performance. To read the article, visit Energy Vanguard’s website here.