September 28, 2022
BetterBuiltNW September 2022 Newsletter
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Every month this section features must-read content from past newsletters – just in case you missed it.
Programs in the News
RESNET: Public Comment on Draft MINHERS PDS-01 Addendum 71 SEER2/HSPF2 Conversions RESNET has approved Draft PDS-01 of MINHERS Addendum 71, SEER2/HSPF2 Conversions, for public review and comment. The addendum amends the MINHERS Chapter 3 to add an exception to the requirements of standard ANSI/RESNET/ICC 301-2019 that will add necessary definitions for the new efficiency ratings and establish conversion factors to allow their use in HERS rating software. To learn more, click here.
RESNET: Public Comments on Draft PDS-01 Addendum 68 and Draft PDS-01 Addendum 69
RESNET has approved two draft addenda for public review and comment.
- Draft PDS-01 of MINHERS Addendum 68, HERS Modeler Professional Development Course Requirements: This addendum amends the MINHERS Chapter 2 to clarify professional development requirements for HERS Modelers.
- Draft PDS-01 of MINHERS Addendum 69, Combustion Safety Training for RFI Certifying as HERS Rater: This addendum amends the MINHERS Chapter 2 to clarify when an RFI must complete combustion safety training to become certified as a RESNET Rater.
To learn more, click here.
RESNET: Membership Expanded to Certified RESNET Raters in Good Standing
The RESNET Board of Directors recently approved expanding RESNET’s membership and franchise to include all active Certified RESNET HERS Raters in good standing. This will result in a new RESNET membership category of RESNET HERS Raters Voting Members, and RESNET will extend membership to all active certified RESNET HERS Raters in good standing at no cost to the HERS Rater. To learn more,click here.
Built Green: Building Spaces of Belonging
Despite the myriad benefits of owning a home, many community members don’t have access to homeownership or are subjected to higher rates of environmental pollution due to codified and institutional systems that persist to this day. Many also lack living-wage jobs that would make homeownership more attainable. In order to overcome these disparities, an equitable, just, and inclusive approach is required, one that opens the door to homeownership as well as living-wage jobs in the building trades. Built Green implemented the Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Section into its latest checklists to codify the intent of addressing inequality and alleviating barriers experienced by marginalized populations. To read the article, click here.
Energy Vanguard: Building Enclosures vs. Mechanical Systems
Building enclosures and mechanical systems are both important in homes. The building enclosures control the flows of heat, air, and moisture. The mechanical systems provide heating, cooling, and ventilation. This article outlines how to balance these two components of a house. To read the article, click here.
Energy Vanguard: A Layered Approach to Indoor Air Quality
The COVID pandemic has put a spotlight on indoor air quality and the spread of infectious disease. The workhorses of good indoor air quality are source control, filtration, ventilation, and humidity control. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation is appropriate in some settings but must be engineered properly. To read the article, click here.
Home Innovation Research Labs: Change in the Air: How Builders Plan to Navigate the Future In the last half of 2021, Home Innovation queried more than 350 owners and senior managers of home building companies about how they envision the future of their businesses. With all that changed in the industry and related markets in the wake of the COVID pandemic, many of these building professionals have said they are stressed to an uncomfortable level and are making big changes to their companies. This article outlines their responses to the following questions: What are the biggest changes your home building business will make in the coming few years? Why are you making these changes? To read the article, click here.