For those that may not know, jumping the shark is a term to describe a pivotal moment when a television show begins to decline in quality. This term was originally coined when the Fonz jumped a shark in a Happy Days episode. While the US version of Passive House is not a TV show (hereby to be called PHIUS), it sure has had it’s share of drama […]
In the news: RRP, RESNET, DOE, oh my…
Lately there has been a flurry of activity on items I normally cover. With so much coming out (and most not being really worth a full article, besides where would I find the time…) I thought I would do a quick recap in case you missed any of it. The RRP Lowes & the “big” settlement More […]
Guest Musing: The future of building codes & green building programs
First off I would like to thank Christopher Hill of Construction Law Musings for allowing me the opportunity to post on his site for a fourth time. I really am honored & humbled by the invitation. This is the time of year when many spend a little time to look back at the year & then […]
A new label for houses?
For many the following email & idea may come as a surprise. For some of us the only surprise is that they have taken this long to think of it. It appears that RESNET in conjunction with their Energy Smart Builders program would like a new label to use on their buildings. Good idea or no… […]
Guest Musing: LEED, Lance Armstrong and You?
Ahh as we usher out another year, I was invited once again by Christoper G. Hill to post a guest musing on Construction Law Musings. This year I took a slightly diffrent tack and instead of focusing on a typical building subject like infrared or builder verifications I decided to take a look at how the world has […]
The UK’s Green Deal Program
This week we have a guest article from Sohaib Siddique who is located across the pond in the UK. Sohaib works for Anyjunk and provides man and van services for all types of waste, and is able to divert plenty of it from the landfills. Like many people he is keen to promote green & […]
LEED Habitat: Targeted Air-Sealing & Pre-Drywall Inspection
It has now been a little over 4 months since the project was started & yes, things are running a tad behind schedule. As I recall the completion date was originally scheduled for the end of this month & it has now been bumped till the end of June. As of this moment they now […]
20 reminders for a healthy and safe home
One of our favorite mantras is a healthy home is a safe & well maintained home. Codes were written and our constantly being updated to ensure health & safety of all occupants. Numerous organizations, government groups, and others are constantly pushing safety. My goodness, one can’t turn around without seeing some sort of warning label […]
Are you up to the Challenge – the Building America Challenge?
Since 2008, hundreds of builders in cooperation with DOE, the NREL and numerous other parties have taken up the Building America Challenge to build thousands of high-performance homes. The end goal is to too help all builders reach the Net-Zero mark by 2030 as economically as possible. Since 2008 the target has been set at […]
Weatherization Program: Getting the most bang for your buck – Traditional House
In our prior articles, we covered the Weatherization Assistance Program & delved into DOE’s priority list for weatherizing mobile homes. We started with the mobile homes because they generally are some of the biggest energy hogs out there. In this article, we are going to look at DOE’s priority list for single-family homes. #1 – […]