EEBA Academy

This session will cover the key elements to a healthier home. Is it the designer, builder, sub-contractors, H/AC contractors, Rater/Advisors Code officials, product manufacturers, and/or the occupants? No surprise here, it's a combination. Let's pick the locks and discuss the various roles each key holder has in creating common failures (unhealthy conditions) and current successes that open the doors to a healthier home.
 

Energy, climate, materials, and health: What is the connection? And why is it important? Insulation and air sealing are two cost-effective ways to increase the energy efficiency of a home. However, the chemicals that are found in some of these products or used during their production can negatively impact the health of the people who manufacture and install products, as well as those who ultimately live in these buildings. We need a better system of policies and regulations that are protective of human health, but for now, we need professionals equipped with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about the materials they use. Building professionals who specify and install materials have the opportunity to make significant impacts on health and the environment by choosing healthier materials.

This panel will introduce the EEBA / ProBuilder Ultimate ZEN All Electric Home and discuss its key features, the hurdles encountered, and key points of buyer acceptance. This will lead into a discussion on what is next in high performance building, ways to get there, and an example of one unique builder and energy rater partnership designed to take on the question of "What's next and how do we get there?"

In this presentation, we’ll show how affordable home builders like United Way of Long Island, along with production, custom, and multifamily builders across the country, are building healthy, durable, energy-efficient homes that are achieving remarkably high performance and low Home Energy Rating System scores – with a program average of HERS 43 without PV and HERS 6 with PV.