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Genuine Locksmith

At Genuine Locksmith, we are a locally owned and operated team dedicated to providing honest, straightforward security solutions throughout Kenner, Metairie, and the Greater New Orleans area.

Bella Vista Windows and Doors

Choose Bella Vista Windows and Doors for professional window replacement in Houston that lasts. Customers can count on us for vinyl single hung window replacement, fiberglass front doors replacement, and window installation services in Houston.

Rosedale Plumbing

Mississauga plumber committed to protecting our local waterways and reducing household waste. I provide eco-friendly installations, water-saving fixture upgrades, and greywater systems to help neighborhoods like Port Credit and Streetsville lower their environmental footprint while keeping plumbing bills low

White Glove Moving and Storage

White Glove Moving and Storage is your trusted partner for seamless moves in New Jersey, New York, and beyond. With fully licensed and insured services, we pride ourselves on top-notch service, skilled professional teams, and premium trucks. We cover local moves within New York or New Jersey, as well as long-distance moves across the U.S.

Hilliker Corporation

Hilliker Corporation is a trusted name in St. Louis commercial real estate, helping clients navigate opportunities across a wide range of property types. From commercial office real estate and industrial real estate for sale to commercial land for sale and even a church for sale, the company supports buyers, sellers, investors, and business owners.

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Plug-In Solar - Coming to a Balcony or Home Near You

You might soon or even already be able to generate small amounts of solar power fairly easily, depending on where you live.  Plug-and-play solar systems known as Balcony Solar are already popular in Europe, and pressure is growing for the US to catch up - and for good reason.  Utah and then Maine were the first US states to pass laws allowing residents to install plug-in, or balcony, solar systems.  According to the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors, over 20 million US households could benefit from this technology.  Solar United keeps a map of states that have “cut the red tape” to allow balcony solar. As of the publishing of this article, Colorado and Virginia joined Utah and Maine, and 30 other states have active efforts to consider or pass balcony solar-related legislation.    https://solarunitedneighbors.org/resources/what-to-know-about-plug-in-solar/          What is Balcony Solar? A balcony/plug-in system is basically a plug-and-play solar set up or an easy-to-install kit that plugs into an outlet. Instead of drawing power like other appliances, balcony solar systems contribute power to be used in other parts of a home.  A consumer can literally walk into the hardware store, buy the unit, and go home and plug it in.  These systems are designed to avoid permitting and professional installation requirements, as long as local laws permit the systems.  The balcony name comes from the fact that many renters in European apartments installed them on their balconies.  The equipment usually consists of: 1-2 solar panels, though more are possible a grid-tied microinverter that connects the panels to a standard plug or battery, with anti-islanding protection (meaning it shuts off if the grid is down, to prevent potentially dangerous power backflow that can endanger utility workers), and  a plug connection to a household circuit (rules for this connection vary by country/state).    Balcony solar systems generate 200-1600 watts, though output limits are set by different states and countries. For comparison, a typical home rooftop solar installation might range between 3,000 and 9,000 watts.  Rooftop solar systems provide more power and return, but they are more complex and costly to set up, often costing $20,000 or more.  These systems can offset the energy used by smaller household loads such as phones, laptops and other electronics, lighting, televisions, networking equipment, fans, and smaller kitchen appliances like slow cookers and instant pots.  Balcony solar units are not sufficient to power large heat-generating appliances such as HVAC equipment, dryers or power tools.  With batteries, more power can be supplied and items like CPAPs and medical equipment can be powered through the night.   Balcony solar systems generally cost between $1200 and $2000 in the US and can lower electric bills by several hundred dollars per year, about $385 per year according to Solar United Neighbors.  The average payback seems to range from about 3 to 8 years, but the ROI really depends on many factors including the local cost of electricity and the intensity and availability of sunlight in a particular location.  The Clean Energy States Alliance has created a Balcony Solar ROI Worksheet for use in calculating the return for a specific home.   The benefits of balcony start right up front with ease of installation and affordability.  Anyone can install these units, and they’re more affordable than more complex solar systems.  Balcony solar will also decrease in cost as more states pass laws to allow the technology and as more manufacturers then enter the market with competitive products.  In Germany, the current cost of a balcony system is about 500 euros (approximately $550). And, the cost of balcony solar power already seems to be falling based on the Utah example.  Previously typically quoted at about $3 per watt, equivalent to rooftop units in the US,  balcony solar costs in Utah were reported in May, 2026 at $2.30 per watt before any available incentives.  Nonprofit and balcony solar advocacy organization Bright Saver predicts that the cost will fall to .50 per watt within 2 years after the 5th state passes balcony solar legislation, and that the average payback period will fall to 3 years by 2032.    Key balcony solar benefits include: Affordability. These units are a good entry level to solar and clean energy, and they’re less expensive than rooftop solar.  They’re easy to install - anyone can plug balcony solar in, no technical expertise or permits are required.  Inclusivity and applicable fairly widely.  Examples: Renters can install balcony solar - you don’t have to own a property to plug the units in. And when you move, the system unplugs and can come with you.  The units are easy to set up and use in rural areas. The portable, moveable systems also happen to work well for recreational vehicles Balcony solar can make a difference especially where there are power outages frequently.  Add batteries and the systems can provide more power and over more time. Resilience and a step towards less energy dependence. Balcony solar starts making a difference right away, and the effects can be amplified when combined with battery storage. Plug-in solar can even be used as a second system to expand solar output for homes with rooftop solar.   Energy savings. Balcony solar users can save several hundred dollars per year on energy bills, though the exact amount and ROI vary by several factors. Savings will certainly grow as energy prices continue to increase, and as balcony solar costs decrease.   Satisfaction, and a source of pride. Balcony solar users have reported that they feel they are taking action to be more sustainable  Balcony solar users can also geek out and feel like expert DIYers. Why not push the limits to see how much more a solar panel can generate if it is mounted on a base to track the sun, or used to generate shade?   Balcony solar isn’t a replacement for rooftop solar, but more an alternative for when rooftop solar isn’t possible or practical, but onsite unlike community solar which still allows some clean energy participation.  For one thing, a renter can’t bring in an electrician and affix solar to the homeowner’s roof.  The price point is also just lower, for the equipment and also without expensive installations, utility permissions, and permitting.  So balcony solar can bring clean energy to whole new groups of people who would not have had the option previously.  Apparently, between 5% and 7% of US households have rooftop solar.  Balcony solar can help those people who want to have solar who have been prevented by other factors, including costs and home ownership.        Clean Energy States Alliance   Where is Balcony Solar already popular, and why?   Balcony solar isn’t new, as it’s been available in Europe for over a decade and has really taken off more recently.  In just about four years, balcony solar ramped from thousands of units installed to over 5 million, with about 4 million of those in Germany alone.  Plug-in solar is legal in all EU Member States except in Sweden and Hungary, as well as in Switzerland. Many countries require notification as to installation, but self reporting compliance has apparently not been high.  Output exports are limited to 600 or 800 watts, though units and storage can be larger as long as they don’t export past set limits.     Germany has led the European expansion story, and two pieces of legislation are key to the story.  In 2019, Germany exempted balcony solar systems from interconnection agreements, which created a new legal definition for the systems and lowered the requirements between the system owner and utilities for solar systems below a set wattage threshold. Without additional permissions, the units could now use standard plugs and feed energy back into the grid. The door was pushed open even more in 2024 when German legislators passed protections for renters from landlords to install balcony solar systems. Exponential growth followed in Germany, with similar patterns reported in the Netherlands and Austria.    High electricity prices and taxes along with increasing energy prices all played significant roles in this adoption, as did decreasing systems prices.  Several German cities have offered subsidies to increase adoption even more widely.  As a result of all of these factors, current German households with solar are reported at 10%, and payback is apparently often under 3 years.  There are also political and cultural differences that likely made European adoption earlier and faster. The applicable rules are national, not local, and distributed, clean energy has greater support.  People interviewed about balcony solar seem excited and proud and not shy about their systems. They talk about being able to take climate action and be energy independent in ways that might be as popular in the United States right now.   Balcony Solar in the US   US balcony solar adoption began with Utah, where State Representative Raymond Ward had heard about the balcony solar trend in Germany and wanted a system for himself.  Only it wasn’t legal to have one as U.S. electrical regulations were designed to address larger, permanent rooftop systems. Under previous laws, plugging a panel directly into a wall outlet was technically illegal because it violated the interconnection rules that determine how renewable energy systems physically connect to the electric grid. The rules prescribe who can work on systems, as well as the process and permits/permissions required. Among other rules, state law mandated that if a solar system generated and sent any power back into the electrical grid, there had to be a formal contract with their utility company. This red tape meant that it really wasn’t worth investing the time and money required in these systems which likely weren’t going to send much power back to the grid since the small amounts of power would likely be consumed rather quickly on site.  After collaborating with leading solar nonprofits and bringing utilities into the conversation up front, Representative Ward introduced HB 340 in January, 2025, which passed in March 2025 and was the first state law to allow portable solar power systems to connect directly to 120V outlets without interconnection applications or utility fees. A limit was set of up to 1,200 watts, and units had to meet NEC (National Electrical Code guidelines) and UL certification standards.  In January, UL released UL3700, a testing protocol or “outline of investigation” for certifying balcony solar systems.  UL can certify a plug-in solar system to UL 3700, but eventually a  UL standard for plug-in solar,resulting from a consensus-based process with stakeholders will have to be developed. Credit goes to everyone involved, to Representative Ward for his recognition of a needed change and willingness to act, for all the advocates, and also to the local utilities for not seeing the small amounts of power potentially generated as an energy,  safety or business threat. The utilities did ask for a release from related liability, and in this new and unfamiliar situation, that seems pretty sensible.    Factors inhibiting balcony solar growth in the US Balcony solar seems destined to grow exponentially in the US in the next years, but some concerns and barriers to growth remain.  Some great news is that the previous decade of European growth really does leave a solid track record.  As far as safety goes, three main concerns appear frequently in literature related to balcony solar: Touch Safety: The prongs in a disconnected plug could still carry power in theory to shock an occupant, since solar panels can still be producing energy. A special outlet could resolve this problem and may be in development. Dedicated circuits may also be part of this resolution.    Islanding and Line Worker Danger:  In a situation where a home pushes power to power lines during an outage, the electrocution risk to repair workers.  However, this risk seems solved by the anti-islanding mechanisms which stop the unit from producing power and sending it to the grid as soon as power shuts down.  Circuit Overloads:  There is some concern that existing circuits were designed for energy to flow in one direction and that breakers might not recognize overloads and trip properly.  Risks could include overheating and fires.  Additional safety concerns could fairly be centered around ensuring quality in a new ara of technology, though balcony solar already does have a solid track record. Improperly or installed or modified systems are something to watch out for, which is one reason it’s better to approve and test the packaged systems or kits which don’t require customization.  Resistance to change is also a factor, and it can take different forms.  Landlords and homeowner associations (HOAs) may not wish to allow balcony solar if it doesn’t match their aesthetic.  Laws can protect renters, but it seems likely there are some related battles ahead. For one thing, there can be a safety argument and liability concern with tenants securing their own equipment to the outside of a building they don’t own or maintain.   The political environment is also clearly different in the US, but it’s a positive sign that so many states are considering balcony solar legislation and that four states now have already done so.  There’s also the practical consideration of how different states and utilities and local officials see and implement rules differently.     Looking forward: Will resilience and energy independence, and some savings along the way, deliver the win for balcony solar? Though there may be skirmishes, it appears that balcony solar will also soon be wildly popular in the US.  Energy prices are not going to decrease, and outages and larger climate emergencies will continue to encourage resilience and independence, if not a unified call for energy efficiency and sustainability for future generations.  Politically, it may take some time, and reasons for support will vary, but the results can be some impactful win-wins, and balcony solar will hopefully evolve into a successful and impactful part of the decarbonization process and transition to more inclusive, cleaner and healthier energy systems and economy. According to Cora Stryker of Bright Saver, the future is indeed promising - Bright Saver estimates that 60 million people, or 1 in 6 Americans, will use a plug-in solar system by 2035*.    *Assuming a minimum adoption of balcony solar laws by 5 states.      Resources:  Balcony Solar Guide - Solar United Neighbors What states need to know about plug-in solar, a Clean Energy States Alliance Guidebook Balcony Solar ROI Worksheet (from the above guide) Balcony Solar map -  Solar United Neighbors Balcony Solar map - Canary media     To support balcony solar: Join Solar United Neighbors’ Advocacy Campaign   Additional information about Balcony Solar/Sources:   MassCEC recorded a helpful introductory webinar about balcony solar and the related political landscape:   MassCEC Thoughtful Climate Live Interview Series: Balcony Solar & DIY Clean Energy - Mass Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) December, 2025 How balcony solar can help renters and homeowners save money - theConversation.com, May, 2026 States Weigh Bills to Allow You to Make Your Own Electricity - New York Times, February, 2026 UL Solutions Debuts Testing and Certification Framework for Safer Plug-In Solar Across the United States - January, 2026  A guidebook on plug-in solar for state-level policymakers, pv magazine, January, 2026  Solar, minus the red tape: plug-in solar could bring affordable energy to millions- Solar United Neighbors, January, 2026 Balcony solar is all the rage in Germany. Why not in the US? - Canary, Media, May, 2025 What's the deal with balcony solar? Volts, November, 2025 How Germany outfitted half a million balconies with solar panels - Canary Media, September, 2024 Democratizing Solar: How Plug-In Solar Expands Energy Affordability and Resilience for 60 Million Americans,” - Bright Saver, October, 2025 Balcony solar gains unanimous bipartisan support in Utah - PV Magazine, March, 2025

Scaling Energy Efficiency Investment in the Multifamily and Small and Medium Building Markets, Online, June 16, 2 - 4 pm ET

Commercial buildings are responsible for roughly 40% of total U.S. energy consumption per year, as well as almost 40% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and the multifamily and small and medium building (SMB) sectors represent a significant portion of these commercial building GHG emissions. These market sectors also represent a historically underserved group with enormous untapped potential for savings – but require a more efficient approach to analysis and auditing than those applied to larger buildings, while still maintaining an overall comprehensive approach from analysis to reporting to financing and implementation.  This course will: Discuss the challenges unique to working with multifamily and SMB properties. Demonstrate cost-effective and efficient approaches to analysis, cost estimation, financial projections, increased property value calculation, GHG emission reduction, and financing options through the use of the Energy Performance Improvement Calculation (EPICTM) tool. Present a process for owner engagement, analysis, reporting, communication and determining steps to implementation. Attendees will learn how to:  Describe the unique challenges and level of support required when working with multifamily and SMB properties. Summarize how to develop energy and cost savings estimates, implementation costs, and present financial projections for an energy efficiency project – in minutes and hours instead of days and weeks. Incorporate solar PV system analysis that considers the reduction in building energy use resulting from more efficient energy-using systems in the improved building. Present financial projections for financing options such as bank loans and C-PACE financing. Outline how to present these results and communicate with building owners and stakeholders – speaking their language (dollar signs instead of energy units).

10th Edition of International Conference On Materials Science And Engineering

The 10th Edition of International Conference on Materials Science and Engineering (Materials 2027) will be held from March 18–20, 2027, in Singapore, as a hybrid global platform dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and industrial applications in materials science. Organized under the theme “Innovations in Materials Science and Engineering for Future Technologies,” the conference will emphasize transformative developments that bridge fundamental science with real-world engineering solutions. Scientific sessions will cover a diverse range of topics, including nanomaterials, polymers and composites, biomaterials, electronic, optical and magnetic materials, energy materials for storage and conversion, corrosion science, and surface and interface engineering. The program will also highlight advancements in additive manufacturing (3D printing), smart and functional materials, sustainable and eco-friendly materials, lightweight structural systems, and high-performance materials for aerospace, automotive, and biomedical applications. Emerging areas such as computational materials science, AI- and machine learning-driven materials discovery, and advanced characterization techniques will also be featured. Materials 2027 will serve as a premier international forum bringing together researchers, scientists, engineers, industry experts, and students to exchange knowledge and foster collaboration. The conference aims to promote interdisciplinary dialogue, strengthen academia–industry partnerships, and accelerate the translation of innovative materials research into impactful technologies that address global engineering and sustainability challenges.   Reach us at: E-mail: materials@magnusconference.com Phone: 1 (702) 988 2320 WhatsApp: +1 (640) 666-9566 Website: https://magnusconferences.com/materials-science/ Materials Science Conference 2027 | Advanced Materials Congress 2027 | Materials Science World Congress | Biomaterials and Biomedical Materials Conference | Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Symposium 

Free Webinar: Healthy Schools - Ann Arbor Public Schools’ 21st Century Learning Leadership, June 24, 10 - 11:15 am ET

Ann Arbor Public Schools is helping lead Michigan’s transition toward healthier, lower-carbon buildings through the adoption of mass timber construction in its new school facilities. As part of the district’s bond-funded building program, new school projects are being designed with a focus on healthy indoor environments, safety, sustainability, and innovative building materials that support both student well-being and long-term climate goals. The use of mass timber—an engineered wood product that stores carbon while enabling high-performance design—represents a major shift in how public buildings can be constructed in Michigan. Recent updates to building codes and local development policies, alongside broader state adoption of the 2021 Michigan Building Code, are expanding opportunities for mass timber construction and allowing taller, more complex timber structures while maintaining rigorous safety standards. Key takeaways:  Why Ann Arbor Public Schools is choosing mass timber for new school facilities — and how it supports sustainability, indoor environmental quality, and community goals. How AAPS has used the procurement process to support its mass timber and sustainability goals in these facilities.  How mass timber design contributes to reduced embodied carbon and healthier built environments in educational settings. Practical insights from project teams on implementation, challenges, and lessons learned for future public projects. Participants will gain insight into the technical, policy, and design considerations shaping mass timber adoption in Michigan and how Ann Arbor’s experience can serve as a model for communities looking to build healthier, safer, and more climate-forward buildings. This webinar will be valuable for educators and administrators, construction and design professionals, sustainability advocates, and those interested in learning more about the applications of Mass Timber.

Emu Passive's Building Science Breakroom, Ask Your Questions Online, July 1, 9-10 am

Grab your coffee and join Emu Passive for "Building Science Breakroom", a live and interactive LinkedIn event where the team dives into all things building science! Whether you're an architect, builder, spec writer, or just a curious enthusiast, this is your chance to ask your burning questions or to get a second opinion about construction details, high-performance products, Passive House principles, or climate-specific challenges. Whether it's a tricky air barrier transition, a window flashing detail, structural thermal breaks or a project strategy pivot, submit your technical "headscratchers" here and solve them together with the Emu team.    About Emu Passive: Emu Passive's mission is to bridge the gap between everyday construction practices and the most advanced building science. Emu empowers professionals to build for the future with resilience, efficiency, and confidence through expert Passive House training and education. Emu passive has launched the 5000 Builders Challenge, an ambitious plan to train 5000 American construction professionals by 2030.

Our Ice Dam - Frustrating, Expensive, and a bit of a Mystery

If you've had an ice dam, you're not alone.  I heard a funny noise late at night in our kitchen, and though I was sure it would be nothing, I went to investigate.  As I got closer, I recognized the slow drip sound of water inside our house.  As people who try really hard to responsibly maintain our home, it's always deeply disappointing when something goes wrong, like the house kind of let us down in a way.  We've been in this 1964-built house for over 20 years now, so we've also completed so many projects and it seems like we've replaced everything in the last couple of years especially - including a huge HVAC project where we added heat pumps, two additional ERVs, a remote hood fan and make up air in the kitchen, and more dedicated humidity equipment, new appliances, and even a large septic and drainage project.  It seemed time for a break and for things to go well for a bit!  I will likely update when we learn more, but for now I thought I'd share where we are and what's going on, and I wanted to see if people out there have advice or opinions.  I have ideas on what I wish to do, but I might be over-engineering solutions in my head.  The thing is, when I did that previously, ice dams did not come back in those locations.  And that's the goal.  We did have the roof raked, which is one reason this was frustrating- it's not like we declined to remove the heavier-than-normal snow.  I am hearing that we should have asked that this small roof area be fully raked and that this situation might not have been so bad.  Well, it may not be fun to hear this after we had damage, but maybe sharing can help someone else.  We were away when the heavy snowfall occurred, but I will surely ask for full raking next time.  One thing I’ll say on that though is that in my mind, if the vulnerability exists, then simply not experiencing the damage “this time” is like winning a battle and not the war. I don’t want to have a ticking explosive device and to think our space and our stuff are secure, only to find we had damage later only because I didn’t know or didn’t do something the right way now.      So, what happened?  I’ve heard two or three major themes so far. First of all, this is an East facing and indented roof area with a lot of trees around, so it’s not getting a lot of sun and warmth.  Once formed, ice can remain there for quite a while.  Second, we’ve got 4 skylights.  They did not leak and look great, but as older less efficient openings, there’s some thought that the thermal energy they conducted might have melted the water on top of the glass.  And then that water refroze below the skylights and in and around our gutters.  It’s possible there could be vulnerabilities in the flashing around the skylights, but we actually had those redone to prevent leaks.  It doesn’t help that this area has lots of corners and angles and is sort of like a bowl, with a lot of roof square footage above.   One thing people have said frequently is that water will find a way. So even a perfectly finely built wall or roof has perforations from nails even where if freezing, melting, and refreezing water pushes up against these areas with enough pressure, something is going to get through.  It feels like we had a leak bigger than a pinhole though.  But that is how ice dams seem to work with shingles, - melted water freezes back up, pushes under the shingles, and melts through. But it is my opinion and experience that a solid water resistant barrier doesn’t actually let water through - it has to sit on top.   For now, we’ve called our insurance company on this one.  We’ve taken on a lot of issues and projects on our own, but we thought with roofing issues and water and some flooring, this is where insurance makes sense. The roof raking company came back, awesome handymen came by and placed come calcium chloride on the roof, roofers came and took even more ice off the roof, I had a carpenter visit today, a disaster mitigation company is coming tomorrow to check moisture levels and what we can to to dry this all out, as is a flooring repair person. Wow! Who am I forgetting? Ah yes, furniture refinishing for the unfortunate table which absorbed a heck of a lot of water.    So, what do I wish to do? I want to put ice and water shield on this roof and on the three walls that surround it. Not just 1-6 feet - wall to wall and the whole roof.  We did this once before 20 feet up, and that area of roof has not had a problem since.  It was a small amount more above the 6 or ten feet recommended at the time, and the roofers were a little surprised I chose the additional coverage, but why stop short of a durable, quality solution when you have reason to believe it will work?   There’s nothing wrong with the skylights, but… I would be ok to replace them as they’re 30+ years old.  It would be a waste to keep them and have the seals fail or something.  We’ve been advised to use heat tape on this area, and I am not against that.  One person thought heat tape only on the second floor roof would solve the problem as there was a good amount of ice up there.  But not only did I see “suspicious” sheets of ice on the first floor pushing out of the gutter into the shingles and building in the corner against the wall, we had a crazy situation after the calcium chloride was placed around the gutters and skylights.  A little over ten minutes later, water went from dripping to running through the nail holes of the drapes we’d had to remove. That was crazy.  It was also informative as it meant there was definitely an issue between the gutter and the skylights.  I also worry it means a big enough hole was created that now any snow, ice, or even rain is going to come through. I've been told by one person I can likely fix the inside now and repair the outside later - but then what if water comes through in the mean time and re-damages the inside?? So if we’re using heat tape, the first floor would be my first pick, but I am not against the second floor as well. I fear only doing the attic would pour water on the first floor roof area and could potentially make it worse as it could then freeze on top of whatever else was there and freezing.  The second floor ice is a little confusing as we added spray foam insulation in our attic and all areas we worked on in 2025 and 2006.  We took an older, leakier house and made it tighter!  Which is one reason we also added and then expanded mechanical ventilation. But as this was an existing home we renovated in 2005/6, we certainly can look into whether there are gaps at the bottom of the eaves?     Please feel invited to share any thoughts!  What am I missing? Where do you think the problem might be, and what are your suggested solutions?  I'll plan to share the final decisions and outcomes - and hopefully it will not rain further inside our home.   Also, plesse share your ice dam and other home damage, repair and maintenance frustrations, and wins here or in other posts!  We can all learn from each other- and help each other as a member community -and beyond.   The East-facing back roof. This area was apparently expanded with the skylights before we moved in, back in 1995.     You can see the solid glacier strip of ice here. I am not sure why the skylights were not cleared, but this was a major storm and there was so much snow.  We were not home, and perhaps the people who came this time didn't even know we had skylights? Another view of the ice built up long the gutters.  A closer view of the corner and gutter ice. It looks like some water is pooling on the skylights in this image. But the skylights had no visible leakage and the water is only at the lower edges. It might still have come from the skylights, but we see shingles that look distubred at the roof edges as well, where a lot of the ice was.  You can see how the water traveled along the ridge. When we removed the drapes, water flowed slowly our of the screw holes in the ceiling. After the calcium chloride was applied to the roof above, water almost immediately gushed out for some time. And we had wondered if we really had to remove the drapes! The table had apparently been absorbing water, maybe saving the floor and other items from worse damage.  I hope we'll be able to refinish it.  There's hope that the floors will improve as they dry out and not need too much repair. The floor damage is a bit hard to see on film. Fortunately, it's not too large an area, but it did wick some.   

How are your Heat Pumps Doing in Winter: The Good, the Bad, & The Ugly?

I don't want to gloat about my heat pumps entirely, believe me, as I just found out an older mini split we have apparently has a refrigerant leak.  HVAC is also never easy - and never 100% "done" or "perfect," it seems.  We also happen to have water in our house right now from an ice dam.... But that's another story for a different post.   I am pleased that our new heat pumps seem pretty good and free of snow!  I would love to report sometime that HVAC got easier to get right and that everyitng in our home is working perfectly, but we've got elements of our system that are complex, different, and of different ages.  Who else out there has some combiation of VRF heat pumps, mini splits, hydro, radiant heating, radiators, older A/C compressors, forced hot air, and a combination of furnaces, air handlers, zone dampers, ERVs, makeup air, bath fans,  humidification and dehumidification equipment, and a generator? I am sure I forgot something, or that some of these don't even belong on the same list.  Earlier today, I was sent images of heat pumps that got buried in a coastal snow drift, and I recall back before our big recent project when I was thinking about how to locate compressors so they'd be safe from snow. I am happy to report that we did succeed in two places, though not in the way I planned. For one set, we extended a garage overhang, and that's been working pretty well.  For the other, we took advatage of a small pocket in the back of our house.  These little odd spaces are the result of projects over the years, by us and others, but I do feel we were rewarded for looking for any opportunities.   And I can also say it's work asking and continuing to ask what is possible. An architectand builder helped us in the garage area, and the HVAC folks ptiently explored whether the connections we'd need were possible in the back of our house.  So first, here are my heat pumps that I am knd of proud of.  I worked for these locations!  The extended garage overhang has worked really well.  I originally hoped to hang a compressor on the wall here, to keep the snow off. But I was advised against this for a few reasons, including the risk of vibration of the compressor was actually on the wall.     We were able to use this old architectural "pocket" to locate another heat pump. This spot has also worked nicely.  Next, here are the images I received this morning from a building professional.  These images remind me that mother nature has something to say sometimes, and we can't always just raise the heat pumps enough or hang them off a building.  Thesehyper heat units are in a shallow ditch and are 24 inches off the ground.  But the snow drifted 5 to 6 feet.  So, this seems a reminder that if we can't locate the units under cover or they're not off the ground enough for current conditions, someone has to get our there and shovel.     So, let's hear how your heat pumps are looking this winter.  Are they doing great" Did they get buried? We can pat ourselves on the back togther, or commiserate as needed.  And if you need to talk to smoeone about your ice dam, I'm here.   For some ideas about snow and HVAC compressors: Mini Split Compressor Placement in Cold Climates (Think about Snow and Other Conditions) To learn more about our VRF heat pump project: VRF Heat Pump Installation For cold weather heat pump advice from Mitsubishi: Mini Split Cold Weather Design Advice and Guidelines, with Mitsubishi  

Basics of Solar Electric Systems, a Free On Demand Webinar Hosted by PG&E

On Demand Course Title: Basics of Solar Electric Systems Host: Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Available Through: December 31, 2026  This on-demand class provides a high-level overview of how solar electric systems work and the key concepts a homeowner would need to know when purchasing a photovoltaic (PV) system. It is an introductory class that will define PV terminology, performance characteristics, and PV system components and describe the ways to architect a system solution. The class will also cover the benefits pairing energy storage to a PV system and how solar billing plan works. Additional resources are provided for more information.  Learning Objectives: Describe the function of solar electric systems and why they are important Summarize benefits of energy efficiency Define basic electric terminology, how the electric grid works, and common electric grid terms Define photovoltaic (PV) terminology, performance characteristics, and PV system components Describe the ways to architect a PV system solution Summarize the benefits for having a grid tied PV system with an energy storage solution Define the ways to architect a PV and Storage system solution Describe how the solar billing plan works and identify where to find rate information Agenda: Introduction and safety message What are solar electric systems and why are they important Basic electric terms About the CA electric grid PV terminology Types of PV system solutions Benefits of PV and storage Solar billing plan and rates Resources for more information Tala Daya is the Senior New Whole Building Coordinator at the PG&E Energy Center. She is an experienced engineer with a demonstrated history of working in energy & environmental sustainability, energy-efficient systems, and healthy materials management and development. Tala holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering with a specific concentration on sustainability, manufacturing, and design with an emphasis on green chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds an M.Eng. from UC Berkeley and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University. Course url: https://pge.docebosaas.com/learn/courses/2314/basics-of-solar-electric-systems Image: Portland General Electric

Comparing Residential Energy Ratings Systems, an On Demand Webinar Presented by Brett Little, GreenHome Institute

Brett little hosts this informative webinar comparing the more widely known residential energy ratings systems, along with his guest Lisa White of Phius. The two present an overview and some key elements of: ASHRAE 90.1 The Department of Energy's Home Energy Score RESNET's HERS Index Passive House (PHIUS)  Pearl  Energy Star  These well known programs can help provide some consistency in a landscape Brett admits can sometimes feel like the Wild West, where local weatherization professionals or an industry friend might feel free to create and provide their own rating or opinion that can only be so helpful. These programs are also more often recognized by government and utilities incentive programs.   Topics include: Basic characteristics and some unique attributes of the programs How some of the outputs are estimated, generally speaking as this is an introduction and not a technical session (which they do offer) How different energy programs might be appropriate for different building types What modeling and/or diagnostics tests are associated with particular programs (blower door tests, ventilation testing, duct testing, hot water for plumbing efficiency), and what the various verification requirements are by program  A look at the software programs that can be used for modeling, and providing program information and reporting  A sense of the training required to be able to earn credentials and become a a rater ot provider to verify system requirements have been met  Reporting examples for system outputs - and examples of how this information can be used to make decisions in advance, parricularly for new buildings    While specific requirements vary and each program has unique characteristics, all of the programs can inform decisions and help providers and clients with lowering energy consumption and energy bills, as well as emissions, improving comfort and safety, providing access to available state and federal energy related incentives and rebates, and increasing asset value.  For work in low income housing, the use of ratings systems for verification is also typically required.  Homeowners can benefit directly and immediately, as well as in the long term when they go to sell their home.  Disclosure of home performance is now required in a small number of areas, and these requirements will likely grow in an era of  truth in lending and increased transparency.   Also check out GreenHome Institutes: Basics of Residential Green Building and Remodeling, also on demand! About GreenHome Institute:  GreenHome Institute is a nonprofit organization that empowers people to make healthier and more sustainable choices in the renovation and construction of the places we live.      

Creative "Make Up Air" Solution for Range Hoods by LG Squared

One of the main issues with proper ventilation in high-performance homes is that what goes out must be replaced by what comes in.  When you are venting 300-1000 CFM of exhaust in your kitchen, you need "make-up" air to replace the air that has just been removed from the house.  Chris Laumer-Giddens shares this creative design by keeping the exhaust and make-up air all local to the kitchen   View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chris @ LG Squared (@lgsquared_inc)    

Plug-In Solar - Coming to a Balcony or Home Near You

You might soon or even already be able to generate small amounts of solar power fairly easily, depending on where you live.  Plug-and-play solar systems known as Balcony Solar are already popular in Europe, and pressure is growing for the US to catch up - and for good reason.  Utah and then Maine were the first US states to pass laws allowing residents to install plug-in, or balcony, solar systems.  According to the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors, over 20 million US households could benefit from this technology.  Solar United keeps a map of states that have “cut the red tape” to allow balcony solar. As of the publishing of this article, Colorado and Virginia joined Utah and Maine, and 30 other states have active efforts to consider or pass balcony solar-related legislation.    https://solarunitedneighbors.org/resources/what-to-know-about-plug-in-solar/          What is Balcony Solar? A balcony/plug-in system is basically a plug-and-play solar set up or an easy-to-install kit that plugs into an outlet. Instead of drawing power like other appliances, balcony solar systems contribute power to be used in other parts of a home.  A consumer can literally walk into the hardware store, buy the unit, and go home and plug it in.  These systems are designed to avoid permitting and professional installation requirements, as long as local laws permit the systems.  The balcony name comes from the fact that many renters in European apartments installed them on their balconies.  The equipment usually consists of: 1-2 solar panels, though more are possible a grid-tied microinverter that connects the panels to a standard plug or battery, with anti-islanding protection (meaning it shuts off if the grid is down, to prevent potentially dangerous power backflow that can endanger utility workers), and  a plug connection to a household circuit (rules for this connection vary by country/state).    Balcony solar systems generate 200-1600 watts, though output limits are set by different states and countries. For comparison, a typical home rooftop solar installation might range between 3,000 and 9,000 watts.  Rooftop solar systems provide more power and return, but they are more complex and costly to set up, often costing $20,000 or more.  These systems can offset the energy used by smaller household loads such as phones, laptops and other electronics, lighting, televisions, networking equipment, fans, and smaller kitchen appliances like slow cookers and instant pots.  Balcony solar units are not sufficient to power large heat-generating appliances such as HVAC equipment, dryers or power tools.  With batteries, more power can be supplied and items like CPAPs and medical equipment can be powered through the night.   Balcony solar systems generally cost between $1200 and $2000 in the US and can lower electric bills by several hundred dollars per year, about $385 per year according to Solar United Neighbors.  The average payback seems to range from about 3 to 8 years, but the ROI really depends on many factors including the local cost of electricity and the intensity and availability of sunlight in a particular location.  The Clean Energy States Alliance has created a Balcony Solar ROI Worksheet for use in calculating the return for a specific home.   The benefits of balcony start right up front with ease of installation and affordability.  Anyone can install these units, and they’re more affordable than more complex solar systems.  Balcony solar will also decrease in cost as more states pass laws to allow the technology and as more manufacturers then enter the market with competitive products.  In Germany, the current cost of a balcony system is about 500 euros (approximately $550). And, the cost of balcony solar power already seems to be falling based on the Utah example.  Previously typically quoted at about $3 per watt, equivalent to rooftop units in the US,  balcony solar costs in Utah were reported in May, 2026 at $2.30 per watt before any available incentives.  Nonprofit and balcony solar advocacy organization Bright Saver predicts that the cost will fall to .50 per watt within 2 years after the 5th state passes balcony solar legislation, and that the average payback period will fall to 3 years by 2032.    Key balcony solar benefits include: Affordability. These units are a good entry level to solar and clean energy, and they’re less expensive than rooftop solar.  They’re easy to install - anyone can plug balcony solar in, no technical expertise or permits are required.  Inclusivity and applicable fairly widely.  Examples: Renters can install balcony solar - you don’t have to own a property to plug the units in. And when you move, the system unplugs and can come with you.  The units are easy to set up and use in rural areas. The portable, moveable systems also happen to work well for recreational vehicles Balcony solar can make a difference especially where there are power outages frequently.  Add batteries and the systems can provide more power and over more time. Resilience and a step towards less energy dependence. Balcony solar starts making a difference right away, and the effects can be amplified when combined with battery storage. Plug-in solar can even be used as a second system to expand solar output for homes with rooftop solar.   Energy savings. Balcony solar users can save several hundred dollars per year on energy bills, though the exact amount and ROI vary by several factors. Savings will certainly grow as energy prices continue to increase, and as balcony solar costs decrease.   Satisfaction, and a source of pride. Balcony solar users have reported that they feel they are taking action to be more sustainable  Balcony solar users can also geek out and feel like expert DIYers. Why not push the limits to see how much more a solar panel can generate if it is mounted on a base to track the sun, or used to generate shade?   Balcony solar isn’t a replacement for rooftop solar, but more an alternative for when rooftop solar isn’t possible or practical, but onsite unlike community solar which still allows some clean energy participation.  For one thing, a renter can’t bring in an electrician and affix solar to the homeowner’s roof.  The price point is also just lower, for the equipment and also without expensive installations, utility permissions, and permitting.  So balcony solar can bring clean energy to whole new groups of people who would not have had the option previously.  Apparently, between 5% and 7% of US households have rooftop solar.  Balcony solar can help those people who want to have solar who have been prevented by other factors, including costs and home ownership.        Clean Energy States Alliance   Where is Balcony Solar already popular, and why?   Balcony solar isn’t new, as it’s been available in Europe for over a decade and has really taken off more recently.  In just about four years, balcony solar ramped from thousands of units installed to over 5 million, with about 4 million of those in Germany alone.  Plug-in solar is legal in all EU Member States except in Sweden and Hungary, as well as in Switzerland. Many countries require notification as to installation, but self reporting compliance has apparently not been high.  Output exports are limited to 600 or 800 watts, though units and storage can be larger as long as they don’t export past set limits.     Germany has led the European expansion story, and two pieces of legislation are key to the story.  In 2019, Germany exempted balcony solar systems from interconnection agreements, which created a new legal definition for the systems and lowered the requirements between the system owner and utilities for solar systems below a set wattage threshold. Without additional permissions, the units could now use standard plugs and feed energy back into the grid. The door was pushed open even more in 2024 when German legislators passed protections for renters from landlords to install balcony solar systems. Exponential growth followed in Germany, with similar patterns reported in the Netherlands and Austria.    High electricity prices and taxes along with increasing energy prices all played significant roles in this adoption, as did decreasing systems prices.  Several German cities have offered subsidies to increase adoption even more widely.  As a result of all of these factors, current German households with solar are reported at 10%, and payback is apparently often under 3 years.  There are also political and cultural differences that likely made European adoption earlier and faster. The applicable rules are national, not local, and distributed, clean energy has greater support.  People interviewed about balcony solar seem excited and proud and not shy about their systems. They talk about being able to take climate action and be energy independent in ways that might be as popular in the United States right now.   Balcony Solar in the US   US balcony solar adoption began with Utah, where State Representative Raymond Ward had heard about the balcony solar trend in Germany and wanted a system for himself.  Only it wasn’t legal to have one as U.S. electrical regulations were designed to address larger, permanent rooftop systems. Under previous laws, plugging a panel directly into a wall outlet was technically illegal because it violated the interconnection rules that determine how renewable energy systems physically connect to the electric grid. The rules prescribe who can work on systems, as well as the process and permits/permissions required. Among other rules, state law mandated that if a solar system generated and sent any power back into the electrical grid, there had to be a formal contract with their utility company. This red tape meant that it really wasn’t worth investing the time and money required in these systems which likely weren’t going to send much power back to the grid since the small amounts of power would likely be consumed rather quickly on site.  After collaborating with leading solar nonprofits and bringing utilities into the conversation up front, Representative Ward introduced HB 340 in January, 2025, which passed in March 2025 and was the first state law to allow portable solar power systems to connect directly to 120V outlets without interconnection applications or utility fees. A limit was set of up to 1,200 watts, and units had to meet NEC (National Electrical Code guidelines) and UL certification standards.  In January, UL released UL3700, a testing protocol or “outline of investigation” for certifying balcony solar systems.  UL can certify a plug-in solar system to UL 3700, but eventually a  UL standard for plug-in solar,resulting from a consensus-based process with stakeholders will have to be developed. Credit goes to everyone involved, to Representative Ward for his recognition of a needed change and willingness to act, for all the advocates, and also to the local utilities for not seeing the small amounts of power potentially generated as an energy,  safety or business threat. The utilities did ask for a release from related liability, and in this new and unfamiliar situation, that seems pretty sensible.    Factors inhibiting balcony solar growth in the US Balcony solar seems destined to grow exponentially in the US in the next years, but some concerns and barriers to growth remain.  Some great news is that the previous decade of European growth really does leave a solid track record.  As far as safety goes, three main concerns appear frequently in literature related to balcony solar: Touch Safety: The prongs in a disconnected plug could still carry power in theory to shock an occupant, since solar panels can still be producing energy. A special outlet could resolve this problem and may be in development. Dedicated circuits may also be part of this resolution.    Islanding and Line Worker Danger:  In a situation where a home pushes power to power lines during an outage, the electrocution risk to repair workers.  However, this risk seems solved by the anti-islanding mechanisms which stop the unit from producing power and sending it to the grid as soon as power shuts down.  Circuit Overloads:  There is some concern that existing circuits were designed for energy to flow in one direction and that breakers might not recognize overloads and trip properly.  Risks could include overheating and fires.  Additional safety concerns could fairly be centered around ensuring quality in a new ara of technology, though balcony solar already does have a solid track record. Improperly or installed or modified systems are something to watch out for, which is one reason it’s better to approve and test the packaged systems or kits which don’t require customization.  Resistance to change is also a factor, and it can take different forms.  Landlords and homeowner associations (HOAs) may not wish to allow balcony solar if it doesn’t match their aesthetic.  Laws can protect renters, but it seems likely there are some related battles ahead. For one thing, there can be a safety argument and liability concern with tenants securing their own equipment to the outside of a building they don’t own or maintain.   The political environment is also clearly different in the US, but it’s a positive sign that so many states are considering balcony solar legislation and that four states now have already done so.  There’s also the practical consideration of how different states and utilities and local officials see and implement rules differently.     Looking forward: Will resilience and energy independence, and some savings along the way, deliver the win for balcony solar? Though there may be skirmishes, it appears that balcony solar will also soon be wildly popular in the US.  Energy prices are not going to decrease, and outages and larger climate emergencies will continue to encourage resilience and independence, if not a unified call for energy efficiency and sustainability for future generations.  Politically, it may take some time, and reasons for support will vary, but the results can be some impactful win-wins, and balcony solar will hopefully evolve into a successful and impactful part of the decarbonization process and transition to more inclusive, cleaner and healthier energy systems and economy. According to Cora Stryker of Bright Saver, the future is indeed promising - Bright Saver estimates that 60 million people, or 1 in 6 Americans, will use a plug-in solar system by 2035*.    *Assuming a minimum adoption of balcony solar laws by 5 states.      Resources:  Balcony Solar Guide - Solar United Neighbors What states need to know about plug-in solar, a Clean Energy States Alliance Guidebook Balcony Solar ROI Worksheet (from the above guide) Balcony Solar map -  Solar United Neighbors Balcony Solar map - Canary media     To support balcony solar: Join Solar United Neighbors’ Advocacy Campaign   Additional information about Balcony Solar/Sources:   MassCEC recorded a helpful introductory webinar about balcony solar and the related political landscape:   MassCEC Thoughtful Climate Live Interview Series: Balcony Solar & DIY Clean Energy - Mass Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) December, 2025 How balcony solar can help renters and homeowners save money - theConversation.com, May, 2026 States Weigh Bills to Allow You to Make Your Own Electricity - New York Times, February, 2026 UL Solutions Debuts Testing and Certification Framework for Safer Plug-In Solar Across the United States - January, 2026  A guidebook on plug-in solar for state-level policymakers, pv magazine, January, 2026  Solar, minus the red tape: plug-in solar could bring affordable energy to millions- Solar United Neighbors, January, 2026 Balcony solar is all the rage in Germany. Why not in the US? - Canary, Media, May, 2025 What's the deal with balcony solar? Volts, November, 2025 How Germany outfitted half a million balconies with solar panels - Canary Media, September, 2024 Democratizing Solar: How Plug-In Solar Expands Energy Affordability and Resilience for 60 Million Americans,” - Bright Saver, October, 2025 Balcony solar gains unanimous bipartisan support in Utah - PV Magazine, March, 2025

Q&A with Dar Kashi: Delivering High Performance and Luxury in an East Cobb Platinum EarthCraft Home

Dar Kashi and his team at Kashi Custom Homes have built a luxury home that is also a Platinum EarthCraft Home in East Cobb, Georgia that proves you can have it all.  This home certainly has a lot to boast about.  First of all, it’s beautiful and includes many high-end details including double kitchen islands, 2 washer and drier sets, a second floor wet bar suite, and a rooftop deck. It’s also built for energy efficiency with variable speed heat pumps and solar panels. Several features support strong indoor air quality including, ERVs and dedicated dehumidification equipment, and the decision to go all electric for HVAC, water heating, induction cooking, and even a vapor fireplace.  Every consideration was given to comfort with high performing systems, and even several considerations for noise reduction including window selection, insulation, and staggered monopoly framing.   Dar Kashi was kind enough to agree to an extensive Q&A with Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. and Rate It Green to explain more about this home and to share information and inspire other homebuyers, potential home buyers and builders.  Topics include: EarthCraft Certification, Project Goals & Performance Metrics Noise reduction Going all electric HVAC & Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) High-Performance Windows  Framing Details  Air Tightness Flooring for Comfort and Durability Read on, as there are many thoughtful details included in each topic.  Share your questions for the building team if there’s something you want to learn more about, or if you have additional questions. For a video introduction to the project, check out this interview and home tour with Dar Kashi, Matt Hoots, and Christopher Matos-Rogers.  EarthCraft Certification, Project Goals & Performance Metrics What was the original performance goal for this home, and how did EarthCraft Platinum influence your design and construction decisions? The goal was to build a high performance house since they are a rarity in the area, I decided to do EarthCraft with all 6 badges (EarthCraft Platinum) after attending a class at the SouthFace Institute via the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and learning that there hasn't been a house built with all 6 badges since they were introduced - I had to leave my mark! EarthCraft itself didn't really force my hand beyond the typical high performance detailing we decided to employ from the outset. The primary construction decisions that impacted design were monopoly framing and the desire for a simple roof line - those architectural choices made the detailing much simpler.   For buyers comparing “green-labeled” homes, what verifiable metrics (blower door, HERS, certifications) should they ask builders to provide—and why does that matter?   I'd say the most important metric, and easiest to verify is going to be a blower door score. Lowering your ACH50 is not so easy when the home is finished and ready to live in. Certifications are neat as they have a process with someone verifying along the way, but they aren't right for all projects, especially if the project devolves into "point chasing" or targeting an audience that isn't correct for the home. HERS score is a great tool for comparison between similar homes, but keep in mind the homes need to be similar which can be a challenge.   I think following best practices, having a mechanical design that is verified/commissioned, and verifying a blower door score already places the house in the top 10% of homes alone, the rest is icing on the cake!   Many buyers see a HERS score but don’t understand it—what does a score of 22 really mean compared to a typical new home? A HERS score is a comparison of energy usage to the reference house - the reference house uses 100% energy to use/maintain the home. So compared to the reference house, 2650 Roswell Rd uses 22% as much energy. So it takes nearly 5 years to use as much energy as the reference house in a year if the houses were similar in size. The houses need to be similar in size for the HERS score to be comparable - larger homes inherently use more energy.   Why is HERS a more reliable metric than “energy-efficient” marketing claims or material checklists? HERS references energy usage, which is more concrete than just a generic statement of "energy efficient" - and you will notice it in your utility bills month-to-month. Materials don't really play into HERS outside of their individual performance metrics improving the score.   What are some of your favorite design features on the house that are not green building-related? EarthCraft has a focus on aging in place, and we took that to heart when we designed the house, having the master on main, office/6th bedroom on main, keeping all of the doors 3' wide, and providing an elevator pit for a future elevator if desired. We also placed an emphasis on entertaining with the wet bar suite upstairs, rooftop deck, and stairs down to the rear patio that connects back to the LDK - great flow for guests so they're never too far from the action. Also, the motorized stairs to the attic; everyone dreads going into their attic on their rickety ladder rated for 200 pounds, so their filters never get changed, but with a motorized stair access rated for 500 pounds and the attic being conditioned, the barrier to attic access is all but eliminated. And of course, the centerpiece is the sexy mono stringer staircase wrapping the elevator pit hidden by the rock garden. Noise Reduction This house is exceptionally quiet despite being on a busy road—what specific wall, window, and framing strategies made the biggest difference? From inside to outside, we have 5/8" QuietRock, 2x4 staggered studs 24" OC on 2x6 plates so the insulation can weave through, then the ZIP system, Cor-A-Vent SV-3 Rainscreen, then James Hardie siding. I think the rainscreen plays a benefit in minimizing road noise from traveling through the fiber cement cladding as easily, then what does make it through, the staggered studs and QuietRock take care of. For windows, we went with Pella triple pane casement windows; casement windows, regardless of style, have less air leakage, and where there is air leakage, noise can seep in. The triple pane of glass also has an improved STC rating, further reducing noise transmission. If I had to attribute the biggest difference for noise, it is the staggered studs followed closely behind by the monopoly framing easily minimizing air leakage and thus noise seepage. Why did you select triple-pane windows and Rockwool insulation, and how do they support both acoustic and thermal performance? The price difference between the double and triple pane windows was ~10% and the triple pane windows boasted lower U-Factor, SHGC, and higher STC (important due to the location for mitigating noise). The Rockwool in this build is strictly for acoustic performance between the floors and between the rooms, paired with the staggered studs and 5/8" drywall, it does a fantastic job at mitigating noise.   Going All-Electric in a luxury home You chose an all-electric approach in a luxury home—why was that important, and how does induction cooking enhance both performance and the homeowner experience? With tighter homes, we need to take more care for the occupant's health, and the most egregious pollutant in the house is a result of combustion. With the removal of natural gas/combustion, that really impacts three major appliances in modern homes: fireplace, cooking, and water heating.    For the fireplace, we selected an Aquafire vapor waterplace - we no longer need fireplaces to heat the home and they are rarely used, so they're primarily decorative features of the home, and I believe the vapor analogs are the best looking substitutes. Using a vapor waterplace also allows us to omit the chimney, a massive hole in the envelope, tightening our air leakage numbers. If a real fire is desired, they are always better in a communal setting, outdoors, around a firepit - sitting in a row inside doesn't give the same sense of community.    For cooking, induction is the future, it is the latest and greatest technology for cooking, and is much easier to clean, and safer to use. If you have an absolute need for cooking over flame, that is best done on an outdoor grill rather than an indoor gas range, so you really aren't missing anything in your home cooking life.   For water heating, we went with a Rinnai 80 gallon heat pump hot water heater. HPHWE are the most efficient residential hot water heaters, albeit slow, but they can operate as a standard electric hot water heater in times of high demand if needed. These really act no differently from the end user perspective as a natural gas tanked hot water heater, and with either, paired with a recirculating pump, you are really only going to run into an issue in times of extreme demand where a tankless option may be better suited (which electric units are available). I'm not anti-gas, and if it wasn't for EarthCraft, I would have actually added natural gas to the exterior of the home, where it belongs. A plumbed grill, firepit, and even decoratives like gas lanterns are all acceptable to me! Energy Efficiency & Consumption The home achieved a HERS score of 22—what combination of airtightness, mechanical planning, and renewables made that possible? Our final air tightness was measured at 0.6 ACH50, the mechanical planning was done before we even started construction with ACH50 targets in mind and verified during construction. Our first blower door test was before insulation but after windows and doors were installed, we scored 1.3 ACH50 (with 1 window missing, just boarded up) - with that we were confident our mechanical design was going to work. EarthCraft had us recycle drywall and lumber to achieve one of the badges. This home is close to net-zero—what options exist for future owners to add batteries or expand solar for resilience? The quickest/simplest option is to expand solar by adding 10-12 more panels to the existing array. For resilience, batteries can be added in the garage. HVAC & Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) With 4,650 sq ft served by a 4-ton heat pump, how did envelope quality and load calculations allow you to dramatically downsize the HVAC system? We used a third party mechanical designer to tackle this. I gave him my target of <1 ACH50 and told him the envelope details and a 3.5 ton unit was specified, but during construction with refrigerant changes and equipment availability, he re-specified the equipment to the 4-ton system we have installed today. The primary driver of system reduction I believe was the duct system, not the envelope. For this small system to work, we needed very low air friction, so we opted for rigid ductwork throughout except for the final ~2' connection to the boots for noise dampening.   How do systems like the ERV, dehumidification, and automated bath ventilation contribute to long-term indoor air quality and durability? Dehumidification is the primary contributor to long-term indoor air quality and durability. The goal is to keep the air dry so materials in the house can dry with ease and prevent the growth of mold - the killer of buildings and IAQ.   The ERV brings in fresh air and exhausts stale air, important for the occupants of the building. We don't have bath fans in this building, but instead we have the ERV continuously exhausting from the bathrooms, which is generally humid air. We have humidistats to boost the ERV when the humidity rises above 60% and have the dehumidifier targeting 50% humidity throughout the home. High-Performance Windows Most buyers hear “triple-pane” and assume it’s just one more layer of glass—can you explain what actually changes in terms of heat transfer, comfort, and sound control? Triple pane adds another gas chamber as well as another layer of glass. The second chamber of gas lets the glass pane in the center of the two chambers resist the heat transfer better compared to a double pane where both panes are just air-glass-gas and the reverse configuration. That slowing of heat transfer makes the interior glass pane be closer to the interior temperature than the exterior temperature. For sound control, additional mass and spacing helps dissipate sound wave vibrations.   How should homeowners think about U-values when comparing windows, and why is a small numerical difference more impactful than it sounds? U-Value is the inverse of R-Value, so the lower the U-Value, the higher the R-Value which we use to compare insulation. Time for a math lesson! Going from 0.25 to 0.2 is, in absolute terms, a 0.05 difference (or 5%), but comparatively, the 0.2 is 25% more insulative than the 0.25. A U-Value of 0.25 is equivalent to R-4 (1/0.25) and 0.2 is R-5 (1/0.2); R-5 vs R-4 is 25% more insulative (5/4=1.25). This will be true and more extreme the smaller the numbers, going from a 0.2 to a 0.15 is the same absolute difference as before, but a 33% improvement by comparison and a whopping 67% improvement compared to a 0.25.   In a mixed-humid climate like Metro Atlanta, where do high-performance windows make the biggest real-world difference—energy bills, comfort, condensation, or durability? All of the above come into play, but comfort and energy are the two big differences. You may never recoup the cost difference compared to your electric bill, but they do help, and if you are going for a resilient home with solar and batteries, there is a slight improvement on system sizing. Comfort is not an easily quantifiable metric, but starting with sound control, high performance windows shine - the 2650 Roswell Rd home is on a busy road but it is silent; the other noticeable element of comfort is the temperature of the interior pane of glass - a high performance window will keep it closer to the temperature of the home instead of the exterior, and you will feel the heat leave your body and enter the cold glass on a winter day more readily on a standard window by comparison as you pass by. Why do window performance numbers matter more than brand names or aesthetics when you’re targeting low HERS scores? NFRC data is more important than the brand name for sure, but serviceability does matter - so whatever brand you choose, as long as it can be serviced, I wouldn't worry about it. Aesthetics is a black box, you need to draw the line somewhere between looks and performance, so I won't say either is more important than the other in terms of the whole project, but if you're targeting a lower HERS score, of course the metrics will be most important. If you're targeting a low HERS score, I'd look at a casement or tilt-and-turn window for operable windows, then fixed windows, then I'd let the budget dictate window materials, and then pick based on NFRC data assuming the window fits the architectural style. If you were explaining window efficiency to someone in plain English, what’s the simplest way to describe how heat actually moves through glass? Cold is a concept, heat is what can be measured. Heat moves from high heat to low heat (cold) and tries to find balance (equilibrium). If the glass is colder than you, it will steal your body heat. If you are colder than the glass, your body will steal heat from the glass. Framing Details   You used staggered stud (often called “monopoly”) framing—what problem does this solve that conventional framing does not? The staggered studs are used for thermal and noise breaks. Heat and noise need a direct path to transfer efficiently, so we try to avoid giving them the chance! Monopoly framing has more to do with how the building sheathing and roof line interact.  Typical construction will have roof sheathing and wall sheathing not intersect, leaving a gap for air to enter the attic. In a Monopoly framed house, those two planes intersect so they can be sealed, not allowing air into the structure. The goal is to make a monolithic house as a system compared to several different systems put together to create a house. How does separating interior and exterior framing members reduce thermal bridging and improve both energy and acoustic performance? The separation of the framing members removes the direct path for heat to enter from the sheathing to the drywall; now as heat tries to enter the building, it meets the sheathing, goes into the first stud, then immediately finds insulation - not drywall. This same concept works for acoustic performance. As the sound waves hit the house, they dissipate through the siding into the rain screen cavity, hitting the sheathing, vibrating the first set of studs which are entombed in insulation; the sound wave is dissipating at each step so the sound needs to be VERY loud to make it through all those steps, into the second row of studs and then the QuietRock (which is two layers of gypsum separated by another media to deaden sound waves).   What are the cost and complexity tradeoffs of monopoly framing, and why was it worth it on this project? I think Monopoly framing is more intuitive than traditional framing, the only complexities were explaining it to people who were unfamiliar, and figuring out rafter tails so it didn't look like a Monopoly house when it was finished. I think the cost has more to do with the necessary materials than the layout - you aren't going to Monopoly frame with house wrap, so you are already looking at spending more than a typical new construction home using something like ZIP or a fluid applied barrier. It was worth it on this project to make a very energy efficient home, which was the goal from the outset, a lot of the subcontractors and vendors have never seen it before and were very intrigued to try it out. The attic in most homes are just awful, the attic in this house is actually a pleasant part of the house, which was another goal of the project - make it easy for the occupant to maintain the home. Air Tightness   ACH50 can sound abstract—how would you explain it using a real-world example homeowners can visualize? ACH50 is just air changes per hour at 50 pascals, or a 20MPH breeze. The ACH50 score measures how many times the air in the volume of the home is being evacuated from the house under those conditions. The higher the score, the worse it is - as the wind blows, or exhaust fans operate, the air you paid money to condition is being removed from your house and new unconditioned, external air is being introduced, bypassing your filtration, and requiring conditioning which costs more money. What does a low ACH50 number actually mean for comfort, dust, humidity, and noise compared to a typical new home? A lower ACH50 score means you get to use and keep your conditioned air longer, impacting your costliest utility for the better. The side effects of a lower ACH50 are side effects from not having as many holes in your house; with less holes, there is less opportunity for dust/pollen and bugs to enter your house, there is less open spaces for sound waves to travel directly through, less areas for water/humidity to just seep in - all of these make a home more comfortable. A typical new home usually doesn't even have a plan around an ACH50 score at all - the code minimum is 5 and is usually not even verified. Why does improved airtightness allow you to significantly downsize HVAC equipment in this house? Your HVAC system is manufacturing indoor air using outdoor air as a raw ingredient. If you have the opportunity to not lose your indoor air through the envelope, you don't need to process as much outdoor air to maintain the indoor air, and not needing to process as much outdoor air means you don't need as much capacity in the factory - hence a smaller system.   Flooring for Comfort and Durability What are some of the “invisible” details behind the walls and ceilings that most homeowners never see, but that significantly improve comfort and efficiency? Staggered interior studs and Rockwool significantly improve comfort with noise transmission between the rooms, same for hat channel and Rockwool in the ceiling. A neat detail here improving both comfort and efficiency is our sleeper floor system with insulation above slab. The house is slab on grade, and typically that leads to cold floors with direct attachment to the slab, but we have elevated our floors 4-1/2" over the slab to make room for insulation, improving both R-Value and not letting the floors become ice cold in the winter. A neat high performance detail that improves comfort and structure efficiency is the extremely low deflection ratings in the trusses. Our trusses were specified as L/900 being the minimum acceptable and most are L/999+. This makes for extremely stiff floors, you won't feel like you're walking on a trampoline. Homeowners often notice “bouncy” floors—how do truss design and deflection ratings influence how solid a house feels? Minimum truss design lets the floor deflect 1" every 30' (L/360) which is terribly bouncy, especially if you fully load the trusses, and they get worse over time to an ultimate deflection of 1" every 20' (L/240). The house is 40' deep, and the floor system is bisected by a W24 steel beam, making most of the trusses around 20' long. If we designed to the minimum, you would have noticeable dips in the floor and tiles would crack over time, door reveals would become cattywampus - I decided I didn't want any of those issues and specified L/900 or better, or a deflection of 1" in 75'. What we ended up with were trusses rated at L/999+ with ultimate deflection values in the L/900+ range, and over a 20' span like we have in the house, we can expect an ultimate deflection of less than 1/4" - hardly noticeable, and any dips that do appear with age should be hardly perceptible underfoot. The most vivid example of a bouncy floor is hearing rattling from a dish display as you walk. That won't happen in this house. What does a deflection rating actually measure, and why does it matter for finishes like tile, stone, and cabinetry? Deflection is measuring how far the truss bends when loaded at its rated capacity, so for L/360, a 30' span is 360", a truss that has length (L) of 360" would have a deflection of 360"/360 = 1". This bend and snap back is what makes the floor feel bouncy. That bend is also giving the floor a chance to move, and that is what causes cracks to tile and stone floors. Over time that bending leads to a dip or sag which then becomes noticeable at fixed objects like cabinets and doors. If you'd like to learn more about this luxury EarthCraft home, check out this video tour with Dar Kashi, Matt Hoots, and Christopher Matos-Rogers. Share your questions and comments, and join the discussion!  

Greenbuild Report Out, 2025

Greenbuild this year was a bit of a nice surprise.  To be honest, post pandemic it can take a bit more to get me to in-person events, and that’s a shame because in the end I am always glad I made the effort. There are the speakers I would not have otherwise learned from, or the new products that just launched or that I didn’t know about yet, and reconnecting with old friends or the people I just met, which is a great feat for the secret hermit I might have become!   I had many exciting conversations this trip, and I truly enjoyed hearing what everyone does and sharing what I do and knowing that we share key common goals.  Maybe we can help each other directly sometime, maybe not.  And yes, I was also of course excited to collaborate with those who are eager to connect and get their stories and their companies' stories out to a wider audience!  I can create a Top Ten list of sorts, but a fun way for me to think through what to share is also to just walk through some of my photos (see below!) and see what I can share that might help you think you were right there, too.  I tried to visit a good deal of the EXPO floor, but now I wish I had been more thorough as I can think of companies I meant to say hello to.  But it was fun to make room for new connections as well!  Conversations were lively this year - I felt like I was learning something new with each person I spoke with.  I just had to get out there and make the effort!  Maybe next year I will find a cool way to report out more and to bring everyone online along with me - it’s a goal, but it’s hard to keep up in real time! Some top Greenbuild 2025 organizations, connections, topics, and happenings include:  IRS (Interior Removal Specialist, Inc) Construction Demolition and Recycling Facility Tour  If you want to know more about sustainable deconstruction, diversion, and recycling, or maybe you were at Greenbuild and didn’t get to go on this tour, check out our article and come along for the ride!  IRS will be sharing a video version of this tour as well soon, and we can share a link to that when they do.   The USGBC CA BuildSMART Trailer - BuildSMART is an Inspiration for green building materials and community outreach around better and healthy building.  I appreciated Valentina Mejia’s video tour, and I'd love even better to get the opportunity one day to see the trailer out in action in the community if possible.  Check out our brief video introduction! The Building Skills Green Janitorial Workforce Development Program - We need to be thinking about how to fill future green building professional career paths! This organization was great to see, and I hope they continue to expand their offerings.   Quite a few new companies to meet on the Expo floor - I saw many new products and services across industry segments, including colorful cement-free low-carbon concrete, foldable ICFs, IAQ monitoring systems including a reactive powerful and yet compact commercial system, a new plug-in induction cooktop with internal backup power, and lots of hemp! Even sustainable gym equipment. I also learned about a few companies which help mine low hanging fruit I hadn't yet thought about to save energy and money.  I hope the images below will give you a sense of some of the interesting and fun products and services - and people - I encountered on the show floor this year.  Old and new Friends:  Starting with colleagues on the IRS Tour and sitting at the same table in the Innovative Building Materials Summit, speaking at and attending sessions, and across the expo floor, I was pleased to meet new people and also to see some people I haven’t seen in person in years.   Speed Dating - Yes, you read that right.  I thought about just reporting on Greenbuild’s professional Speed Dating to get to know people a few minutes at a time, but I was drawn in to try it for the first time, and I must say I really enjoyed the experience.  Everyone had an interesting career and story to tell.  I've never been so excited to meet tax experts! One of the last people I spoke to say he could do this for 8 more hours - I almost agreed!  The spirit was right on - everyone sincerely wanted to be there and to connect.  (And yes, one of my top goals is to help people connect like this and feel this conversationally invigorated when we're not at a big event!)  At the Innovative Building Materials Summit, early speakers affirmed that green building policy is not dead, with about 125 active state and local US policies in place. The growth of green building was not dependend on the federal government before, and we can certainly keep making progress now.  Attendees also heard about some exciting nature-based materials that are ready, in development and still in research phases.  Manufacturers also presented on significant, transformative projects to do business more sustainably.  Later conference sessions built on the idea of nature-based materials.  Attendees were reminded that 85% of today's commonly used products contain toxic chemicals, and yet only 5% of products disclose ingredients. Some good news is that the tools really do exist to solve this problem and to do so much better - if we work on the will and also really get in the minds of clients - and the public - and offer them something amazing that they really want and need.  During the Innovative Materials Summit on November 4, Mindful Materials and the organization's members and partners launched the Common Materials Framework (CMF) Toolkit. Some say this is the start of a long but critical, maybe ten-year effort to successfully align, integrate and digitize sustainable building materials data, but it’s also worth recognizing people and organizations who have been trying to make this happen for decades.  This feels like a real, actionable turning point!  I also attended quite a few engaging conference sessions.  There were definitely some schedule conflicts where I'd have attended more than one concurrent session, so I plan to give several recordings a listen when they become available!  I had to leave before Friday's keynote, and that is on the top of my list.  I have to admit after the optimism of the Materials Summit, I did note the sessions on the politics related to green buildings were sobering.  It was admittedly tough to hear accounts of how bipartisan spirit and interest in a more sustainable future exist but are weak, and how those in politics and at NGOs are literally changing their vocabulary to kowtow out of necessity to get anything done, almost as a trick, as if concern for sustainable and healthy buildings, the surrounding ecosystems and communities, an energy and environment-positive economy, and the ability of future generations to thrive are almost something to hide or mask.  The bottom line? Think long term, seek opportunities doggedly and creatively, and certainly don't give up, as being a squeaky wheel and being in the room at all are essential for holding or gaining ground in the national landscape.  Greenbuild Keynote: Louis Virtel and Julia Louis Dreyfus started their conversation with the importance of storytelling, which I am of course going to agree with! Key for me was how Julia personalized climate change and loss.  Here's someone who happens to be famous, but who built a sustainable home 25 years ago  and who lost that beloved home in the Palisades Fires.  As Julia recounted, "Climate change is here. It is not coming, it is here.  What must we do here, what must we do now to adjust the way we live and think about how we live... It won’t be the last time it happens."    In introducing Louis Virtel and Julia Louis Dreyfus at the start of the keynote conversation, Informa's Sherida Sessa said something most of us in the audience know all too well: "The problems [we're trying to solve] are too large and complex for anyone alone."  That's comforting in a room where thousands have shown up to get the job done.  USGBC's Peter Templeton acknowledged it can be tough to stay positive and keep going against headwinds, but he reminded everyone among other things that coal was taken over by clean energy this year and that 93% of new power is clean power on the US Grid.  We'll take the wins.  Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reported some recent wins and plans, including the city's 100% clean energy goal for 2035, a 77% 3-year increase in installed electric vehicle charging, the doubling of wastewater to drinking water to 70 million gallons per day, the end of coal electricity for LA literally this month, along with the installation of the country's largest solar and battery energy project this past summer.  As Mayor Bass affirmed, sustainable initiatives simply do not hurt the economy; they help, they improve the quality of life, and they contribute to a sustainable planet.      Greenbuild and other large events are exciting because they remind us that there are still so many people and organizations “in the room” or “tent” and that you’re not alone in wanting to build better and healthier for the future, but it's also clear these days that many people don't yet know we can and need to do better, or who would even support blatantly unsustainable building and energy policies and practices.  So I felt optimistic and drew so much great energy from everyone I met, and hope I have that energy right back.  But I also worry about all the people who don’t know to ask for more sustainable materials or how to measure or improve their indoor air quality.  There’s more work to do!  I’ll hope to attend and see many of you in New York City at the next Greenbuild, but we can do and share so much together in the meantime!  Additionally, we need to remember that even those of us in “the tent” aren’t all in the same places at the same times, especially when in-person opportunities can be a significant investment.  Only through sharing and keeping conversations going in any way we can can we continue to do better for ourselves and our families, our neighbors, our friends and colleagues across the globe, and for future generations.      So I really hope to see you or hear from you well before a potential New York trip, somewhere in-person or at a webinar or other online event, posting on Rate It Green or on another resource, sharing on a social channel, landing in my inbox, or just showing up anywhere you have something to say, ask, or want to learn!  And next time you are wondering if you should go to something, my advice is to just, “Go.”  I am glad I pushed myself out the door.  Let's connect every which way we can!    Here are some notes and photos of some organizations I mentioned above, and also a few other people I met and organizations I saw and learned about at Greenbuild 2025!   USGBC CA's BuildSMART Trailer is the ultimate Expo Floor hang out spot! I'd love to see the trailer in action teaching renters and homeowners about sustainable products and materials! Making new friends on the IRS (Interior Removal Specialist, Inc) Construction Demolition and Recycling Facility Tour  After the IRS tour, I enjoyed learning about the Tommy Carts system for transporting construction and demolition waste efficiently, and more easily in tighter spots. The carts and bar code system allow for efficient tracking and processing as well.     I met Wildfire Prevention Expert and Educator Richard Snyder early on at Greenbuild, at the booth for Wildfire Defense Mesh, a company he works with as he stands behind their product from personal experience.  The mesh Rich had installed helped save his home during the Eaton Fire.  A retired Fire Captain, he was able to save his own home and a neighbor who was in extreme danger, but many neighbors lost their homes.  Rich knows we have much work to do and that many people do not have any real real idea vulnerable their properties and communities are.     I used a thermal camera to see the difference between insulated and non insulated mechanical pipes with Alfonso Ruiz, Executive Director of the International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, Labor Management Cooperative Trust. We all know heat loss is significant in mechanical systems - insulating is low hanging fruit.    Rouzbeh Savary, President of C Crete Tech, showcased his cement-free low-carbon concrete. The company apparently saves a ton of carbon dioxide emissions per ton of C-Crete binder used.  C-Crete's pastel palette comes from natural rocks or industrial byproducts.    Robert Viets, Vice-President of Celblox, manufacturers ICF's in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Celbox blocks fold flat for shipping and are made with extra high strength webs and studs, for added durability, particularly in climate-vulnerable / high-risk areas.    Yasmine Nugent of Emissis North America explained how enPact reduced the energy consumption of chillers and other refrigeration systems 10-25% through the use of a nanofluid additive and by employing control logic to optimize compressor behavior and stabilize temperatures while reducing energy waste. The team at Copper baked and gave out cookies, a great sales technique! I love the wood handles on this plug-in induction stove with back up power.  Lisa and Audrey were a fun team.  Next time, I hope to be in time for their chili.  Hemp seemed to be everywhere - what a super community positive energy over in the hemp section(s) of Greenbuild’s Expo! I informally counted over 15 hemp-related organizations.  Also, these people all seem really excited about what they do and about scaling hemp in building.  TGregg Gnecco from IND Hemp, pictured, is rolling out a hemp-based erosion control mat with zero plastic netting. Gregg is also basically a hemp educator and talks up the other hemp companies, too. That's Connor Liles of Sativa Building Systems, Inc on his right.  I also enjoyed meeting TJ Fiala of Structural BioComposites. I didn't take a good enough photo of the Industrial Hemp Lumber he invented, but we will just have to collaborate on an article to share more.    Lunawood is a Finnish manufacturer of chemical-free thermally-modified low-carbon wood for exterior façades/cladding, decking, interior panelling, battens, and landscaping applications. Jesús Castro and his colleagues recently announced and opened a US mill in Cleveland, Georgia to produce local white ash and yellow poplar for their North American collection.  On the list of fun exhibits was definitely SportsArt with Green Exercise Equipment!  Get your steps in with their energy efficient equipment, and you can also power (some of) your house.  I do like to see some products that are more consumer facing too, to be honest.  Getting regular people to think of energy efficiency and sustainability is important for getting everyone thinking and for growing demand.  And this is something industry professionals can help with across less obvious segments, too.  Yes, there's also a picture of me on the treadmill, and yes I am sharing the one of Steve!  Donald and Chloe from Air Things were patient as I had a moment of guilt and admitted to them that I have an Air Things Wave Plus at home that is still in the box.  I first wrote introductory level IAQ content years and years ago about how we need to educate more widely and promote monitoring as a start to understanding how much work there is to do, and then I wanted to make the perfect video to show off how indoor air quality monitors work - and so I bought more than one monitor...  and never took them out.  Even when I undertook a significant HVAC upgrade to VRF heat pumps with 3 ERVS and meant to measure our IAQ before and after.  I promised to fix this and make the video soon.  I also met the Gray Wolf Sensing Solutions team, and James Richardson at Fellowes Brands and I had a great conversation about reactive HVAC and IAQ.  I learned consistently from all of these folks that the show air quality was pretty good! So now I have to go finally measure at home.   It was great to hang out "by the fire" with Julie Du Brow of USGBC California - it's been a while since we got to say hello in person! The Dunn Edwards team might win for the swag that's a combination of fun, funny, and practical?  I got read all the sustainability and health information about this nail polish, and we had a good laugh over it, too.  Certainly a conversation starter, so it was very clever in that sense.   This close-knit team deserves a shout out.  Ouf of Canada but busy locally with many California clients, Carol, Whitney and Selma are super friendly, and it's clear they have a terrific company culture.  I like how they present product samples in an appealing and educational way for clients (and attendees), and I was thrilled they're open to creating online content so they can help teach others who might not be in the green building industry or able to attend in-person. Speed Networking was surprisingly fun - and not stressful! A good number of people participated, and I heard a lot of positive feedback.  I thought Louis Virtel and Julia Louis Dreyfus did a good job of balancing storytelling with inspiration, especially so early in the morning.  Julia shared her loss in the Palisades Fire, but she was very interested in where we go from here and how we do better, because more climate change effects are coming.  She also brought up some of the striking equity issues from the fires, even though diverse groups of people also suffered losses.   Last but not least, here's a visual and a reminder that the Launch of the Common Materials Framework (CMF) Implementation Toolkit at Greenbuild was/is a significant milestone for the future of specification, transparency and impact measurement and just how industry professionals can talk with each other ,and ultimaely including lients as well as awareness and sophistication increase, about sustainable building materials more consistently and easily.  Now, how fast will everyone get on board and start and keep consistently making changes? There's a lot of hard work to do!      And that's a wrap for Greenbuild 2025!  There are conference educational sessions I might hope to report on more specifically and more people I met I where wish I had taken better photos of their products and booths.  But I hope this post gives a good idea of what it was like to be at Greenbuild 2025, and I hope to be in New York City next year to report more!  In the meantime, I'd love to connect!  I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible to help you showcase what you do, share your expertise and stories, and ask your green building questions across segments or across the world.  The more we keep talking and sharing, the faster we can build better, healthier buildings for everyone.          

Green Janitor Education Program (GJEP) - Smart, Sustainable Workforce Development

I was fortunate to meet Joshua Garza and Karen Aragon of Building Skills Partnership (BSP) at Greenbuild this year, and to learn about the Building Skills Green Janitorial Workforce Development Program, also known as the Green Janitor Education Program (GJEP).  GJEP empowers janitors to operate and maintain healthier, safer workspaces by providing training in a 30-hour curriculum which includes energy monitoring and conservation, waste reduction, water conservation, green cleaning, janitorial and occupant health and safety, green performance standards, and other sustainable topics and practices.   GJEP also focuses on communications skills and confidence building, encouraging and enabling custodians to report what they observe and advocate for improvements. The program recognizes that janitorial staff are often the first to perceive building health, safety, or operational challenges, and that these professionals need the confidence to communicate and act on what they perceive.      Started in 2014 with support from organizations including the USGBC California, BOMA-GLA, and SEIU-WSWW, the program is a partnership between labor unions, employers of janitors, and building owners and managers.  Everyone benefits from this kind of future-economy forward, environmentally responsible program. Examples of stakeholders and benefits include:    Employees gain new marketable skills and literacy and a validating certification for their efforts, and recognition for the important frontline position they play in building operations, impact, and health and safety.  Buildings save energy and water, which result in economic savings as well. BSP reports that on average, GJEP buildings use more than 5% less energy than non-GJEP buildings, and over 75% of GJEP buildings report lower energy usage.   Buildings also gain access to a skilled workforce following consistent practices and standards that can meet the demands of operating today’s buildings, including meeting the requirements of LEED and other building certifications and standards. The program can also contribute to a LEED innovation point.   Building management benefits from increased asset values and occupancy - people want to work in healthier, more sustainable spaces.  Building occupants also benefit from a professional janitorial team trained to operate today’s demanding buildings Surrounding communities benefit from reduced emissions and building operational impacts. There are also intangible benefits from community members learning sustainable skills and information they can also apply at home. According to GJEP, 80% of program participants say they apply information and practices at home they learned through the program.  Equity gains are also realized, as the program is inclusive of more building stakeholders.  Additionally, GJEP is offered in multiple languages, giving more people and professionals an interest and a voice in future sustainable outcomes   The GJEP curriculum is designed in collaboration with USGBC California, Building Skills Partnership (BSP), the Building Owners and Managers Association Greater Los Angeles (BOMA-GLA), industry experts, building owners, and the janitor’s union (SEIU-United Service Workers West). The program is currently available in California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas.GJEP partners with janitorial employers, property management companies, and responsible business owners in commercial properties, tech, and entertainment industries. To learn more about the Building Skills Partnership (BSP): https://www.buildingskills.org/workforce-development   To learn more about the Green Janitor Education Program (GJEP): https://www.buildingskills.org/green-janitor-education-program 

An Introduction to the BuildSMART Trailer - USGBC CA's Mobile Green Building Resource Center

USGBC California's Valentina Mejia kindly gave Rate It Green a tour of the BuildSMART trailer recently at Greenbuild.  BuildSmart is truly an inspiration, hosting over 80 green building materials in a mobile educational center that serves as a community outreach resource. BuildSmart reached over 5000 Californians in just its first two years through events, shows and with the help of local community partners.  With a focus on communities most impacted by climate change, a key BuildSMART goal to inspire and empower these communities through sustainability. Both tenants and homeowners can come see sustainable materials in person, including flooring, insulation, wall materials, even solar panels.  Fan favorites apparently include rain barrels for water conservation and adobe walls, because they look great and are natural, affordable, and have great insulating properties.  .   We look forward to learning more, and we also hope that BuildSSMART can inspire other communities to create similar educational resources where people can experience and learn about green building materials in person.  To learn more about BuildSMART: https://usgbc-ca.org/buildsmart/ The Florida USGBC Chapter also apparently has the "LiveSmart" mobile education center!Check out: https://www.usgbc.org/articles/livesmart-mobile-unit-teaches-about-green-living-usgbc-florida https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMSd7-wTSHA    

Scaling Energy Efficiency Investment in the Multifamily and Small and Medium Building Markets, Online, June 16, 2 - 4 pm ET

Commercial buildings are responsible for roughly 40% of total U.S. energy consumption per year, as well as almost 40% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and the multifamily and small and medium building (SMB) sectors represent a significant portion of these commercial building GHG emissions. These market sectors also represent a historically underserved group with enormous untapped potential for savings – but require a more efficient approach to analysis and auditing than those applied to larger buildings, while still maintaining an overall comprehensive approach from analysis to reporting to financing and implementation.  This course will: Discuss the challenges unique to working with multifamily and SMB properties. Demonstrate cost-effective and efficient approaches to analysis, cost estimation, financial projections, increased property value calculation, GHG emission reduction, and financing options through the use of the Energy Performance Improvement Calculation (EPICTM) tool. Present a process for owner engagement, analysis, reporting, communication and determining steps to implementation. Attendees will learn how to:  Describe the unique challenges and level of support required when working with multifamily and SMB properties. Summarize how to develop energy and cost savings estimates, implementation costs, and present financial projections for an energy efficiency project – in minutes and hours instead of days and weeks. Incorporate solar PV system analysis that considers the reduction in building energy use resulting from more efficient energy-using systems in the improved building. Present financial projections for financing options such as bank loans and C-PACE financing. Outline how to present these results and communicate with building owners and stakeholders – speaking their language (dollar signs instead of energy units).

10th Edition of International Conference On Materials Science And Engineering

The 10th Edition of International Conference on Materials Science and Engineering (Materials 2027) will be held from March 18–20, 2027, in Singapore, as a hybrid global platform dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and industrial applications in materials science. Organized under the theme “Innovations in Materials Science and Engineering for Future Technologies,” the conference will emphasize transformative developments that bridge fundamental science with real-world engineering solutions. Scientific sessions will cover a diverse range of topics, including nanomaterials, polymers and composites, biomaterials, electronic, optical and magnetic materials, energy materials for storage and conversion, corrosion science, and surface and interface engineering. The program will also highlight advancements in additive manufacturing (3D printing), smart and functional materials, sustainable and eco-friendly materials, lightweight structural systems, and high-performance materials for aerospace, automotive, and biomedical applications. Emerging areas such as computational materials science, AI- and machine learning-driven materials discovery, and advanced characterization techniques will also be featured. Materials 2027 will serve as a premier international forum bringing together researchers, scientists, engineers, industry experts, and students to exchange knowledge and foster collaboration. The conference aims to promote interdisciplinary dialogue, strengthen academia–industry partnerships, and accelerate the translation of innovative materials research into impactful technologies that address global engineering and sustainability challenges.   Reach us at: E-mail: materials@magnusconference.com Phone: 1 (702) 988 2320 WhatsApp: +1 (640) 666-9566 Website: https://magnusconferences.com/materials-science/ Materials Science Conference 2027 | Advanced Materials Congress 2027 | Materials Science World Congress | Biomaterials and Biomedical Materials Conference | Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Symposium 

Free Webinar: Healthy Schools - Ann Arbor Public Schools’ 21st Century Learning Leadership, June 24, 10 - 11:15 am ET

Ann Arbor Public Schools is helping lead Michigan’s transition toward healthier, lower-carbon buildings through the adoption of mass timber construction in its new school facilities. As part of the district’s bond-funded building program, new school projects are being designed with a focus on healthy indoor environments, safety, sustainability, and innovative building materials that support both student well-being and long-term climate goals. The use of mass timber—an engineered wood product that stores carbon while enabling high-performance design—represents a major shift in how public buildings can be constructed in Michigan. Recent updates to building codes and local development policies, alongside broader state adoption of the 2021 Michigan Building Code, are expanding opportunities for mass timber construction and allowing taller, more complex timber structures while maintaining rigorous safety standards. Key takeaways:  Why Ann Arbor Public Schools is choosing mass timber for new school facilities — and how it supports sustainability, indoor environmental quality, and community goals. How AAPS has used the procurement process to support its mass timber and sustainability goals in these facilities.  How mass timber design contributes to reduced embodied carbon and healthier built environments in educational settings. Practical insights from project teams on implementation, challenges, and lessons learned for future public projects. Participants will gain insight into the technical, policy, and design considerations shaping mass timber adoption in Michigan and how Ann Arbor’s experience can serve as a model for communities looking to build healthier, safer, and more climate-forward buildings. This webinar will be valuable for educators and administrators, construction and design professionals, sustainability advocates, and those interested in learning more about the applications of Mass Timber.

Emu Passive's Building Science Breakroom, Ask Your Questions Online, July 1, 9-10 am

Grab your coffee and join Emu Passive for "Building Science Breakroom", a live and interactive LinkedIn event where the team dives into all things building science! Whether you're an architect, builder, spec writer, or just a curious enthusiast, this is your chance to ask your burning questions or to get a second opinion about construction details, high-performance products, Passive House principles, or climate-specific challenges. Whether it's a tricky air barrier transition, a window flashing detail, structural thermal breaks or a project strategy pivot, submit your technical "headscratchers" here and solve them together with the Emu team.    About Emu Passive: Emu Passive's mission is to bridge the gap between everyday construction practices and the most advanced building science. Emu empowers professionals to build for the future with resilience, efficiency, and confidence through expert Passive House training and education. Emu passive has launched the 5000 Builders Challenge, an ambitious plan to train 5000 American construction professionals by 2030.

"Welcome Home" Norwell Passive House Project Tour, June 26, 9-11am, Dorchester, Massachusetts

Want to see for yourself how Passive House offsite construction meets the city’s affordable and infill housing goals? The team behind the Norwell Street infill project in Dorchester—developed as part of the City’s Welcome Home Boston initiative—will show you how they pulled it off.  This site tour will bring us inside one of the 12 units nearing completion of this innovative set of three small multifamily quadplexes targeting Passive House certification. Built on an abandoned lot in the Dorchester neighborhood, the project maximized City and State subsidy dollars to deliver high-quality, high-performance homeownership.  The team from Star Contracting Co and Hue Architecture will describe how they leveraged offsite panelization to streamline building envelopes and find construction efficiencies. They will cover their methods for optimizing building systems and how a creative approach created a scalable, cost-effective blueprint for other missing middle projects. Note - Space is limited to 40 attendees, so grab your (free) ticket now!

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