Michigan State University (MSU) researchers have published analysis that concludes that large AI models can produce effective retrofit decisions but are less likely to identify which can deliver the best result most quickly and at the lowest cost. The study is one of the first to look at how large language models (LLMs) perform in determining how to assess efficient and effective building energy retrofits.
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Analysis conducted by ICF consulting compared the home energy performance of the 2020 National Green Building Standard (NGBS), the first residential green building standard to undergo the full consensus process from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the 2021 Residential International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The analysis showed that the NGBS is not equivalent to the 2021 IECC except possibly at the Emerald level, and all homes at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels result in worse energy performance and higher energy costs than the 2021 IECC.
Details »With the cost of homeownership skyrocketing and extreme weather on the rise, it’s increasingly important to know if your home is financially and physically resilient.
Housing affordability is a nationwide concern for homeowners. Rising costs across insurance, taxes, and utilities are creating serious financial strain. These rising costs are alarming enough, but when combined with the increasing threat of severe weather events, like the recent snowstorm in Portland, Oregon, that left 132,000 people without power for over a week, risks are leading homeowners to question if they’re properly prepared.
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Shawn Nienhouse is a Certified Green Home Professional (CGHP) and Construction Project Manager for Habitat for Humanity of Kent County in Grand Rapids, MI. He oversees the construction of LEED-certified housing for families in need. His background also includes a stint as an estimator for a production builder that built close to code minimum homes. He’s spent significant time recently learning building science principles and high-performance, green construction details, and he shared his thoughts with us recently on why home builders must evolve from code-built to high-performance.
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Researchers at Purdue University this week announced the creation of a patent-pending Internet of Things (IoT) software program called MySmartE that incentives people to use energy efficiency programs offered by the government and industry. Why does that matter? The lack of residential engagement with energy efficiency programs to measurably reduce energy use is stymying efforts to decarbonize the built environment, a priority for virtually every government and industry. Early results show that gamification might just do the trick.
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One of the dirty little secrets of modern home building is that some high-performance building programs allow home sampling or assigning all homes within a development the same performance characteristics or scoring as a reference home. The implementation of sampling was always challenging to monitor and assess. The implied promise for each home built to a specific high-performance certification target (i.e., HERS-rated, ENERGY STAR, Earth Craft, and others) is that it was inspected individually by a trained and certified energy performance professional. Of course, all homes, not just those built to the requirements of a home performance certification program, should be inspected. Still, these inspections are crucial to ensure quality and performance for buyers paying a performance premium.
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Jacksonville area home builder Providence Homes was recently awarded the ENERGY STAR partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the seventh time.
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A newly released study by ICF, an international consulting firm with expertise in the energy and energy efficiency sectors, shows that upgrading building envelope insulation and air sealing leads to substantial energy savings and carbon emission reductions.
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For more than 25 years, the ENERGY STAR® Homes program has positioned itself as the market leader in cost-effective, energy-efficient new home construction. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advertises that homes built to ENERGY STAR specifications are 10 to 20 percent more efficient than homes built to code1. But behind the advertising claim, what does an ENERGY STAR really demand from homes bearing its label? The ENERGY STAR Homes program reference designs for Versions 3 and 3.1 include 2009 and 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) envelope requirements, respectively. Oddly, the program’s inspection checklists only require the thermal envelope to meet 2009 IECC prescriptive requirements. ENERGY STAR also allows homes to go below 2009 IECC insulation2 levels if improved air sealing is achieved.
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Experts predict that 20-30 percent of the U.S. workforce could be working from home multiple days per week by the end of 2021.[1] With this shift to remote work, a dedicated home office becomes essential, and optimizing that space for functionality and comfort is a top priority.
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