Insulation Institute Blog

Posts Categorized: Performance

Can the Gamification of EE Deliver Success?

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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Can the Gamification of EE Deliver Success?

The End of Home Sampling?

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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The End of Home Sampling?

ENERGY STAR Falls Behind in Thermal Envelope Performance

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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ENERGY STAR Falls Behind in Thermal Envelope Performance

Developing Careers in Building Performance

Eighteen months ago, Insulation Institute spoke with North Carolina Building Performance Association (NCBPA) Founder & CEO, Ryan Miller, about a comprehensive Building Performance workforce development initiative that could serve as a model for other states and organizations in recruiting workers into the Building Performance trades. The initiative

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Developing Careers in Building Performance

The Top 10 States for LEED Green Building

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world, and the number of LEED-certified buildings in the United States continues to grow. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently released the top 10 states for LEED Green building in 2019, a year in which the total number of certified projects reached 1,181.

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The Top 10 States for LEED Green Building

Number of HERS-Rated Homes Grows

The number of HERS-related homes in the United States continues to expand, according to new data released by Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET).  In 2019 a total of 241,909 homes in the United States were HERS-rated compared with 236,116 in 2018. That is an increase of 5,793 homes in one year. To date, 2.7 million homes have been HERS-rated.

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Number of HERS-Rated Homes Grows

Meet America’s Best Installer

Gerardo Macias, an insulation installer with Northern Insulation in Wauconda, IL, is the winner of the 2019 “America’s Best Installer” competition, held Nov. 7-9 in Denver, CO, and won the event’s top prize of $10,000. The annual competition, hosted by Insulate America and Johns Manville, saw Macias compete against contenders for the title in the competition, now in its sixteenth year. Insulation Institute staff witnessed the final competition and talked with several of the attendees, judges, and contractors about what it takes to walk away with the title and more importantly, deliver top quality insulation installation in the field, where proper installation is essential to achieving peak home energy efficiency and comfort.

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Meet America’s Best Installer