A consultant energy auditor is someone who doesn’t do the work themselves or even sub it out.

A contractor energy auditor is someone who audits and then will do the work themselves or sub out to a network.

When to Hire a Consultant-type Auditor

• When you want to do the work yourself and don’t need the referral or bid for work.
• When you want a more objective third-party assessment of your building.

When to Hire a Contracto-type Auditor

• When you don’t want the hassle of trying to manage the project yourself. You want it just to ‘get done’.

The pro’s and con’s seem straightforward. I’d say that neither model is better necessarily. There are good, competent people using both models for certain. Do your digging and networking and just find the best auditors in your area. Good service is worth the investigative effort.

Part of the Crew & Leader: Tim (left), Erik (middle), Marcia (right)

I just started this natural building/green building Meetup Group in Tucson, AZ and yesterday we had our first official meetup. What we did was take a trip to a place in Sulfur Springs Valley, AZ. Sulfur Springs Valley is a little nook in the southeast of Arizona near Bisbee. Three of us, myself, Tim, & Erik drove out there yesterday to learn a little bit about mud plastering.

Marcia Gibbons, a wonderful artist and passionate builder, hosted the party, and greeted us with the best kind of open energy possible in a person. I adored her from the start. Her shirt was brown with the mud from the plaster. She had obviously been hard at work before we got there. And it was only about 9 am on Sunday.

We first got the tour of her Earth dome. You’ll have to see the video (below) for more. I can’t even express how great it was! I want to build one!

The Earth Dome

Then, we got to work on the straw bale utility building, patching the walls with a mix of sifted earth and straw. There might have been one other ingredient but I was mainly helping with the application on the walls and forgot to get more details about the slurry.

Jim Making the Slurry (and Mudballs)

Marcia also gave us the low-down about a few things concerning green living: humanure, and DIY twig-burning stoves. (Her awesome composting toilet / outhouse out had it’s own instructions and the Humanure book in case you wanted more info).

The Humanure Collection Station

Anyway, I had a really wonderful time, met some great people, and I may update this blog post as I remember or find out more details.

Oh, and if you are interested in helping Marcia or seeing this for yourself, Marcia holds an Open House/Potluck every 1st Sunday of the month from 10 am to 1 pm. Go to her website to contact her.

The average life expectancy of a water heater is 13 years. So, choosing an efficient hot water heater now is important because you’ll be living with your choice for quite a while.

I posed the question of which type of existing water heater is more energy-efficient to one of my favorite green building listservs and got some thought-provoking responses.

I’m paraphrasing what I learned but the basic gist is this:

To understand the energy efficiency of hot water heaters, the lifecycle of the energy used by them must be taken into account.

Early Stage Energy
Electricity:
Here is where it is important to understand how much energy is used to produce the electricity before it goes to your heater. If it is a coal-fired power plant (about 50% of American electrical energy) then there is a lot of wasted energy in burning the fuel to produce the electricity. Fuel power plants are about 30-40% efficient, not including the energy to get the coal to the plant.

Gas:
Natural gas stays as gas and doesn’t undergo a conversion process where fuel is inevitably wasted in conversion. Perhaps the extraction process is energy intensive but, at the very least, there are no conversion losses.

Later Stage Energy
Electric:
100% of the electrical energy that enters your electric hot water heater produces heat.

Gas:
80-90% of the gas energy that enters your gas hot water heater produces heat. The rest of the energy is vented as combustion waste.

Conclusion:
At first I thought…gas is more efficient. At least it is cheaper which doesn’t necessarily correlate with efficiency. Now, I’m just not sure. Can a blog end with a question? I don’t know but I’m going to do it.

So, if you are arguing with your neighbor about which of your water heaters is more energy efficient at the present moment, I don’t know what to tell you. Future claims to the more efficient hot water heating system may be easier to determine because it will depend on future energy supply. If we start using more renewable in electrical generation, electric could well be more efficient or green overall. Of course, all of this is without consideration to solar hot water technology…a subject of another blog post perhaps.

Best!

Ok, you know you were waiting with bated breath for this…
Get ready!

It’s the Ultimate Caulking Checklist! That’s right. If you didn’t know where to look for air leaks, well, now you do!

Here you go…oh, and please tell me what I’ve missed.

HVAC ducts

• Where heating and/or air conditioning ducts pass through unfinished basements/attics/walls

Plumbing penetrations

• Faucets
• Pipes
• Openings around drain pipes in bathroom and kitchen
• Openings around the plumbing vent in the attic
• Outside plumbing faucet

Windows

• Around frames
• Around seals in storm windows

Doors

• Around frames
• Around hatch to attic or attic door

Fans & Vents

• Around room air conditioner
• Exhaust fans and vents

Fireplaces

• Where chimney flashing meets wood framing
• Openings around the chimney stack in the attic

Floors

• Where wall meets floor
• Cracks in floor or foundation

Walls

• Cracks in mortar
• Cracks in siding

Ceilings/Roof

• Where icicles develop, usually from a leak above that melts snow into water which drips down into icicles
• Around recessed lighting

Electric Outlets

• Electrical Wiring
• Exterior Utility Outlet
• Exterior Phone line opening

Foundation:

• Cracks in brick or foundation

Other:

• Between dissimilar materials, Interface between 2 diff building materials (e.g. molding strips where wall meets floor)
• Between porch and main body of the house
• At corners formed by siding

Log in and add to my list!

Robert began his journey by buying a few low-cost energy meters…the type that you plug into an outlet and then you plug your electronic device into the device. These simple meters will tell you how much energy an appliance or computer or light is drawing. Some may tell you that you can look at the Wattage rating on the device but it turns out that this may or may not be very accurate. So, these electric meters tell you how many watts you are truly drawing. The limitation to these meters is that you cannot use them to measure energy used for major appliances using 240V nor lighting fixtures that are not plugged into an outlet.

To remedy this issue, Robert went and bought a product called TED or The Energy Detective. He bought the device itself for $145 and the accompanying software for an extra $45. This allowed Robert to view his whole house consumption. The software will allow you to view peaks and valleys as you use different appliances throughout the day. (NOTE: I am not endorsing this product and have no relationship with this company. I am simply relaying what Robert has done.)

Although Robert claimed that the installation was easy, I did perhaps think that it is definitely a tool for those who are at least slightly mechanically inclined. I cannot see those less mechanically inclined installing these devices simply because it requires that you open the electrical utility box and place the meter around the correct wires. Yet, if you are facile with a few tools, I’d say that it isn’t that difficult. Robert explained what he did in about 5 minutes and it didn’t seem all that difficult. Basically, Robert had it set up such that only the voltage and current sensors are installed in the electrical panel, with a display on his desk, attached to his computer.

With the TED installed, Robert could then play detective himself. He could see the cycles (highs and lows of energy usage) that were due to his air conditioning turning on and off. He also could calculate his total energy usage and play with certain appliances and lights to see how much they increased his energy load.

By trial and error and a little bit of math, Robert was able to make these following changes to his townhome:

• Sealed air leaks.
• Replaced bathroom ventilation for moisture control.
• Sealing off vents to insulated, conditioned attic space.
• Decreased electrical load in his in-home office to decrease the corresponding temperature and cooling needs by daylighting and by switching from desktop computers to laptops.
• Installed one skylight in the office. Pre-existing skylight i bathroom was made more efficient adding two insulating domes. Pre-existing stairway skylight with replaced with an operable, double paned Low-E glass, skylight from Window Depot.
• Installed heat recovery vent on dryer for laundry (see picture below).
• Installed motion sensing devices in office and living room to shut off electronics when not in use. Often available on EBay for around $30.
• Purchased an EnergySTAR refrigerator (HUGE impact on the energy consumption, from 1500 kWh/yr to 600kWh/yr).
• Replaced a few selected lights (including kitchen under-cabinet) with LEDs

Heat Recovery unit on Clothes Dryer

Robert has about 1000 kWh to decrease before he becomes net zero but he has a few more projects planned that will take care of the last remaining kWhs:

• Plans to install solar hot water (glycol system because his townhome is 2-story)
• Plans to install solar PV (18 SunPower 230’s)
• Weatherstripping for upstairs windows, sliding glass door, 4 doors
• Insulation in attic
• Placing sheet of Low-e glass in 2 skylights

I hope I’ve done justice in describing how creative and smart Robert’s re-engineered energy usage is. It is obvious from speaking with him how much fun he had revamping his home. He’s even challenged a local energy auditing company to find something that he hasn’t thought of…but after he finishes his to-do list of course!

Most importantly of all, Robert’s example speaks of the ability of any person to make changes to his or her energy consumption patterns without giving up very much in terms of lifestyle. Robert still keeps his Tivo on, he doesn’t take cold showers and/or deny himself much. Robert states that his largest lifestyle change has been paying attention to the outside temperature and opening and closing windows and blinds accordingly.

Thank you so much Robert for letting us benefit from your experience!
Applause for your contribution to stemming climate change!

Basically there are two different scenarios when buying a home: the home will be “certified” green or it won’t be. Each scenario requires slightly different investigative actions on your part.

Certified Green Homes

If you are lucky enough to find and buy a certified green home (certified through the USGBC’s LEED for Homes program, Earth Advantage, or other such rating system), then such a home will certainly come with a list of features that are touted as environmentally responsible. The first thing to do if you are buying a certified home is to know what the certification means. In other words, find out what criteria are assessed in the particular rating system. For example, the LEED for Homes rating system rates a home along 8 different criteria:

• Location & Linkages (e.g. access to open space, basic community resources, and public transit, location on previously developed lots, etc. )
• Sustainable Sites (erosion control, heat island effect, landscaping, nontoxic pest control, etc.)
• Water Efficiency (e.g. water reuse, irrigation systems, indoor water use, etc.)
• Energy & Atmosphere (e.g. optimized HVAC, efficient hot water heating, refrigerant management, etc.)
• Materials & Resources (e.g. material-efficient framing, environmentally-preferrable products, etc.)
• Indoor Environmental Quality (e.g. combustion venting, moisture control, outdoor air ventilation, etc.)
• Home Owner Awareness and Education

If you are a prospective home buyer looking at a certified home, you will want to find the sustainable features that mean the most to you and compare them across the homes you are considering. For example, if you are only concerned with reducing energy bills, then you will want to look at the Energy & Atmosphere rating of each home and compare them to see which home comes out ahead. This can get a little tricky as you compare across different rating systems (e.g. a LEED home vs. a NAHB home) because they break down their rating systems differently.

However, this comparison will allow you to understand the value that each home will give to you and increase your chances of getting the green features that you want.

Non-Certified, Green-Ready Homes

If you are buying a pre-existing home (truly green because you are reusing it…good job!), then you will want to do something similar to what I was describing for the certified homes above except that you’ll have more leg work to determine your own “rating” on each feature you compare. In other words, no one will hand you a rated list of features to compare. You’ll have to make your own list of features and then rate them yourself.

For example, if you are solely concerned with the energy efficiency of the home, you will definitely want to ask your realtor questions about the HVAC system, insulation, roof type, doors, and windows. You will need to learn a little bit about these home features so that you know which are more energy efficient and which are not. Then, compare your prospective homes on these features.

Some Specifics

So, those were the general ways of going about looking at your prospective homes. Do I have any specific tips? Sure! Here are some:

• Attics: Find attics with some crawl space. You can add extra insulation at relatively low cost. Good to do because roofs account for about 40% of heat loss/gain.
• Home orientation: Especially if you are in a warm climate with high cooling bills, choose a home that runs long east to west rather than north to south. You’ll have an easier time keeping it cool.
  
• Windows: Windows can be expensive to replace. Obviously, dual-pane is better than single-pane. So, try to find a house with good windows so that you won’t lose too much heating or cooling through them.
• Heat Island Effect: Look for homes with little surrounding paved or brick area. This will keep the heat island affect down and also decrease stormwater runoff (and the erosion that goes with it).
  

I hope that this information is helpful. If you have other suggestions for what to look for in green or green-ready homes, chime in!

A recent Department of Energy (DOE) “CALiPER Benchmark Report” highlighting a new study on LEDs was forwarded to me by a colleague today. (Thanks Jim!) More proof that LEDs are not yet the energy-saving saviors of the world yet. First of all, the total energy used to manufacture LEDs hasn’t been tallied and compared to other light sources and thus can’t be determined as lower. Secondly, as this study points out, the comparatively low levels of light output do not satisfy building use requirements, especially in retrofit applications where luminaire capacity may already be determined.

I’m on only one. And I hope to keep it that way. Talk about volume of email! These people are VERY active, AND extremely savvy about green building. So I won’t cancel my subscription. No way. No how. I just set up an automatic rule in my MS Outlook to put the email in it s own folder. That way, I can glance in the folder at my leisure.

I was going through the folder today and I came across one person’s questions about vinyl siding. What caught my curiosity even further was another person’s share about a movie called “Blue Vinyl” which seems to have something to do with a woman’s battle with a cancer caused by exposure to synthetic chemicals. She is curious about the consequences of putting vinyl on the side of one’s house or in one’s house. (By the way, I’m not endorsing this. I’m just relating how I finally managed to get some good blogging material. It was a bit circuitous in this case.)

So, she’s curious. Now I’m curious. What does LEED say about vinyl if anything? I searched through the new LEED 2009 NC specs and found just one reference to vinyl and that is in EQ credit 4.3: Low-Emitting Materials: Flooring Systems (1 point). Basically LEED is now giving a point for flooring products compliant with the FloorScore standard. Vinyl is listed as one of the products covered by the FloorScore standard.

I read the LEED text. I reread the LEED text. I STILL don’t understand something. Let me show you what I mean:

(All text in GREEN and underlined is newly added text.)

Requirements
All flooring must comply with the following as applicable to the project scope. All carpet installed in the building interior shall meet the testing and product requirements of the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus program.
All carpet cushion installed in the building interior shall meet the requirements of the Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label program. (ADDED) This credit is only available to projects where carpet is installed.

All carpet adhesive shall meet the requirements of EQ Credit 4.1: VOC limit of 50 g/L.

AND

All of the hard surface flooring must be certified as compliant with the FloorScore standard (current as of the date of this Rating System, or more stringent version) by an independent third party. Flooring products covered by FloorScore include vinyl, linoleum, laminate flooring, wood flooring, ceramic flooring, rubber flooring, wall base, and associated sundries.

An alternative compliance path using FloorScore is acceptable for credit achievement according to the following stipulations. 100% of the non-carpet finished flooring must be FloorScore certified, and it must comprise, at minimum, at least 25% of the finished floor area. Potential examples of unfinished flooring include floors in mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, and elevator service rooms

AND

Concrete, wood, bamboo, and cork floor finishes such as sealer, stain and finish must meet the requirements of South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1113, Architectural Coatings, rules in effect on January 1, 2004. VOC limits are listed below.
• Clear wood finishes: varnish 350 g/L; lacquer 550 g/L
• Floor coatings: 100 g/L
• Sealers: waterproofing sealers 250 g/L; sanding sealers 275 g/L; all other sealers 200 g/L
• Shellacs: Clear 730 g/L; pigmented 550 g/L
• Stains: 250 g/L

AND

Tile setting adhesives and grout must meet South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule #1168. VOC limits are listed below and correspond to an effective date of July 1, 2005 and rule amendment date of January 7, 2005.
• Ceramic tile adhesive: 65 g/L
• Grout and mortar: 250 g/L

OR

All flooring products will meet the testing and product requirements of the California Department of Health Services Standard Practice for The Testing Of Volatile Organic Emissions From Various Sources Using Small-Scale Environmental Chambers, including 2004 Addenda.

In an effort to be thorough in understanding these revisions, I went to this page of the USGBC’s website. Here they have links to the NC documents during the Balloting process. On the right, under “LEED 2009Member Ballot Open: View the Current Drafts”, there is a link to “New Construction”. If you click on this link, a folder opens and there will be 2 Excel files inside which show the comments taken about all of the credits. You have to go the EQ tab and scroll down to find comments about EQc4.3.

I didn’t seem to find what I want there.

Here’s my unanswered question:

Does the above text mean that if certain types of finished flooring (i.e. vinyl, linoleum, laminate flooring, wood flooring, ceramic flooring, rubber flooring, wall base, and associated sundries) account for over 25% of the floor space, then 100% of that finished flooring must be FloorScore certified? Otherwise, if the finished flooring is less than 25% of the floor space, don’t worry about the VOCs because the relative off-gassing amount is negligible?

Any insight or experience with this?

When I was reading the comments submitted to the USGBC about the new wording for this credit, I did come across a couple people vehemently stating that this credit needed to be worth 2 points. I had to laugh. I wonder if these comments came from the manufacturers of vinyl or linoleum flooring. Hmm… Suspicious.

So, I have read and reread the GBCI website (especially the FAQs) and here is my last word on the matter:

Options for current LEED APs

1. Do Nothing

Consequences:

• May still use the LEED AP title.
• Listed as an “inactive” LEED AP.
• Cannot use the new LEED AP+ designation.
• Not listed in active registry after June 2011.

2. Opt In BEFORE June 30, 2011

Consequences:

• Must choose which AP+ title best fits your experience.
• You DO NOT have to retest.
• You are bound by the disciplinary policy that you just signed.
• You have agreed to credential maintenance (30 hours, min 6 LEED specific) and you have 2 more years to complete this.
• $50 Biennial Maintenance Fee is waived.

3. Opt In AFTER June 30, 2011

Consequences:

• You must retest: Green Associate Exam & LEED AP+ Exam.
• You must meet eligibility requirements (professional experience on at least one LEED project with proof and documentation required from an employer or from LEED online).
• You are bound by the disciplinary policy that you just signed.
• You have agreed to credential maintenance (30 hours, min 6 LEED specific).
• Pay $50 for accreditation maintenance.

But don’t take my word on this. I am taking my best stab given the only real resource I have at the moment which is the GBCI website.

Let me know if you find something which conflicts.

I first started volunteering on the Tucson Branch’s Communications and Program Committees. The Communications Committee had more work for me to do, so most of my initial experience was working with Nate, Nancy, and a few others to create more efficient, more effective communication between committees as well as to the public. We worked on automating communications using the web, email and other forms of electronic communication. Never one to be afraid of trial by fire, I volunteered to help write a press release for our Membership Outreach event last October. Others stepped in to help me and I learned so much from my mistakes. What a wonderful experience! I learned what needs to be included in a press release, how to draft succinct communication, and how to ask others for help.

Volunteering with the Emerging Green Builders Committee also was a great experience. (Southern AZ Branch website, National EGB website) We had a few meetings and then I offered our services at the same Membership Outreach event mentioned above in October 2008. I was able to create and present a talk on changes in the new LEED 2009 system and how these affected businesses involved with green building.  The focus was on how to transition smoothly into using the new LEED 2009 system.

This year, I will be shifting my volunteering energies a bit. I will be chairing the Tucson Branch Technical Committee. I like learning about the technical specifications and HOW we make green buildings. In learning some of the nitty-gritty details,  I believe that I can gain a better understanding of the feasibility and drawbacks if any of sustainable products and practices. For example, in the Technical Committee, a colleague and I are working on understanding the current state of LEDs. My colleague is an architect and a lighting designer and has found that the current efficiency of LEDs is NOT where it could be. In other words, LEDs will save energy in the coming years but the technology is not there yet. Had my colleague not been delving into the details and technical specifications, she might not have known this. Thus, I aspire to understand the details so as to better my understanding of ‘green’ and to be able to sift through the marketing hype.

Another avenue of volunteering is serving on the Governing Council of your local branch. This year, I was also co-opted into the USGBC Southern AZ Branch Governing Council. That is where decisions are made that affect the Southern AZ Branch as a whole. I find this position very exciting. Just this past weekend, we were given a Dynamic Governance training (which is a whole other story in and of itself). Suffice it to say that our fearless leader for the training brought us closer to understanding this powerful governing process/tool.

As if all that wasn’t enough to keep me busy until the next millenium, I also applied to compete for the LEED for Homes (LEED-H) Advocate position for our state and was accepted! Great Scott! I’m very excited about this position mostly because I will be learning much about the residential home building industry and how to best advocate for the LEED rating system within it. My passion is to give everyone, not just the affluent, the chance to live in environmentally-sustainable, non-toxic homes.

So….what’s my message here? I guess it might be: give your time to volunteer with the USGBC. It has been incredibly worth it to me. I’ve gotten back much more than I’ve given. I’m recruiting for the Technical Committee and we have a lot of great things planned for the year. Shoot me an email and let me know if you are interested!