Becoming a green builder

IDEAS FOR BUILDERS SEEKING TO DEVELOP GREEN BUILDING SKILLS

PRACTICAL  STEPS/GOALS:

1. Get a handle on your own home’s energy usage by analyzing your utility bills (see attached article).
2. Start asking your clients for their energy bills and do a similar analysis for them, both before and after their remodeling projects.
3. Have a blower door and infrared audit done on your own house, and then on a recently completed project (probably best to do this when the client is not home, the first time).
4. Develop a working relationship with someone with a blower door (or buy your own) so you can start testing your projects regularly: after insulation, before drywall, once again at the end of the project. Start to develop some air-sealing goals for your projects.
5. Develop a good enough handle on how the homes you work on perform, pre- and post-project, that you can start setting some energy-usage goals with your clients.
6. Develop a relationship with a HERS rater or other energy modeler and try to incorporate that service into the range of services you offer your clients.

USEFUL RESOURCES

Conferences:

• Affordable Comfort Institute (annual conference and a bi-annual New England regional conference, next to be held October 2012)
• NESEA (annual conference in March in Boston)
• Residential Construction Show by JLC Live (annual conference in March in Providence)

Seminars:

• Building Science Seminars

Websites:

• Massachusetts State Training Website for Building Professionals
• Center for EcoTechnology
• Green Building Advisor
• JLC Online Storefront
• Building Science Corp.
• NESEA Resources
• Affordable Comfort Institute Resources

Articles and books:

• See attached piece on a simple energy rating system.“
• Bruce Harley, “Insulate and Weatherize” from Taunton Press
• John Krigger and Chris Dorsi, “Residential Energy” from Saturn Resource Management

Prepared by Paul Eldrenkamp of Byggmeister Inc.