Posts in Category: Indoor Air

EEBA Announces 2026 Board of Directors

Minneapolis, Minnesota – The Energy and Environment Building Alliance (EEBA) is pleased to announce its 2026 Board of Directors, welcoming new leadership to continue the organization’s mission to advance high-performance, healthy, and resilient homes across North America. The 2026 Board reflects a diverse cross-section of industry leaders whose expertise spans high-performance homebuilding, sustainability, innovation, and building science. Together, they will help guide EEBA’s strategic priorities, educational initiatives, and industry partnerships in the year ahead. 2026 Board Officers President – Karen Kicinski Karen Kicinski is the Marketing Director and Co-Owner of LifeStyle Homes, headquartered in Melbourne, Florida. A long-time EEBA member and advocate for high-performance building, Karen brings extensive experience in builder engagements, marketing, and building science, particularly in hot-humid climates. Her leadership reflects EEBA’s commitment to... read more
 

Panasonic OASYS™: Transforming Indoor Air Quality and Efficiency in High-Performance Homes

By Ken Nelson, Group Sales Manager, Ventilation When it comes to building high performance homes, the air inside matters just as much as the walls, roof, or floors. Indoor air quality (IAQ) has moved to the forefront of home design, with homeowners and builders alike recognizing its impact on health, comfort, and long-term energy costs. In an era when people spend up to 90% of their time indoors, proper ventilation, filtration, and humidity control are no longer optional, they’re essential. Panasonic OASYS™ meets this need as groundbreaking Whole Home Air Quality Management System. Debuted in the OASYS Concept Home in March 2025 in Houston, Texas, OASYS represents a new way to experience indoor air, giving builders an innovative tool to deliver cleaner, more comfortable, and more efficient high-performance homes. OASYS: A Unified, Smarter HVAC System Panasonic’s OASYS™ Whole Home Air Quality Management System is more than an HVAC upgrade – it’s a fully electric... read more
 

Women in Construction

For this year’s Women’s History Month, EEBA invited three knowledgeable women: founder of Younger Homes Danielle Younger, co-owner and Marketing Director of Lifestyle Homes, Karen Kicinski, and co-founder of Charis Homes, Glenna Wilson, to share with us how they entered the sustainable building industry. Following a discussion about how the industry has impacted them and how they’ve impacted the industry in return, they also discussed the sustainable technologies and innovations they have implemented and provide advice for women looking to enter the residential construction industry. In this month's feature, we chose to highlight these three women to recognize the countless women that work courageously to advance equality and opportunities for women in the United States. Aaron Smith: Tell us about the most challenging and rewarding aspects of day-to-day operations in this industry. In what ways do you feel you uniquely meet those challenges? Karen Kicinski: The... read more
 

Heat Pumps Everywhere

One of the most mentioned items in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is heat pumps. The IRA provides significant rebates and/or tax credits for the installation of heat pumps. These rebates and tax credits make this technology worth considering for all builders and homeowners installing new equipment or upgrading old systems. Let’s cover what types of heat pumps are available and why you will want to consider them. Heat pumps are up to five times more efficient than standard systems and have the ability to use air or water to heat and cool systems within a home. Heat pumps use electricity to transfer thermal energy from one place to another instead of producing heat through combustion. Heat pumps can be classified into two types: ground-source and air-source. Both can provide efficient heating and cooling solutions with minimal electricity consumption and no combustion. How Different Types of Heat Pumps Function: Ground Source Heat Pumps: Geothermal heat... read more
 

Walk the Wok

A Conversation about Induction Cooking & Its Role in All Electric, Zero Energy Homes

 

Chef Rachelle Boucher of Kitchens to Life cooks her favorite Chinese New Year dishes as two of the top experts in Indoor Air Quality bring a fresh perspective to traditional cooking and the vital role of ventilation in today's homes. Instructors: Rachelle Boucher, Brady Seals, Alex Siow. 


 

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