EEBA's High Performance Home Blog

2019 has been an incredibly successful year that has brought many new partners to EEBA, as well as new board members, and a bigger and better High Performance Home Summit where we had the privilege of rubbing shoulders with some of the most passionate and driven people in the industry. We’ve seen new opportunities presented through our strengthened partnerships with RESNET, The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, Professional Builder and Green Builder Media. We also continue our commitment to helping attract youth to the industry with our NextGen Scholarship Initiative. We are also excited for a new national partnership program that offers both inclusivity and exclusivity - all while lowering the cost across the board and delivering more value and benefits to all of our partners. And then there’s all that anticipation surrounding the idea of having a new CEO! EEBA staff, Nancy Bakeman and Cristen Burrell, are thankful for the incredible brain power and entertainment... read more

A research team at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have identified a way to harness energy from the sun and store it (potentially for decades), releasing the energy as on-demand heat. The molecular solar thermal liquid is made of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen and has the ability to collect solar energy and hold it until a catalyst triggers its release as heat. The Swedish team is currently focused on the heating benefits, although one of the big, unanswered questions that remains is whether or not the system can additionally produce electricity. Kasper Moth-Poulsen, lead researcher and a professor in the university’s department of chemistry and chemical engineering also believes the storage unit they’ve created for the technology has the “stability to outlast the 5-to 10-year life span of typical lithium-ion batteries on the market today.” One of many research groups looking to molecular thermal solar systems to provide solutions for climate change, the... read more

Ithaca, New York The Solar Home Factory, based in Geneva, New York is on a mission to build zero-energy homes. The company is birthed out of the desire to find solutions for heating issues in their region and to move people towards air pumps. What they found, however, is that most homes weren’t efficient enough for them so they continued using natural gas, coal or wood pellets. The Solar Home Factory utilizes SIPs and combines modular techniques with net-zero energy homes. In a previous development, homeowners were paying around 20 cents per day in heating costs (before solar credits). They are currently working on 43-unit single family home project in Ithaca, New York. Melbourne, Australia $784,000 was recently funded to a real estate group, Mirvac, to test a “net zero energy” housing project in a Melbourne suburb. The 49-townhome planned community will demonstrate the feasibility of achieving net-zero energy homes at scale and show homeowners how they can greatly... read more

Are you a student in a two-year or four-year university/college, vocational, apprenticeship, or other training program? Are you a recent graduate within the past 2 years? Or maybe you’re a young professional looking for a career shift? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may be eligible to apply for the NAHB’s Sustainability and Green IBS Scholarship and attend the International Builders’ Show for free. The Sustainability and Green IBS Scholarship provides an opportunity for students and recent graduates to be introduced to the world of high performance homes and helps them make the connections to jumpstart their career. The Scholarship recipient will receive airfare (up to $600), hotel accommodations (four nights), and a full registration to the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 21-23, 2020. They’ll be able to walk the show floor and take in all the latest products, and will also have access to networking events and a variety of educational... read more

Most of us can agree that technology has the potential to create both positive change as well as negative fallout. We take the good with the bad. One thing is undeniable though...the influence tech companies hold provides them the ability to create massive waves of change. And this is a good thing where clean energy is concerned. As reported earlier this year, Facebook has pledged to power its operations using 100% renewable energy by the end of 2020 and is currently building one of the largest solar farms in the United States. And just last month, Google committed to the biggest renewable energy deal in corporate history with a $2 billion wind and solar investment. In 2017 and 2018 they matched 100% of their electricity use with renewable sources and expect to do the same in 2019. While almost half of their renewable energy investments were made in Europe, the remaining investments were spread out through the United States - new solar farms will be built in Texas and North... read more

Green Builder Media is on the hunt for the best green homes that include sustainable features, innovative design, and whole home performance. Categories for the Green Home of the Year Awards are: General, Mainstream Green, Alternative Building Technology, Off-site Construction, Small Footprint Living, and Sustainable Community. 2019 projects were located all around the country - the Pacific Northwest, New York, Colorado, Hawaii, and Texas. This will also be the second year of their Sustainability Awards offering recognition for Green Innovation of the Year, Best Municipal Program, and Sustainability Superhero - last year, Nathan Good of Nathan Good Architects in Salem, Oregon, was awarded this recognition. Winners will receive coverage in the January/February 2020 issue of Green Builder magazine. A qualified panel of builders and design professionals will review entries and winners will be notified in December. Entries must be received no later than October 11, 2019 at... read more

Day 1 of the High Performance Home Summit was phenomenal! Beginning with the opening session with former Governor of Colorado Bill Ritter, to the winners of the DOE’s Housing Innovation Awards, there was a lot to celebrate. While some attendees participated in the HERS Associate class, others did deep dives into subjects surrounding codes, high performance homes and neighborhoods, disaster resilience, healthy homes, and building science. We closed out the day with our exhibitors and a fun-filled networking reception with great food and drinks. What was your highlight from Day 1? Day 2 offers both the Path to Zero Energy Homes, as well as the Houses That Work course. At the completion of both all-day classes, participants will have the option of taking a test to receive the specific EEBA Designation. Bruce Sullivan will teach the Path to Zero class while Gord Cooke will lead the Houses That Work class. During lunch don’t miss out on congratulating the winners of the EPA’s... read more

When you finally arrive at the EEBA High Performance Home Summit in just less than a week, keep a lookout for attendees who have a golden ribbon attached to their badge. These distinct ribbons will either say “NEXTGEN SCHOLAR” or “NEXTGEN SPONSOR” and represent students and sponsors who are part of EEBA’s NextGen Scholarship Initiative. The goal of the NextGen Initiative is to bring students, recent graduates, and young professionals from around the U.S. to the High Performance Home Summit, as well as other regional trainings, where they can connect with potential mentors and employers. The goal of the NextGen Initiative is to bring students, recent graduates, and young professionals from around the U.S. to the High Performance Home Summit, as well as other regional trainings, where they can connect with potential mentors and employers. Last year, prior to the official launch of the Initiative, EEBA brought 16 participants of the Department of... read more

The Soleil Lofts will demonstrate a virtual solar power plant with all 600 homes in the Herriman, Utah community generating and storing energy. The project will utilize Sonnen EcoLinx batteries and local utility company Rocky Mountain Power will use the batteries to provide emergency power and manage peak energy use. Read more about Soleil Lofts. Whether it’s the DOE’s Housing Innovation Awards or the EPA’s Indoor airPLUS Leader Awards, it’s likely you’ll find yourself sitting next to a winner at some point during the Summit. C&B Custom Homes, Charis Homes, Fulton Homes, Mandalay Homes, Maracay Homes, Thrive Home Builders, E3 Energy, Energy Inspectors, JKP Energy Inspections, Steven Winter Associates all received recognition for Indoor airPLUS awards. Companies receiving awards for the Housing Innovation Awards can be found here. Don’t miss the awards ceremonies on Days 1 and 2 during lunch. The NextGen Scholarship Initiative will give... read more

I’ve recently had dealings with the building department in a local jurisdiction. I’ve met with some of the officials. I like the people who work in the departments, but the antiquated processes holding up approvals is cringeworthy. I think it’s pretty rare to find a truly progressive building department anywhere in America (but please share if you know one and feel free to brag on them), and if nothing in the world ever changed, maybe that would be fine. We all understand the challenges. They’re diverse and complex. Entrenched deep into our systems. The politics can be exhausting. Many areas around the country are struggling with affordability issues - whether it’s the cost of land and building permits, the rising price of materials, the lack of labor, or all of the above. At the same time, cities and states are moving towards higher energy efficiency standards - many times creating higher building costs. California has obviously led the way with their own energy goals, with... read more