EEBA's High Performance Home Blog

Even as sustainability sits at the forefront of modern architectural trends, developing alternative energy solutions isn’t without its challenges. For example, not every city is ideally situated for harnessing solar power due to atmospheric conditions that limit annual sunshine. The good news is that solar energy is just one of the various forms of alternative energy that can be utilized by urban planners in sustainable building designs.  

With so many energy efficient innovations underway in the field of construction, it’s now easier than ever for builders to contribute to zero-energy efforts. In fact, they must recognize the significance of sustainability and how it impacts the future of their business. Follow along to learn more about how builders can contribute to a zero-energy lifestyle while reaping the benefits. 

Smart homes are no longer used for just convenience and security. Today, smart homes have become sophisticated home operating systems, with advanced sensing, control, automation, integration, and analytics tools. Samsung SmartThings, a leader in IoT and smart home automation, is a comprehensive smart home ecosystem that now has over 70 million active users. 

To kick off a carbon neutral home revolution, a new generation of green builders must start by assessing our footprint, normalizing carbon offsets, and enacting realistic government regulations.

May 11—A small housing development planned near downtown Granite Falls will be the first in Caldwell County incorporating renewable energy sources intended to virtually wipe out homeowners' electric bills.

In his new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Bill Gates identifies the need for the world to get to Zero Carbon by 2050 and the consequences to the global population if we do not. He uses Zero to quantify and provide a tool for measuring the effectiveness of various technologies for getting us there. Currently, the world emits 51 billion tons of greenhouse gases per year, and we need to get to Zero by 2050. The steps are measurable. The goal is ambitious but achievable. It will not be easy!

SEATTLE, WA (April 2021) – Residential developer, Dwell Development LLC, continues to push the envelope of sustainable design and green construction in the Pacific Northwest with the completion of their Net-Positive Energy and Built Green 5-Star residential building certification programs. 

Your home has a heating and cooling system for comfort. Yet it doesn’t have a healthy air system to ensure you breathe clean air. Since health and building science experts have proven that poor indoor air quality leads to respiratory conditions and many other illnesses, Panasonic created a solution for healthier indoor environments. Introducing Cosmos™, the first healthy home system.

This week, former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering 46-year-old George Floyd in Minneapolis. After 11 months of unrest and apprehension following George Floyd’s tragic death, we breathe a sigh of relief as jury member after jury member found Chauvin guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. 

For our Minneapolis-based EEBA team, this death and subsequent case hit very close to home. As communities struggle with uncertainty, it has become increasingly important to actively face the lack of diversity in our industry. 

Sustainable living is not determined solely by fuel types and building materials, it also requires an equitable distribution of resources. 

As public discourse around moisture issues in the home increases, it becomes increasingly vital to examine the health risks associated with these issues, and how builders can mitigate them. While high-performance homes and energy efficient HVAC systems are proven contributors to maintaining a health home, they also have unforeseen consequences.  

In this webinar, Nikki Krueger from Therma-Stor will provide a vital building science perspective for architects and builders to learn how and why to address indoor moisture risks (CYA) through dedicated moisture control systems in single and multifamily homes.