Water was once an afterthought in the modern built environment. Spurred by extreme drought, infrastructures concerns, and an innate comprehension of the importance of this vital resource, water no longer falls into that category. Using water effectively has been become a primary challenge for those in the building/construction, management, and buildings science fields. This session will explore not only cutting edge technologies and techniques for using water efficiently, but also the underlying drivers that are creating changes to law, code, and user expectations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Articulate several major drivers that are impacting water use through policy, code, and practices.
2. Recognize trends in the building industry that are impacting water use
3. Understand how practices over time and across regions have influenced homes and water buildings
4. Identify several emerging trends in technology and management practices that can help address water use in homes and buildings

When companies strategically choose to cooperate to accomplish shared objectives, everyone benefits from leveraging shared resources, skills and knowledge.  Collaboration is critically important when executing programs or initiatives that have a high level of uncertainty, complexity and risk. The building of higher performing homes contains all three of these elements, making collaboration an imperative for any builder that chooses to chart a better course.

Learning Objectives:

In this session you will learn the critical elements for creating and sustaining successful collaborations, the benefits from collaboration, and how to prevent a failed collaboration.

Insights of high-performance and sustainable homes, communities, and lifestyles that are informing home building today and tomorrow.

Lab and field studies have demonstrated that central air conditioning and heat pump systems are installed with faults and errors as often as 50% of the time, including duct leakage, refrigerant undercharge/overcharge, oversized systems with nominal ductwork, improper fan speed, and low airflow, among others.  This results in up to 30% reduction in efficiency right from the start, in addition to comfort complaints for homeowners and callbacks for contractors.  A new breed of “expert” automated validation systems (AVS) provide quantitative capabilities to commission systems at start-up by performing system diagnostics and coaching the installer. They also provide reporting and alerts through fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) to both the homeowner and dealer for the life of the equipment.  This session will explain how two different AVSs work, including what is measured, what is computed, and what feedback is provided to the HVAC technician.  A live demo is included.  It will also discuss how these systems are being used to verify proper HVAC installation for ENERGY STAR and utility programs.  Importantly, presenters will also share feedback from HVAC dealers who are using AVSs, including impact on callbacks, installation time, and repair scheduling.

Learning Objectives:

1.  Dealer benefits to using an AVS for both commissioning and ongoing monitoring and alerts.
2.  Homeowner benefits to using an AVS.
3.  How to sell an AVS.
4.  How the internet of things (IoT) is enabling increased control, efficiency and comfort from HVAC systems.

Anyone can build an energy efficient or net zero home with unlimited funds, but for most projects, funds are limited.  The challenge is how to assess where to most effectively put you energy saving dollar, and when does it no longer makes sense.  With energy modeling tools at our disposal, we can answer this question. With the cost of PVs coming down, getting to net zero energy use is now a realistic goal.  Understanding when to stop investing in energy savings and when it is better to invest in energy generation is now the responsibility of designers.

Using several recent net zero and energy efficient projects as examples, Mr. Rahill will demonstrate a simple methodology for determining where best to spend your energy saving dollar, how to balance the investments among components and when to stop, using recent net zero and other energy efficient projects as examples.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will understand the critical principles behind net zero design.
2. Participants will learn how and when to maximize energy savings through insulation, daylighting, and efficiency mechanical and electrical systems.
3. Participants will understand the opportunities and challenges of different power generation options.
4. Participants will understand the importance of balancing energy savings and generation.

Hear from three top, award winning, high performance home builders as they discuss their thoughts on building and promoting energy efficient homes. Participate in a candid question and answer session to learn why builders choose to build above code, learn about the financial impacts of this and learn about the different strategies for the successful delivery of energy efficient homes to the market in three different areas of the country. Finally, get some insight from these builders on their vision for the future of housing.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn strategies for building energy efficient homes in different climate zones.
2. Learn the systems behind scaling an energy efficient home building business.
3. Understand the financial justification for building energy efficient homes.
4. Understand why builders choose to build above the energy code and learn some specific results of this business decision from builders who have made it.

All building envelope assemblies must appropriately control the transfer of heat, water, air and vapor. The direction and degree of these drives vary with climate, season, occupancy and other conditions. A successful wall design must reliably accomplish these performance goals while also being durable, constructible, affordable, and accessible. This session will describe two cutting edge wall systems in the context of basic principles.

Perfect Wall Systems:  This presentation will describe the principles and applications for robust, high performance building enclosures that go beyond codes for superior comfort, efficiency, durability, and indoor air quality.  It will cover the design and delivery of two “perfect wall” systems that provide a robust enclosure solution for affordable zero energy ready homes. This presentation will introduce “MonoPath,” a new structural system that simplifies and speeds up construction saving enough money on the structure for investment in high-performing exterior control layers.

Extended Plate and Beam (EP&B) Wall:  The EP&B wall system is composed of familiar light-frame wall materials used in an innovative configuration that places the rigid foam insulation between the framing and the OSB, rather than outside of the sheathing.  EP&B walls offer high value and reduced risk for builders transitioning to high performance walls. This presentation will cover EP&B construction methods for both field-framing and off-site panelization, schematic details, structural shear test results, moisture performance in both lab and field conditions, and performance and cost comparisons to other wall types.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn the basic principles of thermal and moisture performance of walls and other building assemblies.
2. Learn the importance and role of the four building enclosure control layers (heat, water, air, vapor).
3. Gain an understanding of a "perfect wall" system, how it incorporates control layers, and its cost and benefits.
4. Gain an understanding of the Extended Plate and Beam Wall system, including installation details, costs, and structural and moisture performance results.

This session will discuss the overall objectives and interim results of a Building America project focused on integrating a new technology for automating the building sealing process in new homes. The process involves briefly pressurizing the building while applying an aerosol sealant “fog” to the building interior. As air escapes the building through leaks in the envelope, the sealant particles are carried to the leaks where they impact and stick, sealing the leaks. A standard blower door is used to facilitate the sealing process, and provide real-time feedback and a permanent record of the sealing. The technology is thus capable of simultaneously measuring, locating, and sealing leaks in a building remotely. Demonstrations of the technology have been very successful typically sealing 80% of the sealable leakage in under two hours of injection.

The Building America project will provide significant research needed to successfully integrate aerosol envelope sealing into the home building process. The project team is working directly with builders to identify the best stages for incorporating aerosol sealing, from the perspectives of cost, performance, and seamless integration into the construction process. The cost of the aerosol sealing and resulting house tightness are compared to similar group of houses using conventional sealing methods. In addition to producing tighter houses, conventional sealing methods are evaluated to determine whether they can be eliminated or reduced to further improve cost effectiveness. This talk will present the results of the initial sealing demonstrations for builders in California and Minnesota.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the aerosol sealing approach for automating building envelope sealing.
2. Compare the performance of aerosol envelope sealing to manual sealing strategies.
3. Identify appropriate stages of construction where aerosol envelope sealing can be applied.
4. Identify manual sealing efforts that can be eliminated when applying aerosol envelope sealing.

The Home of the Future is Here Today and Being Recognized at EEBA:  National Housing Innovation Awards

Builder partners with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home program deliver performance in the top 1% of our nation’s housing industry. This is based on their ability to construct homes that meet the federal government’s most rigorous guidelines for energy efficiency, durability, comfort, and indoor air quality. More importantly, they provide a superior home ownership experience that will take customer satisfaction to a whole new level.

As I have often said, it is easy to be cynical about awards… but not this time. Zero is the future and Zero Energy Ready Home builders deserve recognition for leading the way. Once again, EEBA is showcasing this leadership by hosting the Housing Innovation Awards on October 11, 2017. This promises to be a special year with an unprecedented level of builder competition for this recognition. This is where you come in. The EEBA community needs to become fully informed about the leaders of the ultra-high performance home movement and start sharing their impressive results with other builders. That begins by participating in this event and learning about the outstanding technical and marketing solutions driving the growth of Zero Energy Ready Homes.

So, please do join us for another great event.

Sam Rashkin
Chief Architect, U.S. DOE Building Technologies Office

There is a significant push in the industry and by codes to bring ductwork into the conditioned space. There are numerous methods to achieve this, but many require redesigning of the building. What options are available that are simply modifications/additions to typical practice?

The Building America program has been researching options to bury and encapsulate attic ductwork in insulation to enable comparable conditions to having ducts completely in the conditioned space. The history of research on buried and encapsulated duct systems as well as the advantages and disadvantages of these systems compared to alternative strategies will be provided.

In addition, while the practice of burying ducts is not new everywhere, having prescriptive code language is. The 2018 IECC laid out a prescriptive path for the use of buried ducts with fibrous insulation in vented attics, for all climate zones. This includes guidance on how to design and install buried ducts in hot/humid climates. The code change, which was the result of an NAHB amendment, has the potential to provide a vented attic design that is highly energy efficient but at lower cost than unvented attics.

Learning Objectives:

1. An overview of past research done on bringing ductworks into conditioned space.
2. A detailed summary of the code changes. There are variants of buried duct approaches with different code, and energy modeling, implications.
3. A description of how builders can use this practice today, even if their area is not yet on the 2018 IECC.
4. An overview of the energy and cost benefits of this approach compared to traditional or unvented attic design.
5. A synopsis of relevant field research proving out this practice by showing how it can be done effectively, and safely, in all climates, even hot/humid ones.

What features of a home are most valuable for ensuring superior indoor air quality?
What level of filtration is advisable and how should it be configured?
Is baseline mechanical ventilation really needed?
Is there anything beyond Indoor airPLUS?

Research by Berkeley Lab and Building America teams aims to answer these and many other questions to ensure that efficient homes are also healthy. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn preliminary findings of the California new home ventilation and IAQ study.
2. Learn the objectives and key elements of Building America’s planned study of IAQ and ventilation in new homes located in three US climate zones.
3. Understand how the IAQ Scoring Tool is being designed to value features that reduce the risk of air pollutant health hazards, odors and irritants, and moisture-related problems.
4. Understand the potential uses of low-cost IAQ monitors in homes.

We learned a great deal on how to construct new houses to be flood resistant from Katrina. Constructing new houses to be flood resistant is easy compared to rehabilitating existing ones….especially ones with brick that you don’t want to strip off the exterior. This presentation looks at how to fix the existing houses using materials that were not available a decade ago. And how to improve upon what we learned a decade ago from Katrina using our new found understanding in the construction of new houses.

• Joe Lstiburek's Presentation

New homes use less energy and water than their standard counterparts. But as envelopes, HVAC equipment, and lighting have become more efficient, heating water is a significant target for reducing a home’s energy and environmental footprint. Across the nation, consumers and utilities are targeting heat pump water heaters as the high performance option for supplying hot water. The technology has been around long enough to be a proven performer, and recent innovations have enhanced reliability and performance. This technology provides benefits to consumers and utilities looking to save energy and enhance grid performance, and to state and local planners concerned with carbon emissions and other environmental effects.

As consumers become more aware of this technology, and utilities and agencies continue to promote it, builders have an opportunity to improve their high performance brand by adding heat pump water heaters to their product design. This session will describe key HPWH technologies, who manufactures them, tips on installing them, and the latest advances. The value of installing HPWHs to consumers, utilities, and local government planners will be described. The HPWH supply chain will be described, including topics such as product distribution and availability. Product cost and economics will be covered. And, market trends and demographics will be used to show where HPWH markets are likely to be successful.

Learning Objectives:

1.  Learn key heat pump water heater technology options, who manufacturers them, tips on installing them, the latest advances, and how heat pump water heaters can impact home energy loads.
2.  Understand the value of installing heat pump water heaters to consumers, utilities, and local government planners.
3.  Understand the supply chain for how heat pump water heaters come to market.
4.  Learn where markets in the U.S. favor the installation of heat pumps from a sales and public benefit perspective.

Homeowners are increasingly asking for a healthy indoor environment on top of energy efficiency, low maintenance, and many other amenities. Indoor airPLUS builders are poised to provide all these great benefits and offer their clients a safer, healthier home.

In this session, EPA staff, a third party verifier, and an Indoor airPLUS builder partner will discuss how effective planning and quality assurance (QA) have helped these partners succeed in earning the IAP label, enhancing consumer confidence with healthier living conditions in their new homes. EPA will present new tools and QA checklists for verifiers to help their builder get off on the right foot with Indoor airPLUS.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will:
1. Hear what’s emerging at EPA with Indoor airPLUS QA,
2. Explore how to implement it successfully,
3. Hear success stories from Indoor airPLUS partners, and
4. Discover approaches to improved quality management to ensure success.

In Part 1 of this dynamic series join industry leaders, and innovation and technology experts in a lively conversation about driving change in the building industry. Hear from an ex-Amazon technology authority as he recalls his journey into the housing industry. Panasonic CityNOW will explain how they are creating the most energy efficient, smart communities in the world. We’ll give you a better understanding of the emerging off-site construction revolution and end with an enlightening, “Did You Know…” presentation from Momentum Innovation Group that will introduce you to a few of the non-traditional partnerships taking shape in the industry as  well as the cutting-edge construction tools and products of the future.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn how technology and innovation are being utilized to solve housing challenges.
2. Hear about two of the most sustainable, resilient, connected communities in the world.
3. Understand that “how we build” and “what we build with” is changing.

After the break, we’ll wrap up Part 2 with an interactive workshop where attendees will collaborate with panel members, and each other, as we work together to create solutions, stretch our thinking, and challenge each other on the future of the industry. During this session, we may have some impassioned debates on the role of technology in construction; you may discover what true innovation means to you and your company; and we may ask you to build a “Home Building Dream Team” - using non-industry players. Join us for what is sure to be a creative and compelling workshop on innovation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Be challenged, inspired, and motivated to think outside-the-box when it comes to solving industry challenges.
2. Leave with a better understanding of how innovation is imperative to the future your company.

While finding outstanding success in many market sectors, LEED for Homes has struggled to gain market share with national production builders. In short, the certification process has proven too cumbersome and time intensive to dovetail with a production schedule. USGBC has taken the upcoming switch to LEED v4 for Homes as an opportunity to rectify this.

The new LEED for Homes v4 rating system will have a certification pathway specifically optimized for a production builder. Join Asa Foss, Technical Director of LEED for Homes, and Tom Flanagan, QAD and LEED Specialist of EnergyLogic, to learn how the new process overcomes the three major hurdles to making LEED digestible in a production environment:  cost, timeline, and administration. (If you’re following along – that’s basically the whole process!)

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand technical program requirements of LEED v4 rating system.
2. Understand the basic requirements of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program.
3. Understand new DOEZERH alternative compliance path to meet LEED prerequisites and credits.
4. Know how DOEZERH pathway can streamline certification process, specifically for production builders.

Check Back Soon

What’s that you say?
Pecha Kucha what?

PechaKucha is a way of sharing powerful ideas in a fast-paced, high energy format:  each presenter gets 20 slides for 20 seconds each (6 min and 40 sec) to get their message across!

Alex Glenn hosts an event that makes presentations concise, keeps things moving at a rapid pace, and engages the audience in learning creative ideas or out-of-the-box thinking! In this fun, innovative and informative session, Alex will facilitate distinct speakers as they share their building performance experiences.

Pecha Kucha is a presentation technique that has proven to be a creative, challenging and effective way for presenters to share their message with a diverse audience of professionals. It could be an incredible lesson learned, a new way of looking at the work we do, a thought-provoking and inspiring message, or motivating vision for the future. Featured DOE Housing Innovation Award winners will be selected in advance of the start of the conference. All participants are encouraged to engage with technology and social media to post, tweet or comment live during the session.

In April of 2017, North Carolina Building Performance Association (NCBPA) and Pivotal Energy Solutions partnered with the Raleigh, NC-based Triangle MLS to auto-populate green, energy efficient and high performance home data while also adding dozens of new “green” fields to the system. In doing so, the other 160+ Paragon MLS systems across the country received access to these same features.

Attend this session to learn how the project was proposed, agreed to and completed in order to enable more accurate and higher appraised values for high performance homes while also educating consumers, building a comparables market, and promoting the value of certification programs such as National Green Building Standard (NGSBS).

Learning Objectives:

1. Benefits of participating in third-party verified energy efficiency programs.
2. Methods and considerations for aggregation and distribution of energy efficiency data into the real estate market.
3. How access to and auto-population of energy efficiency data benefits Realtors, appraisers, lenders, and consumers.
4. How this effort can be leveraged to make energy efficiency and green building data a normal part of the buying/selling decision-making process.

This workshop is focused on how best to market and sell high performance homes to today’s homebuyers. The session will be of interest to builders, new home sales specialists/agents, manufacturers representatives and housing program or utility personnel who are looking for the leading techniques to communicate the value of high performance and Zero Energy homes. This workshop takes the leading research on how homebuyers make buying decisions with respect to the homes and products you sell and will show you how to tap into the key emotional drivers to empower them to take action. Specifically this session will help you get past the ineffective energy savings messages and onto the far more compelling sales techniques and strategies. This interactive workshop will give you an opportunity to create and practice a compelling story to inspire your clients to make the right choices.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the key emotional drivers that prompt different homeowners and homebuyers to consider high performance and energy efficient features and products.
2. Develop a sales strategy for the homes and products you sell that tie into the important emotional drivers.
3. Create and practice a compelling story for the homes and products you sell that will inspire clients to make better decisions.
4. Identify a strategy for ongoing training of your sales and marketing team to continually improve your messaging to clients.

This session will cover efforts by RESNET to increase the quality and consistency of HERS ratings through development of additional HERS software tool test suits and the further evaluation of HERS software tools by developers. A builder and Rater will share their experiences using the HERS software to create better homes. The second half of the summit includes a roundtable discussion with participants sharing industry best practices.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will gain an understanding of the HERS rating system and how it is used to improve homes.
2. Participants will learn about RESNET’s efforts to increase quality and consistency.
3. Participants will review marketing case studies of how builders promote the HERS Rating to sell more homes.
4. Participants will learn about how HERS complements national green building programs and energy efficiency programs.

Part 2 will be a roundtable discussion and Q&A from Part 1:

This session will cover efforts by RESNET to increase the quality and consistency of HERS ratings through development of additional HERS software tool test suits and the further evaluation of HERS software tools by developers. A builder and Rater will share their experiences using the HERS software to create better homes. The second half of the summit includes a roundtable discussion with participants sharing industry best practices.

Several of the largest drivers of high performance homes over the past decade have been the IECC codes, EPA’s ENERGY STAR certified homes program, DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Homes and related programs, and the 45L federal tax credit. While these have mostly progressed in step-wise fashion, what’s past may not be prologue. Come hear from the program leads plus industry experts on the current state of these drivers, and what the future may hold.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn the current state of ENERGY STAR Homes Version 3/3.1 and what factors EPA may take into consideration when developing its next version.
2. Learn the current state of Zero Energy Ready Homes, and how it aligns with future trends for the housing industry.
3. Understand the outcome of the 2018 IECC code cycle and prospects for advancing the code in 2021.
4. Hear the latest updates on congressional efforts to develop a replacement for the 45L tax credit.

Attend this session for the latest information on new and improved Building America design tools that can positively impact how you design and construct homes. Oak Ridge National Laboratory will describe the Building Science Advisor. This innovative new design tool puts building science expert advice in the hands of every building designer who cares to manage moisture risk in high-R walls. As modern buildings become increasingly more airtight, constructed with modern labor-saving materials, and equipped with air-conditioning, they have become less forgiving to moisture intrusion.

The Building Science Advisor (BSA) will provide building science knowledge and advice based on expert experience, field measurements, laboratory tests, and probabilistic computer simulations.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will show attendees how to bring best practices for high performance homes into their construction practices with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Solution Center. The Solution Center applies extensive, up-to-date building science content to specifications, field applications, training, working with code officials, and selling homes. These best practices are based on research generated by DOE’s Building America program.

Learning Objectives:

1. Builders and raters will understand how to access free best practices content within the Building America Solution Center, including: installation guides, CAD drawings, sales information, and code briefs.
2. Builders and raters will learn to use Solution Center technical support to train crews to install the measures needed to comply with labeling programs such as Zero Energy Ready Home, ENERGY STAR, Indoor airPlus, and WaterSense.
3. Designers will be introduced to the principles of moisture management in wall assemblies.
4. Designers will learn about a new design tool to help them apply expert building science advice in designing and evaluating the ability of high performance walls to manage moisture.

Many of us in the high-performance building world secretly feel a lot more comfortable designing and building a high-performance home than marketing and selling one.
Or perhaps you feel like you’ve been building high performance homes for a long time, but today’s homebuyer doesn’t care that much about what you’re doing?
Or maybe you feel like the competitive market for land opportunities is putting you at a disadvantage compared to code builders?

Hear real-world experiences from people who are successfully selling and marketing high performance while building their brand and their business.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand what the latest market research is telling us about today’s buyers and how you can apply these lessons in your sales and marketing program.
2. Discuss the delicate balance of educating prospective customers about the unique attributes of your high performance home without “feature dumping”.
3. Learn how high-performance building can help you grow opportunities for your company.
4. Hear perspectives on how to get your brand and marketing message supporting your efforts to sell high performance.

Part 2 will be a roundtable discussion and Q&A from Part 1:

Many of us in the high-performance building world secretly feel a lot more comfortable designing and building a high performance home than marketing and selling one. Or perhaps you feel like you’ve been building high performance homes for a long time, but today’s homebuyer doesn’t care that much about what you’re doing? Or maybe you feel like the competitive market for land opportunities is putting you at a disadvantage compared to code builders? Hear real-world experiences from people who are successfully selling and marketing high performance while building their brand and their business.

Quality is not easily defined nor is it easy to quantify. That is, until you hold back $4,500 a home in order to pay for anticipated future failures and realize that’s exactly what you’ve done. Of course, it makes more sense to invest proactively in quality – in doing things right the first time – than it does in bleeding away already tight margins long after the home is delivered.

How much are you holding in reserve to pay for warranty claims, defects, and litigation?
In this session, we will explore a model that “flips the script”—identifying the opportunities that come from investing those dollars in better building and management practices to achieve reliable profitability and boost buyer satisfaction.

Last year, IBACOS asked builders and developers to put some real numbers behind the Cost of Quality – a methodology that enables an organization to quantify how much they spend on quality-related costs and why. We received feedback from 21 companies during the initial study. In this session, we will present our findings on where the opportunities for savings lie in the areas of value engineering, construction oversight, cycle time, cost variance, customer engagement, warranty, employee satisfaction, trade/supplier loyalty, training value/valuation, documentation and execution.

By investing in quality, you can keep real money in your pocket. Money that you can plow back into your business, hire and keep the best people, grow your operations, or have on-hand to weather whatever storms may come your way.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn what 13 public builders have set aside (on average) to cover anticipated warranty an litigation costs
2. Understand how to quantify the cost of quality spent within your business.
3. Discover where potential opportunities for savings lie in the areas of value engineering, construction oversight, cycle time, cost variance, customer engagement, warranty, employee satisfaction, trade/supplier loyalty, training value/valuation, documentation and execution.
4. Identify the opportunities that come from investing dollars typically set aside for risk and litigation into better building and management practices.

Venting attics in hot/humid climates leads to condensation especially with tile roofs, cool roof claddings and radiant barriers. Creating conditioned attics with low density and high density spray foam is one established approach to address the issue. However, there have been issues with the use of both low density and high density spray foam and other technologies have been developed. 

This session will look at using cellulose and fiberglass insulation in unvented attic assemblies in both cathedralized and uncathedralized geometries and address the issues associated with low density and high density spray foam.

• Joe Lstiburek's Presentation

Learning Objectives:

1. How changing the energy balance of the roof assembly affects condensation in vented assemblies.
2. How condensation can be controlled by eliminating ventilation.
3. How to address the moisture balance in roof assemblies by increasing moisture removal that does not rely on dilution ventilation.
4. How to address the durability issues associated with low density and high density spray foam in cathedralized assemblies.

The Ventilation Summit will focus on helping builders and contractors make good ventilation decisions for both new homes and retrofits. There will be brief presentations from the panel on some of the latest ideas and new technologies for residential ventilation as well as a Q&A where the panel will provide their viewpoints on key ventilation issues. We encourage plenty of audience participation. This is intended to be a very interactive session where you will have many opportunities to ask your own questions of the panel and the panel may even have questions for you!

Learning Objectives:

1.  Understand the latest developments in ventilation equipment and controls.
2.  Understand about applying different ventilation solutions in different locations and climates.
3.  Find out what other builders and contractors are concerned about.
4.  Information on solutions to your ventilation problems.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been providing half-day seminars on Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) all across the country. Our favorite part of these seminars is what we call the ‘Voice of the Builder.’ Right after introducing ZERH as a powerful business solution, a few local builders who construct ZERHs tell their story. It’s one thing to listen to outside experts; it’s a completely different experience listening to local competitors who are among a select group of leading builders delivering a superior homeowner experience. Their journey to zero and lessons-learned along the way are incredibly important. This session will feature a select group of Housing Innovation Award winning ZERH builders to share what their wisdom leading the industry to zero.

Learning Objectives:

For a leading group of builders:
1. What business factors are driving them to lead where others wait and watch?
2. What technical solutions allowed them to cost-effectively meet rigorous guidelines for outstanding home-performance?
3. What marketing messages, tools, and strategies enable them to effectively engage homebuyers?
4. What mistakes have they made that other builders need to avoid?
5. What plans for the future do they have based on all that they have learned?

The construction industry has long focused on energy efficiency and renewables as a way to differentiate buildings, reduce operating expenses and provide a number of non-energy benefits to consumers. However, due to a variety of source energy and site usage trends, the needs to help shift loads and flatten load curves has become a real and pressing issue for utilities and municipalities: enter the Duck Curve.

This session will look at how the imbalance between renewable production and peak demand may impact utility program design, incentives, and product offerings where the benefits are primarily for the utility instead of the homeowners. We will explore some basic questions, including:
• How can the residential construction industry position itself as an essential utility partner?
• How can we pass along or sell these benefits to homeowners?
• What products and processes provide both demand response and energy efficiency benefits?
• What are the challenges associated with designing and installing rooftop solar systems that support load shaping initiatives?

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the basics of the "duck curve" for utility planning and evaluation.
2. Discuss how time of use for power can impact and shape loads.
3. Recognize the technologies and applications that can provide demand response opportunities in Residential New Construction.
4. Engage in the discussion of unique value propositions for homeowners, builders, contractors, raters, and utilities in participating in demand response savings programs.