Innovations in Energy Efficiency Webinar Series

This webinar will provide a general overview of energy efficiency starting with understanding the basic components of a building and basic building science fundamentals related to how they all interact together. Additionally, there will be a high-level overview of energy efficient upgrades which will generally provide the most bang for the buck (return on investment) for various climate zones and building types.

Energy audits come in many shapes and sizes. For small to medium housing authorities and building portfolio owners, the energy auditing process may be something done in-house due to lack of resources to hire this function out. This webinar will first provide an overview of different kinds of energy and water audits and then will go into a deep dive on common DIY energy auditing techniques for single family and multifamily buildings.

This webinar describes weatherization as a practice and the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program. Presenters will discuss the activities that are conducted when weatherizing a home, such as protecting a home's interior from the elements (sunlight, rain, and wind) and modifying a building to reduce energy consumption and optimize energy efficiency.

Replacing water fixtures and upgrading lighting can provide instant energy savings and are often the 'bill payer' for more expensive energy conservation measures with long payback periods. This webinar will provide examples and guidance on the most cost-effective water fixtures and lighting solutions, when to replace these systems, what to replace them with and what else to consider at the same time.

Let's face it, water heaters and heating and cooling equipment break. And then what? Usually, they get replaced with the same type of equipment, or maybe a slightly more efficient version of the same equipment (e.g., replacing an old boiler with a new one). This webinar will discuss how long a water heater, space conditioning equipment, or boiler is expected to last, the options available in the market for a replacement, and the pros and cons associated with each option.

Exterior retrofits on walls, roofs, windows and foundations can be expensive and may occur at a time when a building has failures or is in desperate need of maintenance. For a relatively incremental cost, energy efficiency can be included as part of the exterior remodel. Incorporating energy efficiency into exterior retrofits can be achieved with minor design changes and put money back in your pocket while making occupants more comfortable.

Through technological advancements, incentives, and newly adopted administrative goals implementing policies for decarbonizing the buildings sector is becoming easier and more important. Decarbonizing buildings offers a host of benefits including improved indoor air quality, reduced occupant risks, fewer emissions, and reduced costs. Still, many important considerations exist when making this transition.

The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) represents the national model for energy-efficient residential construction. According to US DOE, this code is 9.3% more energy efficient than its predecessor and over 33% more efficient than a home built to the 2006 IECC. Understanding the measures and prescriptive approaches driving this level of efficiency is critical to design, construct, and improve buildings.