1st Annual Duluth Energy Design Concepts

Electrifying historically fossil fuel-driven systems is where the beneficial electrification conversation is going, and it’s going there fast. To many, air source heat pumps are the target technology to focus on when it comes to electrifying home heating and cooling. Learn about advancements in heat pump technology, how to communicate the efficiencies that heat pumps can provide, performance, sizing, application and more in this session. Help your customers save on heating and cooling costs with quiet, cost-effective products built to deliver, even in cold climates.

Windows are typically named the "weakest link" in the building envelope. How do we change that? Can we get to an R-40 glazing to make windows perform like walls? What about net energy gainers? This session will focus on current and future strategies for optimal window and door performance, including consideration for the frames, type of glass, glazing by orientation, and the newest glazing technologies (VIG and quad). Hear case studies of completed projects ranging from residential to light commercial.

Zero energy homes (ZEHs) are a big part of the future of the home building business. While the materials and equipment to reach zero energy are available, designers and builders must create a bundle of energy-efficiency features that matches their climate, customers, and business constraints. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Strong emphasis is placed on ways to make the final product affordable for homebuyers. Significant efficiency improvements in heating and cooling equipment and the rapid drop in the cost of rooftop solar electric systems offer new options for cost-effective efficiency packages. There have never been so many ZEH options to choose from. The course series gives building professionals the knowledge to build ZEHs that are affordable, durable, safe, healthy, energy efficient, and comfortable to live in. Part 1 describes the regulatory and market forces that are driving greater operational efficiency in the residential sector as well as overarching factors that inform an affordable path to the creation of zero energy homes. While the technology for zero energy is well established, there is a widespread misconception that zero energy homes are not affordable. In reality, any consumer that can afford to build or buy a new home can afford a zero energy home. This view is supported using three different forms of financial analysis.

Breathing is important, and not just for living beings like you or me. Ventilation systems are a crucial part of the evolution from leaky home to super-insulated, airtight, high-performance buildings. Attend this session to learn how filtered heat recovery benefits indoor air quality, occupant comfort, and energy efficiency in the home.

Building science is the study of how heat, air, and moisture move in, on, through, and out of buildings. Understanding and applying building science principles to building enclosures and mechanical systems can increase building durability, indoor air quality, and energy performance, and reduce risk. This session focuses on the principles of building science and how they apply to foundation, above-grade wall, roof, and mechanical systems.

Several of the supportive policies that grew the renewable energy (RE) industry are sunsetting after years of successful promotion. RE now stands ready to grow without additional incentives, which will affect how utilities and other companies approach energy generation and use into the future. Join us in this lively presentation and engaging discussion of the future of electricity for our nation and world.

Zero energy homes (ZEHs) are a big part of the future of the home building business. While the materials and equipment to reach zero energy are available, designers and builders must create a bundle of energy-efficiency features that matches their climate, customers, and business constraints. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Strong emphasis is placed on ways to make the final product affordable for homebuyers. Significant efficiency improvements in heating and cooling equipment and the rapid drop in the cost of rooftop solar electric systems offer new options for cost-effective efficiency packages. There have never been so many ZEH options to choose from. The course series gives building professionals the knowledge to build ZEHs that are affordable, durable, safe, healthy, energy efficient, and comfortable to live in. Part 2 explores the design and building envelope. Thoughtful design approaches can increase building efficiency while also reducing cost. A survey of these approaches offers many options for both production and custom homes. It’s generally accepted that improvements to the thermal envelope are fundamental to cost-effective high-performance home construction. Different methods for advanced air sealing and high insulation levels are presented. Part 2 concludes with an overview of above-code wall insulation strategies, including a performance comparison of three effective wall configurations.

As designers, once we deviate from an R-21 cavity wall, we begin to see a lack of understanding of what any given wall assembly’s critical layers are, and what they are supposed to do. This session will cover the framework of the four major layers of wall assemblies: weather resistive barrier, vapor retarder, air barrier, and thermal layer. We’ll define the purpose of each and discuss options for their placement in any given wall assembly. We’ll also touch on various “high-R” assembly options and how those critical layers are addressed in each.

Standardized testing for many building materials and even building systems are simply not useful in assessing actual performance experienced in the field. Peter Yost has done extensive “bench-top” lab and field testing of PSA tapes, sealants, basement waterproofing, and cathedral ceiling soffit-to-ridge vent testing. In this session, we will review the building science of each of these materials/systems and discover how Wingnut testing has contributed to better understanding the performance of each material/system.

Characteristic surveys and site visits from a field study of standalone dehumidification in Minnesota homes showed significant dehumidification use across the state with 56 percent of single family homes owning a dehumidifier. Ninety-five percent of these units operate in basement spaces. The results of our field analysis show inefficient field performance—in some instances we see the reintroduction of more than 50 percent of removed moisture per dehumidification cycle. This session will delve into the characteristic data on dehumidification use and explore the causes for and solutions to underperformance of these units within our climate.

Zero energy homes (ZEHs) are a big part of the future of the home building business. While the materials and equipment to reach zero energy are available, designers and builders must create a bundle of energy-efficiency features that matches their climate, customers, and business constraints. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Strong emphasis is placed on ways to make the final product affordable for homebuyers. Significant efficiency improvements in heating and cooling equipment and the rapid drop in the cost of rooftop solar electric systems offer new options for cost-effective efficiency packages. There have never been so many ZEH options to choose from. The course series gives building professionals the knowledge to build ZEHs that are affordable, durable, safe, healthy, energy efficient, and comfortable to live in. Part 3 builds on envelope design with a focus on indoor air quality and mechanical systems. With a high-performance building envelope, space heating and cooling requirements are extremely low and right-sizing equipment is essential. High levels of air tightness offer some of the highest performance benefits for the lowest cost. This level of tightness requires active, controlled fresh air ventilation to maintain healthy air quality and proper indoor humidity. Once space heating energy use is slashed, water heating becomes the dominant use. Water heating heat pumps reduce this energy use by as much as two-thirds, but require proper selection and application.

A new construction journey is riddled with highs, lows and pressure-filled decisions. As you navigate these situations, you should be constantly thinking about what decisions you need to make to positively impact your building’s bottom line. Years of program experience condensed into a single session provide the participant with proven methods of prioritizing decisions that will have long-term financial benefit and enhance occupant comfort. The session will candidly speak on the impacts of making decisions related to energy efficiency, demand response, distributed energy, and renewables with tips on working with your contractor to get what you want and need.

Building science is an art—many times the blueprint goes as planned, and many times something goes awry, all with the same planning and attention to detail as the next. In this interactive session, you will investigate case studies and learn how to identify, diagnose, and solve building science puzzles. Participants will also have an opportunity to present their own building science puzzles and add them to the mix!

Attend this hands-on demonstration of rough opening preparation and the installation of large, unobstructed scenic door systems. Multi-slide, lift and slide, and bifold options will be discussed as well as the various sill types. Sill pan preparation will be covered. Learn what the words “plumb, level, square, and true” mean, along with verification tricks for installation in large openings.

Zero energy homes (ZEHs) are a big part of the future of the home building business. While the materials and equipment to reach zero energy are available, designers and builders must create a bundle of energy-efficiency features that matches their climate, customers, and business constraints. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Strong emphasis is placed on ways to make the final product affordable for homebuyers. Significant efficiency improvements in heating and cooling equipment and the rapid drop in the cost of rooftop solar electric systems offer new options for cost-effective efficiency packages. There have never been so many ZEH options to choose from. The course series gives building professionals the knowledge to build ZEHs that are affordable, durable, safe, healthy, energy efficient, and comfortable to live in. The final segment of this series includes a brief description of lighting strategies and appliance selection. With a high-performance building envelope and efficient, right-sized mechanical equipment, a home has achieved a status known as “zero energy ready.” It is poised to become a zero energy home with only the addition of on-site solar electric panels. To avoid solar mistakes, there are a handful of issues that should be considered. A few miscellaneous topics fall into Part 4 such as electric vehicle readiness, construction process concerns and marketing/selling concepts.

Air leakage testing in multifamily buildings can be hard to do, confusing to implement, and unclear when it comes to results. This session will cover the common standards used in air tightness testing of multifamily buildings. We will discuss the procedures for measuring the exterior and total leakage of individual units along with multi-fan procedures for whole building testing of exterior leakage. This will include a comparison of building preparation, equipment setup, and benefits of the results for the various test methods. We will present whole building and individual air leakage results from a recent research project of 25-plus new construction, low-rise multifamily buildings in six states.

Airtightness is key to managing both energy and moisture in buildings. At our disposal are spray foam, PSA tapes, sealants, gaskets, and a new system called AeroBarrier to tighten up a space. In this session, we’ll compare and contrast these options from the perspectives of performance, application conditions required, skill level required, and application to both new and existing buildings. We will work through the building science of air sealing and measuring air tightness.

Homebuyers have a new main ask when it comes to searching for a forever home: healthy air is grabbing the top spot on homebuyer’s checklists, and builders need to be able to deliver. Learn from a team with more than 60 years of experience helping the HVAC trade increase indoor air quality (IAQ) product sales by educating consumers on the benefits of a healthy home. This session explains the four attributes of IAQ and how they are managed. Additionally, learn how builders are successfully marketing healthy air to raise the value of their homes, differentiate from the competition and meet a growing homebuyer demand for healthier homes.