Building Capacity

Is Training the Answer? Not always, says Kelly Kirkland, CSBA, LEED AP O+M

The green building industry is slowly coming to realize that the most efficiently designed buildings in the world won’t operate at peak efficiency without well-trained building operators, managers and occupants. With technology evolving and people turning over, ongoing training is generally required to achieve peak efficiency and comfort.

But when faced with a building performance or comfort problem, throwing a training at it mindlessly could end up as money wasted. Experienced trainers can crank out PowerPoint slides on any topic at a moments notice to be delivered to warm bodies in a dark room. A friend, who is the training manager at a large company, refers to this as the “magical training factory.” But will anything this factory spits out result in real learning, or provide a solution to the problem?

Here are a few real examples of green building problems that may or may not have a training solution:

The Scene: A small, remote building that operates 24 hours a day to serve military personnel. Individual staff members rotate through this location every few years, and the person put in charge of building operations is likely to have had little to no previous experience—plus a slate of many other duties related to their “primary mission.” The complex building DDS system is something no one really understands. When something in the building goes wrong, a huge amount of the maintenance budget must be spent to fly in an outside expert.

Is Training the Answer? Probably not—at least not at first. When I talked to the staff members all they really wanted was something simple and intuitive that they could operate themselves. Making a change to the equipment with the next building upgrade would likely save a lot more energy and maintenance budget in the future. If the new system came with intuitive documentation, a simple recorded training could ensure that all new staff could be oriented to their role as building manager quickly and without taking time away from their other duties. Another option would be to reevaluate staffing structure to allow for a dedicated building manager—what a great skill that would be to take home to the civilian workforce!

The Scene: A governmental organization adopts a new green policy mandate that all project managers need to follow. The staff in charge of ensuring adoption with the policy are worried that PMs will be resistant due to concerns that it’s too complicated or expensive to implement. In addition, staff have been resistant to training in the past when they feel it’s not a good use of their time.

Is Training the Answer? In the case of staff resistance to implementing the policy, no. You can’t train motivation but you can remove barriers (like reducing the paperwork burden) and add incentives (like individual and departmental recognition). Both of these were done. In addition, staff tapped green advocates at each department to organize a brief “training” for PMs. The content of this training covered the basic policy requirements  and showed how these were relevant to the specific types of projects the PMs managed. These concise trainings highlighted case studies from the relevant department to provide concrete examples to assuage fears about the complexity or limitations the policy might impose on projects. Even better, these sessions provided an opportunity to determine which kind of additional technical trainings would be needed to support project managers moving forward. PMs reported  they appreciated the concise initial training and were much more eager to get additional technical training once they understood the opportunities.

The Scene: A K-12 school with a highly interactive natural ventilation strategy that made buttons on the wall glow: green, when windows could be open for ventilation, or red, when they should be shut while the building was in heating mode. In this case, I don’t know that the building managers were aware of the problem. On green building tours I like to sneak away and talk to occupants to see how a building is really performing for them. None of the teachers I spoke to had any idea what those glowing lights were for and they complained of stuffy spaces.

Is Training the Answer? In this case, yes! The teachers were motivated to make their classrooms more comfortable and had everything they needed to fix their problem—except the know-how. In fact, when the building opened all teachers did receive training. The problem was that in three years the teachers no longer had that information, either due to being new or not understanding or remembering it from the first training. A short module as part of new staff training (or, better yet, as part of an in-service training day for all staff!) would be a great way to help teachers be more comfortable and get the desired energy performance. A quick reference sheet for each classroom, and better signage on the lights would be great training follow-ups.

You don’t need a training on adult learning theory to know that adults will be learn better with information that they need to know (to do their jobs or to be comfortable) presented in a straightforward, practical way that involves some engagement or interaction. Before throwing a training at a problem, however,  make sure that the issue isn’t with equipment, policy barriers, lack of motivation, or another issue. Your time and resources might be better spent by providing better equipment, processes,  incentives, individual coaching or something else. We have had experience where training has had  the opposite of the desired effect, because it simply wasn't the right solution to the problem. Participants left the training frustrated, as they were still left with the same problem, and had (in their minds) less time to manage it.  On the other hand, if lack of know-how is the problem, training is absolutely the right way to go.

Kelly Kirkland is O’Brien & Company’s Education Coordinator. She has developed and delivered dozens of courses on a variety of green building topics. She recently completed a three-day course on training assessment, development, delivery and evaluation and holds a Training Certificate from the American Society for Training and Development.

LEED HC – A Sensible Leap Into Sustainable Health Care

Have you ever been in a hospital or medical clinic, observed the humming machinery, the constant overhead lights, the busy staff, the patients in varying degrees of distress, the human drama, but your first thought is “How much energy is this place consuming?” Congratulations, you are a building science geek. Welcome, you are among friends.

Pacific Northwest Health Care Provider Leaps Forward: I worked in healthcare, clinics and hospitals for many years as a Registered Nurse, then a Nurse Practitioner. My career change to Green Building Consultant felt pretty natural to me as I was always renovating houses on the side. And I have watched with special interest the emergence of LEED© for Healthcare (LEED-HC). So I was delighted to start work on a local LEED-HC project for a great organization where I used to work as a Nurse Practitioner. Group Health Cooperative has committed to LEED-HC Certification for two new or replacement clinics in Washington -- one in Puyallup (see rendering) and one in Burien. These will be among the first in the country to certify under this new Rating System. Along with the owner, CollinsWoerman, University Mechanical, and GLY Construction, are enthusiastically committed to the projects' sustainability goals, and in particular achieving the target for LEED-HC Gold and achieving a 30% energy efficiency improvement over a similar baseline building.

A Little History on LEED-HC:  It grew from the Green Guide for Healthcare (GGHC), a sustainable design “Toolkit” that integrates environmental and health principles into the planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance of healthcare facilities. GGHC originated in 2004 as a joint venture between the Center for Maximum Potential Building systems and Health Care Without Harm, aligning itself with the structure of LEED for New Construction. GGHC piloted 100 facilities, enabling LEED-HC to bypass the US Green Building Council's LEED pilot process. The first draft for LEED-HC  was released in November 2007, and projects began registering in November 2010. To date, there are 26 registered projects in the US ranging from medical clinics and Veterans homes to hospitals and cancer centers.

The Problem: Hospitals, open 24/7, use enormous amounts of energy. There are rigorous ventilation and pressurization needs; heating and cooling demands that vary from the OR to the ER and contribute significant mechanical loads; and intensive water needs. According to Energy Star, the average EUI of a hospital is 468 kBtu/ft2 while the average EUI of an office building is 193 kBtu/ft2. The healthcare sector is reported to contribute 8% of total US Green House Gas Emissions (JAMA, Nov 11, 2009). How can hospitals and medical clinics become high performance buildings, better neighbors and a healthy part of the community where they are located?

A Problem-Solving Tool: Despite the fact that LEED for Healthcare requires a mere 10% energy performance improvement over the baseline (like LEED NC, but its not enough), it  addresses several key aspects of the problem, with several new Prerequisites and Credits that make sense for these massively consumptive facilities, such as:

• Integrated Design: Integrated Project Planning and Design is a Prerequisite. 
• Energy: In Energy & Atmosphere there is a credit for buildings that limit products of combustion, a sure way to become a better member of the community and the planet.
• Daylight: Articulated floor plates that allow more daylight and views for patients and staff earn credit.
• Water: Medical equipment process water must be non-potable -- it's a Prerequisite. New credits for water use measurement and verification (you can’t manage what you can’t measure); and water use reduction for medical equipment, cooling towers and food waste systems.
•  IEQ: In Materials & Resources there is a credit for medical furnishings and mattresses that do not contain harmful chemicals or VOC’s.
• IEQ: While sustainably sourced materials garner credit, they are also required to meet the low emitting requirements in IEQ.
• IEQ: The bar for the low emitting materials credit is raised with the addition of carcinogenic limits for adhesives and sealants; and credit for limiting VOC content for exterior applied products safeguards construction workers and the community.

Respite Care: In addition there are credits for Places of Respite for patients and visitors, a place to heal and recuperate from ongoing treatment. Don’t you feel better already? For in-patients or patients with long wait times, for families waiting even longer for their loved ones, this is a place to rest the eyes, have a view, appreciate some nature and smell some flowers. This is evidence-based design, referencing research indicating improved outcomes for patients with a view of nature rather than a brick wall. Additionally this LEED-HC credit has a requirement for a private outdoor area for staff to take a break, away from patient care. This allows hard working medical staff some time and space to find balance in a stressful workplace. Group Health’s Puyallup Clinic has a green roof and rooftop staff area planned, incorporating shelter, access to nature and privacy. The project design also incorporates a respite area for patients and families adjacent to the ground floor clinics.

Existing Buildings, When a Problem is an Opportunity: Retrofitting existing hospitals and clinics offers tremendous opportunity for reducing energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and CO2. The Community Power Works program is working with all the major local hospitals in the Seattle area to conduct energy upgrades as part of $20 million in federal stimulus grant funding to energy retrofit hospitals, municipal and large commercial buildings. Puget Sound Energy offers customized grants to hospitals for energy retrofits and existing building commissioning. Environmental Purchasing Policies for hospitals such as mercury-free purchasing; buying products with recycled content; requesting reduced packaging; and purchasing reusable products  help reduce their environmental impact. Remember the old days when that bedpan was metal and cold?  It  was cleaned in an autoclave and reused for years. This is much more sustainable than the plastic ones that are often single use in emergency rooms. But I digress. Stay tuned for more postings on Hospitals and Sustainability. 

Colleen Groll, CSBA and Senior Project Associate for O'Brien & Company, Inc.  is consulting on GHC's Puyallup and Burien Projects . In addition to her green building expertise, she brings more than 15 years experience in the health care services sector. She is a regular contributor to the Building Capacity Blog. Colleen recommends additional resources including Practice Green Health, The Healthier Hospitals Initiative, and The Department of Energy’s Hospital Energy Alliance.

Green Schools From Top to Bottom: Interview with Kim Armstrong Co-Executive Director for Washington Green Schools

Washington Green Schools (WAGS) engages students and staff in K-12 schools throughout Washington State in recycling, saving energy, and other “green” actions. O'Brien & Company helped develop, pilot and launch the program under contract with the Clark County Solid Waste Division in 2008-2009. Kelly Kirkland of O'Brien & Company recently met with Kim Armstrong, WAGS Co-Executive Director,  to see how things are going.

Kelly: When we were launching the program we really wanted to make sure the program worked for schools and would be adopted. At the end of 2009 we had about 100 schools participating. How is participation now? Kim: We currently have 185 schools, representing nearly 95,000 students. Perhaps even more importantly, we have 63 school districts in 22 counties participating, so the program definitely has traction around the state. The higher the level of participation, the more new students are getting to know how school operations impact the environment, and how they can improve on that.

You mention nearly 95,000 students. How are teachers involved? Each school is required to have a green team that includes at least one teacher. We’ve also had hundreds of teachers participate in trainings that we've held around the state. Back on campus, sometimes the teachers are the main facilitator, but sometimes it’s a parent volunteer, school staff member, or the students themselves. Each green team gets to decide how their team will work together.

So it sounds like the program touches people at all levels in a school. Are you seeing improvements as a result? We are hearing from teachers that WA Green Schools gives context for students to get excited about learning math, science or writing a letter to the superintendent. Additionally, we are seeing real results through cost savings in a number of schools. For example, one school reported a reduction of $450/month in their energy bill. Another is saving almost $6000 by implementing a composting program that reduces their garbage pick-up from 5 to 3 days a week.

Wow, that's pretty significant news. Are you getting that kind of information from all the schools? Up to now, data like this not been systematically captured, but reported on a case by case basis from some of the schools as part of key findings. To remedy this, we've worked with a stakeholder group to come up with a new step in the process: "Verify and Reflect." Cost savings will be a metric common to most categories. For energy and water, data gathered will include consumption. For waste and recycling, data gathered will include generation and landfill diversion. We are still working on metrics for transportation and toxics, the two remaining environmental categories. Ultimately, we would like to aggregate data and add a carbon calculator to our website.

Have you found that the program really meets the needs of such a diverse age range of students? Definitely. We have all types of schools participating. Each green team tends to execute the program differently based on what’s appropriate for their students. One area where we have made some changes was originally called the “toxics” category. Few schools had chosen to pursue that category so we have created a new category called Healthy School Buildings, which has some elements of the previous toxics category.

It sounds like you continue to look for ways to improve the program. That's true. If you recall, something we heard even in the pilot stage, was the desire for alignment of the program with grade level standards and requirements. We recently received grant funding from WA STEM to align the waste and recycling activities with math standards for 4th grade math. This is a very exciting development.

Do you anticipate more alignments between subject areas in the program to grade level standards? Yes. We will continue to align with existing standards for the grade levels wherever we can. Besides the obvious educational benefit, this may be appealing for school districts that are not as interested in sustainability per se but interested in the experiential, hands-on nature of the activities associated with WA Green Schools. And it will make it easier for local advocates to get the attention of District decision makers.

What other improvements are you planning? Programmatically, we are considering a redesign of the certification program to include more rigor as schools move through the certification levels. Organizationally, we have a lot of work to do developing the Board and updating the strategic plan.

Any tips you'd like to share with other states trying to start similar programs? I would suggest taking the time to clearly define long term goals. Is education or resource conservation/operational efficiency the main goal? A program focused on resource-efficiency might put more emphasis on the measurement and verification of data. A program focused on engaging students might align with state learning requirements or offer a robust curriculum.. Then, develop a long term funding, strategic plan, and a program plan that enables you to meet the state’s educational structure. And, of course, use other state programs as a model and study best practices in learn from others! We benefited from looking at the Oregon Green Schools program  and the international Eco-Schools program.

In addition to leading WAGS, Kim Armstrong is the co-founder of Sound Footprint, a sustainability consulting firm serving schools and organizations in the Pacific Northwest. Kelly Kirkland, Project Associate, was on the original team at O'Brien & Company helping to develop and pilot the program.

Did you enjoy this article?  You might also like these Building Capacity Blog articles: 
LEED EB: O+M's Energy Threshold
Maier Hall at Peninsula College: Early Collaborative Process
Cool Factor: Youth Green Building Careers Symposia Inspires

Window Retrofit Dilemma – Low E or No Low E? Alistair Jackson, CSBA, LEED for Homes AP responds:

Barbara Loomis, Marketing Coordinator of Wood Harbinger would like to upgrade four, 12-year-old casement windows on the upper floor of her historic home located in Western Washington. Since the windows were installed by a previous owner before the house was placed on the Historic Register they can be replaced with "like kind." Suppliers are telling her she should buy Low-E windows. She's concerned about losing the benefit of the sun's energy and light, precious commodities in the Norhwest. What are her options? Should she surrender to Low E?

The windows in question include one window that faces a few degrees East of South East, two windows that face a few degrees South of South West, and a fourth window that faces North East. For this purpose we'll focus on the southeast/southwest facing windows, all of which are shaded from the summer sun through much of the day by two mature, deciduous trees.

The answer is yes, Barbara, yes to Low-E in your circumstances, but not the one the vendors are trying to sell you. In the end, that means the best, and most logical choice for your windows will cost you more than the standard Low-E package.

It is a quirk of market dynamics and politics that has resulted in the common misunderstanding that a “Low-E” window keeps the house heat in and the solar heat out. Window distributors and installers prefer to offer the same window packages from the Mexican border to the 49th parallel. Since most of the construction activity in that territory in recent years has been in areas where air conditioning is common, windows distributors have tended to focus on Insulated Glazing Units (IGU)s with low U-factor and low Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). (For those who crave the details, see "technical details," below.) Unfortunately, that's not the best combination for a heating dominated climate like ours in the Pacific Northwest.

In the wake of the recent “economic softening,” a group of politicians compounded this problem (in the language of tax credits that were part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act) by requiring that windows that qualified for credit must meet the 30/30 rule; that is, they must have both U-factor and SHGC values below 0.30. The result has been that window marketers have even less incentive to mass-market windows with a SHGC above 0.30. A smart business decision, perhaps, but not good for energy efficiency.

But high SHGC windows can be found! Major glass suppliers, including Pilkington, Cardinal, PPG,  and Guardian, all offer Low-E glass that has a high SHGC. Pilkington for example, claim that double glazed windows using their Energy Advantage  Low-E glass can provide whole window u-factor below 0.30 and whole window SHGC of 0.50 or above.

These - U-0.30, SHGC-0.50 - are good numbers to use as a performance specification for this window replacement.

(Be sure to check that the U-factor and SHGC are listed as “whole window,’ not “center of glass.” The former is the type of data that will be listed on the NFRC label (National Fenestration Rating Council – NFRC) on the windows. The latter only addresses the glass performance, not the frame, and will tend to give lower u-factors and higher SHGCs, so can be deceptive.)

Unfortunately, from most window suppliers, this glazing specification will be a custom order – meaning more time and cost.  At risk of being unpatriotic, it might be worth looking to Canada for an off-the-shelf Low-E/High SHGC window. Our neighbors to the North seem to have cold climate glazing performance figured out.

If a custom window is the answer, at least it will also allow Loomis to select a window design that is more consistent with the style of her home. Good luck!

 

Technical details for those who want them: Heat energy passes through windows in two primary ways.

• Thermal conduction: Glass is a good conductor of heat so if air one side of a pane of glass is warm and the other side is cold, heat will flow by conduction from warm to cold. In energy efficient windows, this characteristic of glass is generally addressed by using two or three layers of glass, separated by a gas- and moisture-tight spacer at the edge and a void filled with inert gas that is a poor thermal conductor. This is what we call double- or triple-glazing but is more technically known as an Insulated Glazing Unit or IGU. Thermal conduction is expressed as a U-factor between 1 and 0 – a low U-value means less thermal conduction. U-value is the inverse of the more common R-value (resistance to thermal transfer) used for insulation. So if you divide 1 by the U-value of a window (or other material), you get its R-value, and vice versa.
• Thermal Radiation: Glass also allows heat to pass through it via infrared radiation, simply illustrated by sitting in a window seat on a sunny day, feeling the warmth of the sun through the glass. We want that warmth to come in during the heating season, but perhaps not during the summer when it might overheat the house. This radiation effect also works in reverse. In the heating season (Fall, Winter, Spring) heat from the warm surfaces (including your skin) inside of your house escapes through the windows as infrared radiation to the cold surfaces outside your house. This affect is addressed by coating the glass or installing thin films between the panes of glass that are made from materials that have low emissivity – hence Low-E. These materials are designed to reduce the amount of long-wave length infrared radiation that can pass through the glass, while allowing the shorter wave-lengths of visible light to pass.  A window’s ability to allow or prevent solar radiation from passing through is expressed as a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient or SHGC between 1 and 0 – the more radiation that can pass, the higher the number.

Low-E Terminology: The fact is that Low-E coatings don’t just reflect heat in one direction. They tend to have an effect on the rate of thermal transfer in both directions, though the extent of this effect varies with the type of coating used (research Pyrolitic and Sputtered coatings for more information). It also depends which surface of the glass the Low-E coating is located on. Typically, this has been limited to the protected surfaces facing into the cavity between the panes, but some treatments are hard enough to withstand being located on the outer surfaces, creating more performance options. It is quite possible to create an IGU that reduces thermal transfer by conduction – a low U-value - but allows solar radiation to pass – a high SHGC. For those interested in even more detail, there’s a great resource at the Efficient Windows Collaborative.

Alistair Jackson, CSBA is a Principal at O’Brien & Company. He was involved in the development of the original LEED for Homes Pilot Rating System and is, among other things, the Quality Assurance Designee (QAD) for O’Brien & Company’s role as LEED for Homes Provider. He is a strong advocate for market-led innovation and market transformation towards sustainability. He is also a father of two – and impatient for change towards a better future.

Did you enjoy this article? You might also like these Building Capacity Blog articles:
Creating Effective Energy Efficiency & Conservation Strategies Part 1
Mechanical Systems and Fuel Choices for the Warming World
Tips for Optimizing Forced-Air Heating and Cooling Systems Part 1
Gut Rehab: Groll Residence Turns 1918 Home from “Leaky” to Green

Sweet Sustainability on the Ancient St. James Way: Kathleen O'Brien Reports in From Her Trek

Many of our local readers know I recently completed a 200-mile trek with my husband John along the St James Way in France. The Way, a path taken by pilgrims since the first century, and ending at the St James Cathedral in Santiago Spain, is comprised of several routes that begin in France. We were walking along Via Podensis, which passes through Conques, Cahors, Moissac, Aire-sur l'Adour and Navarrnx. We planned our trip to begin at the start in Le Puy en-Velay and end (for now) nearly halfway to the Spain border, in Moissac. Our purpose was spiritual and contemplative, and it was certainly that. But it was me that was there, so I couldn't help but notice how frequently "sustainability" was part of the landscape. Let me share just a few observations, keeping in mind that our terrain ranged from medium-sized cities to towns to places where cows and sheep outnumbered the local population.

1. Function is as important as form. No offense to the historic preservationists among us , but the French just don't seem so "precious" about their old buildings. Patterns in the stone show where doorways and windows have been "moved" to make buildings more functional, and there seemed to be no shame in covering clay tile or slate roofs with photovoltaic and/or solar hot water installations. We saw old inns, homes, and barns with new energy efficient vinyl windows (yes vinyl!) framed by beautifully maintained wood shutters. The combination of old and new, and obvious regard for reuse was really quite stunning.

2. History is a part of life. On the GR 65, which is the nationally protected hiking route that coincides with the Via Podensis, there are many, many sites that have historic and sometimes sacred value. Often these are off the road, so somewhat protected. But sometimes they are in the middle of modern life. In Cahors, we learned there were ruins of a Roman amphitheatre in the middle of town. We went to the location on the ville map where it was supposed to be and found a multi-level underground parking garage. We were confused. Was this just a place to commemorate the ruins? Would we find interpretive signage telling us of what once was -- a popular technique in the U.S.? No, on the first level down, the car park actually shares space with the ruins, complete with tags from the original dig. There's also an electronic screen showing the latest news alongside the ruins. The ground level is a plaza used for community events. Talk about creative land use!

3. Green Building is in! We stopped for lunch at Ecoasis (one of the gite d'etapes that serve pilgrims and hikers on the Way). Ecoasis opened just this year in Grealou and was featured in June as part of the Quercy Energies 2011 Programme, for its "ecoconstruction, efficacite energetique, et energies renouvelables".  Several of the new gite d'etapes along the Way do have solar power installations and dual flush toilets, but this place went much further. The gite's composting toilets, solar hot water and photovoltaics, rainwater capture, plant-based waste water treatment, "ecologique" paint, organic food garden and husbandry were a sight for sore eyes (and sore feet!). After a delicious lunch and time to rest our feet we asked if they had space for us that night. They did not, but were able to connect us with the owner of another "sustainable" gite 5 km down the road that was a restoration of an old ruin. It also had composting toilets, solar power, and other green building features. We slept in a naturally ventilated (of course) yert dortoir (dormitory) that night. Further down the road, the owner of our gite d'etape in La Bastide told us over a simple dinner her husband had prepared for us, that she worked for a "green builder." She was very proud; they had just completed the first certified Passive Haus in the Quercy Departement. "Passive Haus, have you heard of it?"

4. Waste not. Given the rampant reuse of buildings, it's not surprising that the three R's are important in the French countryside. No matter how small the city or town, you would eventually run into a set of bins for the community to use for recycling paper, metal, and plastic goods.  I also noticed that educational signage attached to these bins, and signage about the environment in general -- such as those concerning protection for waterways -- were well done. And dual flush toilets are pretty much everywhere, except in public WCs where it seems the flush is meant to sanitize the entire building and you while you are there. Finally, I was excited to see that homes for sale are "rated" for their energy efficiency. 

5. Someone (owners, utilities, or both) is absolutely gaga about efficient lighting, and especially sensors. This is where it got a bit much. I decided early on that there was a "trip" factor planned into any building. Even new buildings seemed to have changes in floor levels in the oddest places. This was especially a problem when hallways were dimly lit to save energy. I can't tell you how many times I stubbed my toes on the way to the shared salle de bain because of the low light levels at night, which were only triggered if you knew how to wave your hands just right. The worst situation was in a cafe's water closet. The light went out and the closet went absolutely pitch black. I tried waving, dancing, and clapping. It occurred to me then -- My god, it's on a timer! Which it turns out was outside in the hallway out of reach. Yikes. As my friend Katrina says, sustainability is all about the right strategy, right place.

Kathleen O'Brien is founder of O'Brien & Company, which is celebrating its 20th year this September. For information about the celebration,  visit our website announcement.

Did you enjoy this article?  You might also like these Building Capacity Blog articles: 
Today is Kathleen O'Brien Day!
Passive House: A Bit of Overkill
Type of Construction for Passive House System
Balancing Energy Efficient Adaptive Reuse with Historic Preservation
How Can Communities Accelerate Change Towards Green Building?

Do I need a green building credential? Kelly Kirkland, Education Coordinator, responds.

LEED AP BD+C. CSBA. EBCP. SFP. CEM. Talk about an alphabet soup! With unemployment and underemployment still high, I’m frequently asked about professional credentials in the realm of green building. What do they mean? Which are best? Do I need to get one to stay competitive?

Why they Look Good

Even if the credential you are considering isn’t as widely recognized as LEED AP, professional credentials communicate an achievement and area of expertise. It’s not a bad thing to have to explain what it means—but only if you have a concise, impressive answer ready. (If your instructor or education provider can’t give that to you, go elsewhere for your credential!)

Entering the Green Job Market

As job seekers know (or eventually discover) people don’t land jobs just because of the letters   after  their name, or even where and what they’ve studied, the projects they’ve worked on, their professional reputation, or who they know—it’s a combination of all of those things.

If you’re looking to change careers into something related to green building, credentials can be an important way to get yourself up to speed in a new area that complements your existing skills and experience. They also add credibility and indicate you are serious about pursuing the line of work.

The credentials that introduce this article are relevant for specific areas of work. LEED AP BD+C stands for LEED Accredited Professional Building Design + Construction, and indicates experience and skill in new construction (primarily non-residential). Existing Building Commissioning Professional, Sustainable Facilities Professional, and Certified Energy Manager indicate knowledge as well as in-depth training or professional portfolio in the realm of existing building systems, though for different aspects.

With money flowing for green jobs, specialty credentials are proliferating, especially in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green building topics. The key is to choose a credential that leads to work you’re interested in and qualified for, not just one that you think will sound good.

Speaking of money flowing, you may be able to get funding support, too. The Workforce   Development Council of Seattle-King County drew $10 million dollars to our area for job training.  Similar funding is likely available where you are to get trained, especially if a credential (such as a certificate or accreditation) is involved. Check out your local workforce development agency to connect you with programs and funding.

Moving On Up

If you’ve already got a job in the fields of building design, construction, engineering, real estate, facility management, a new credential can help you advance in your field or transition to a related field with greater ease.

As the Class Coordinator for the Sustainable Building Advisor program in Seattle, I’ve seen carpenters transition into resource conservation managers and architects become sustainability directors for engineering firms. I would never say that having the CSBA (Certified Sustainable Building Advisor) credential was the only reason they got their jobs, but they report back that it made the difference.

Final Thoughts

Some people resent the addition of credential maintenance to the LEED AP designation, but, for all of us working in this rapidly changing field, it’s important to keep learning or be left behind. (Check out Elizabeth Power’s recent blog post on how to maintain your LEED AP credential.) Even if the credential is a requirement for holding a job, it’s something that belongs to you that you can take with you.

If you do decide to pursue a certificate program, there are many online. However it may be a   better investment of your time to find a live program where, in addition to capturing content, you can network with other students and take advantage of their real-world experiences.

Kelly Kirkland, CSBA, LEED AP O+M coordinates educational consulting projects for O’Brien & Company, teaches LEED Operations & Maintenance (O+M) Study Sessions as well as Lite Bites, and is the Coordinator for the Sustainable Building Advisor program at the Seattle Central Community College. She recently completed designing and facilitating a four-day learning experience for the Washington Conservation Corps on sustainability with an emphasis on Low Impact Development.

Did you enjoy this article?  You might also like these Building Capacity Blog articles: 
Time to Deal with Your LEED AP Credential
SBAi: Introducing the Next Generation of SBA Education & Service
Green Building Jobs in Lousy Market

Green Gut Rehab Serves as Building Science Laboratory for Guild’s 2011 Green Home Tour: Interview with Colleen Groll, CSBA, LEED AP Homes, Energy Star Verifier and Performance Tester

Colleen Groll, Residential Services Manager and Senior Project Associate at O’Brien & Company, is in the process of finishing up a gut rehab in attempt to convert a leaky 1918 “fixer” into an energy-efficient, comfortable, and healthy home with optimized functionality.

Editor: What were you hoping to accomplish with your remodel? Colleen: Generally I was hoping to modernize an architecturally traditional shell, so it feels and functions more like 2011. My sustainable building goals were mainly around energy efficiency and indoor air quality. I was hoping to achieve LEED for Homes Platinum, but now I’ll be happy with Gold.

So you’ve had to rethink your LEED goals? Yes. We had major challenges working with existing 2x4 construction, lots of structural issues we had to address. Gut rehabs tend to expand exponentially as you open up the walls, and I ran up against the limits of my budget trying to get the home structurally sound and ready for earthquakes. We basically had to rebuild the house.

LEED Gold is pretty good, though! What have you been able to do to earn your spot in the Guild’s Green Tour? Green building features are incorporated throughout, including: double 2x4 walls for super insulation; high performance “heat mirror” windows; diligent air sealing; high-efficiency boiler for domestic hot water and radiant heating; heat recovery ventilation; water-efficient low flow fixtures; metal roof for future rainwater collection; and numerous salvaged materials such as flooring, cabinetry, doors.

We’re also offering a Building Science Laboratory to those touring the house. O’Brien & Company will have a team of Green Raters and Green Building Consultants on hand as we perform a Blower Door Test on the house four times each day (check the website for the schedule). We’ll also have an InfraRed (IR) camera on hand to demonstrate various diagnostic tools and techniques. We’ll be sealing up the last leaky areas during the tour. The ultimate question everyone asks is how much the project cost you.

Care to share? Sure, I’ve spent $167 a square foot.

 

What practical tips would you offer to someone trying the same thing, or others wanting to help others try the same thing?

• Do lots of up front research on green strategies to see what fits your situation.
• Have a great contractor with green building experience if possible, or at least one that is enthusiastic about the process.
• Plan on working hard on air sealing, the unsung hero of energy efficiency. I call it: spray, caulk, foam, then pray and repeat.
• Be prepared to recalibrate your goals. In a gut rehab, a lot of your budget may have to go, like mine did, on things like getting your shear walls, foundations, and house to foundation connections up to snuff.
• Prioritize. You can’t have it all. I wanted a functional, modern building that was energy efficient, healthy, and comfortable. Aesthetics are very important to me, but the green/energy efficiency goals came first.

Colleen’s project is one of 27 featured on the 2011 Northwest EcoBuilding Guild Tour this April 16th and 17th, and one of two associated with O’Brien & Company. The second is Bastyr University Housing, a LEED Gold project featured earlier this year in the Building Capacity Blog. For more info on how to build or remodel a home in the Cascadia region (southern British Columbia to Northern California) check out The Northwest Green Home Primer , which will be available for sale to visitors at Colleen’s project and at A Mighty House, another home on the tour.

Did you enjoy this article?  You might also like these Building Capacity Blog articles:
Window Retrofit Dilemma- Low E or No Low E?
Today’s Market: Multi-Family Developers Follow the Money 
Interview with LINC’s Maria Elena Marquez-Brookes
Interview with Schuchart's Joe Giaudrone
What is a Blogathon and Furthermore What is an EcoCribz?
Mechanical Systems and Fuel Choices for the Warming World
Tips for Optimizing Forced-Air Heating and Cooling Systems Part 1
Costs & Associated Benefits of LEED Certification

 

"Green" Resident Engagement Cards Inform AND Empower in California Non-Profit Housing Developments: Interview with Maria Elena Marquez-Brookes, LINC Housing’s Director of Resident Services

Enterprise Community Partners offers technical resources and training grants for affordable housing communities. In 2010 O’Brien & Company developed a suite of customizable engagement tools to educate and inspire affordable housing residents about green features in their buildings and how to sustainably operate and maintain their home and make healthy lifestyle choices. The primary tool is a set of Resident Engagement Card templates, developed in Power Point. O’Brien & Company also developed companion tools, including a User Guide, a short Tutorial video, a video highlighting some of the universal key concepts covered in the cards, quiz question templates, and an image library. LINC Housing participated in a pilot to show how Enterprise’s new residential engagement tool can be customized for affordable housing agencies and then for specific properties.

Editor: What is LINC Housing and what do you do there? MARIA: LINC is a nonprofit developer of affordable housing for low-income seniors, families and individuals with special needs throughout the state of California. We are located in Long Beach, California. Since 1984 we have helped create more than 6,500 units of affordable housing in 59 communities across the state.

About six years ago I was hired as the Director of Resident Services, tasked with developing the resident services department otherwise known as LINC Cares. At LINC we feel it is important to go beyond simply offering housing and also provide life enhancing services.

With our senior communities, for example, we understand how important it is for our seniors to live independently for as long as possible, so we try and support this goal by providing opportunities to maintain their mental, physical, and social health with exercise and nutrition programs and community engagement activities such as game days. It may just look like Bingo or Arts and Crafts, but in fact we are providing an opportunity to exercise the mind, socialize and build new networks.

Likewise with our family communities, we provide after school programs for children and youth, where they receive tutoring, homework help and have the opportunity to engage in a variety of enriching programs. We hold Family Nights, sessions where families learn about the local resources in their community. We hope that by providing our families with information and increasing access to local services that we are taking a proactive approach and preventing crises from occurring or at least minimizing it.

Can you describe LINC’s role in this project and the process? What were you hoping to accomplish? Enterprise's residential engagement tool seemed to fit right in with our life-enhancing approach to resident services. Giving information to our residents is a great thing –coupling that with the tools to take action is even better. LINC Housing has been engaging residents in being stewards of their environment since 2006. What we learned from our experiences is you can't just tell people to "be green." It's too big. What does that mean? It's overwhelming. The engagement tool was an opportunity to expand on our experiences and break it down even further, making “being green” that much more doable. The tool allowed us to recognize and celebrate what our residents were already doing while providing them with new ideas or strategies they could adopt. And the best part of the tool was that because it was customized to the community we were able to identify stores or services in their neighborhood that could help support their behavior changes.

The specific property you chose to focus on for the pilot was the Pepperwood Apartments. Can you tell us little about Pepperwood? Pepperwood is in Rancho Cucamonga, providing 230 apartments to families. It was a market rate development that we purchased in 2006, converted to affordable housing, and renovated with "green" upgrades including: insulation, energy efficient appliances, heating and cooling, lighting, and low-flow toilets. The resident engagement cards were an opportunity to go back to the residents to make sure they understood how these features worked and how they could take better advantage of them.

How did you use the tool? For our pilot we ended up customizing 30 cards for Pepperwood. We knew that would be too much for a single sitting so we focused our first workshop on two things: some simple energy efficient things they could do, and creating a product they could use in their homes. We used 4-5 cards and used these to stimulate dialogue and to introduce ideas like creating an all purpose green cleaning product they could use at home. This project was greatly appreciated by residents who were looking for something inexpensive and environmentally safe. We also had each participant sign a commitment card;the commitment cards focused on behaviors or strategies the participant was planning on adopting. We plan to check in with these residents in three months.

How did it go? Really well. We were a little surprised; since we held it directly following our after school program, we expected youth to stay and participate. We didn't really expect adults to come. It was a two-hour meeting on a weeknight, dinner included. We had 27 participants, including 15 kids and 12 adults ranging in age from 7 years old to someone in their 60’s. We had moms, dads, grandparents, and whole families participating and everyone stayed right to the end. People were really engaged. And everyone left with a product they had made and could use at home. (The children made play dough.)

So the pilot was successful? Yes, and in more ways than we thought. The cards were about engaging the residents, but it also ended up being a great tool for dialogue with property management, asset management, and housing development staff. In our customization process, there were things we learned through our discussions with community staff. For example, at Pepperwood, we learned that clothes line drying was against policy.

We also learned from Pepperwood's property manager that she was struggling to get cooperation regarding cleaning the lint from dryers. Since this can help make a dryer act more efficiently, it was something we could point out as an energy saver. Residents can hear the message from someone other than the property manager, therefore, validating it.

What's next? We plan on using the generic cards next in one of our senior communities. One thing I liked about working with Kelly (at O'Brien & Company) was that in working with me on getting the cards ready for Pepperwood she would always have a question I didn’t think about, and she would keep digging deeper. In the end we ended up with some great customized cards and with skills to meet the specific needs of all our communities. We want this experience to last for the long haul. We also plan to use the cards as a basis for a community-specific booklet we can hand out to every resident.

Do you have plans to customize the cards for other properties? Yes, two properties, including SEASONS at Compton, which is scheduled to open in summer 2011. SEASONS at Compton will serve a blend of limited income seniors, seniors with developmental disabilities, and seniors who care for dependents with developmental disabilities. The project is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is set to achieve LEED Gold Certification. The complex will include environmental features like photovoltaic panels and solar thermal hot water, as well as accessibility features like wider doorways and hallways, adjustable height counters, lower light switches, ramps, and elevators. A bioswale will be used to filter rainwater runoff and collecting silt and pollution before it enters the sewer system. This is very exciting and we have a great opportunity to customize cards for this unique community.

Do the cards only work on "green facilities? No, there are lots of cards that have to do with one's lifestyle and the choices we make, and are not dependent on living in a green building. Again, it is about what our residents can do. They can change out light bulbs, use green cleaning products, recycle or simply walk to the local store.

What lessons learned would you like to share? Engage as many people as you can. We work at such a fast pace, I grabbed at the pilot opportunity without realizing the extent of the project. Fortunately, everyone was as excited about the project as we (resident services) were and provided the support we needed. Engaging everyone who needed to get involved did slow the process down but it was well worth it. The engagement tool is much more effective because everyone from corporate to property staff to residents have had a hand in shaping it.

The other lesson we learned was that today’s youth are much more informed on environmental issues than we ever were at their age. They are familiar with recycling for example, because they've been hearing about that in school for most of their lives. They can be great allies for your resident engagement program and should be part of the development process.

Maria Elena Marquez-Brookes is Director of Resident Services for LINC Housing where she continues a life of "giving back" to the community, something she learned growing up in a community-oriented family. A social worker by training, she has been a community organizer, activist and in addition to her work at LINC serves as a field instructor for other up and coming social workers. This interview was conducted by Kathleen O'Brien, President of O'Brien & Company, and editor of Building Capacity Blog. For more information on how your agency can use this tool, Enterprise Community Partners plan to host a webinar “Introducing New Resident Engagement Tools for Affordable Housing Developers and Owners” on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM (EST)

Did you enjoy this article?  You might also like these Building Capacity Blog articles: 
Sound Mental Health's LEED Platinum Housing Project
Interview with Schuchart's Joe Giaudrone
Tips for Optimizing Forced-Air Heating and Cooling Systems Part 1
Mechanical Systems and Fuel Choices for the Warming World
Gut Rehab: Groll Residence Turns 1918 Home from “Leaky” to Green

Don’t Touch My Building: Yvonne Kraus, LEED AP balances energy efficient adaptive reuse with historic preservation

As the green building industry’s focus has shifted toward adaptive reuse and retrofitting the existing building stock, the debate about balancing retrofit needs with historic preservation guidelines has moved to the forefront.

In our current work developing an Energy Efficiency & Conservation Strategy with the City of Ellensburg, this issue is salient. Ellensburg has a historic downtown with an active historic preservation interest group, but this real estate is significantly underutilized. Although street level spaces in the downtown are mostly maintained and leased, upper stories are virtually abandoned. Retrofits could improve energy performance and make these spaces more desirable for tenants who now look for space in modern developments outside of the City core. At the mere mention of revising building codes to allow for incorporation of renewables on existing buildings, however, a protest arose at the thought of installing PV panels on historic buildings.

So do we touch historic buildings to make them more efficient? What can we do, and how do we best balance historic preservation needs with adaptive reuse and energy efficiency goals? These questions have been on my mind for several months now. During a recent trip to The Netherlands, Germany, and Austria, I kept my eyes open to see how these countries are addressing this issue. There’s a visible juxtaposition of old rural villages and brand new renewable energy technology in much of the countryside(s) I visited. In The Netherlands, old wooden windmills sit next to sleek new wind farms and historic straw roof farms have incorporated on-site solar. In Germany, PV blankets the roofs of old barns and farms, and Germany’s solar incentive program has been so successful that the government has had to place it on hold to catch up with demand. In Austria, the roofs of many farms and inns in the 1,000 year old village of Soelden are dotted with solar hot water and PV panels. In my opinion, there is a true beauty in this mix of old and new. Not to mention efficiency and excitement for the future.

Adaptive Reuse is conventionally defined as the process of adapting old structures for new purposes. Much of the debate surrounding adaptive reuse pertains to whether it makes sense to keep the building and retrofit it, or tear down and build new, but that’s another issue that we’ll explore in a future article. New buildings are now designed with rigid and strong exteriors, yet flexible floor plans interiors making adaptive reuse in the future more likely.

Historic Preservation is part of a national movement to protect buildings that are least 50 years old and are associated with, or significant for, historic people or events, architecture, craftsmanship, or design; or are valuable for historical research. At the federal level, the National Park Service (NPS), part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, oversees the National Register of Historic Places which is an official federal list of districts, sites, structures, buildings, and objects that are deemed worthy of preservation. It’s important to know that the National Register is primarily a tool to recognize historic properties - it does not mandate how they must be treated. A listing thus helps to protect a property but it does not restrict property owners. This is where the state and City regulations come in: they can add restrictions to a listed property, and they do this through State Historic Preservation Offices (“shippoes”). Shippoes were federally mandated to carry out provisions of the Act of 1966 and their role is to locate and record historic resources, nominating these resources to the National Register, and providing technical assistance and consultation. There are also some State Historic Registers (Washington State has one: the Dept of Archeology & Historic Preservation) as well as municipal programs that recognize local historic sites or districts, and these come with their own sets of regulations that often go beyond federal regulation in restricting what private property owners can do.

When sustainability planners ponder adaptive reuse, both on old buildings and those on the historic register, the issue of embodied energy comes up. According to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, about 80 billion BTUs of energy are embodied in a typical 50,000-square-foot commercial building. That’s equivalent to 640,000 gallons of gasoline, which is wasted if you tear the building down. On top of that, demolishing that same 50,000-square-foot building creates about 4,000 tons of waste. Construction of the replacement building will take additional energy in construction, natural resources, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste. Preservation Green Lab (see resources) is conducting a study that will provide more information on this topic, and we’ll report on this study in the near future.

According to Patrice Frey’s research for “Building Reuse: Finding a Place on American Climate Policy Agendas,” Older buildings can actually be remarkably energy efficient because of their quality of construction, their downtown or central locations, and their use of passive heating and cooling methods. When the GSA examined its buildings inventory in 1999, it found that utility costs for historic buildings were 27% less than for more modern buildings. We need to hold on to buildings that are well designed, that meaningfully link us to our past, and that have plenty of good use left in them.

When considering adapting historic buildings with a sustainable design, consider these key factors:

1. Don’t break the rules. Bottom line, there are standards you must follow outlined in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The standards seem rigid, but there’s significant flexibility as long as you are consistent with the character of the building. Consider it a “design challenge.”
2. Lengthen your planning horizon. This applies whether you are adapting or constructing new, but after a trip to Europe this is at the top of my mind.
3. Be passive. Old buildings relied on passive strategies. Maintaining a passive approach will save money, keep renovations simpler, and make O&M easier.
4. Embodied energy. We’ve already touched on this. We’ll discuss the science behind this in our next post on this topic.
5. Verify operating energy. In doing energy modeling of an existing building, you might find it’s better than you thought it would be. Don’t assume it’s an energy hog because it’s old.
6. Work with your local preservationists. It’s best to develop an overarching strategy to your project, to determine what’s sacred, and what’s open to change. And provide opportunities to learn how historic buildings and sustainability goals overlap.
7. Don’t make assumptions about windows. There may be other ways to amp up a building’s energy efficiency. In the ongoing renovations of the historic Empire State Building the developers took the creative path of upgrading the existing windows rather than replacing them. Floor by floor they are removing  windows, “re-manufacturing” them on-site using local labor (meaning more green jobs!) The result are windows that test to R-8 and “fit.”
8. Take advantage of resources. See below .

Resources:

• Preservation Green Lab: National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• The Sustainability Initiative, National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• The American Institute of Architects Historic Resources Committee.
• The Association for Preservation Technology
• International Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives
• The National Park Service Technical Preservation Services.  
• Historic Preservation and Green Building: A Lasting Relationship Feature - Environmental Building News January 2007. 
• Building Reuse: Finding a Place on American Climate Policy Agendas. Patrice Frey, Paul Anderson, Monica Andrews, and Carl Wolf. National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Yvonne Kraus, LEED AP and CSBA and Senior Project Associate for O'Brien & Company, Inc. specializes in green building program development, community and corporate sustainability strategies, and LEED for Existing Buildings: O&M. She is the Project Manager for the City of Ellensburg’s Energy Efficiency & Conservation Strategy (EECS), and led the development of the Economic Sustainability Strategy for the City of Kirkland (adopted), and of the Sustainability Strategy for the City of Sammamish (under consideration for adoption). The photo of Ellensburg's downtown was taken by Bob Bengford of Makers Architecture, leading a Land Development Code Update for the City concurrent to and integrated with the EECS project.

Did you enjoy this article?  You might also like these Building Capacity Blog articles: 
LEED EB: O+M's Energy Threshold
Tips for Optimizing Forced-Air Heating and Cooling Systems Part 1
Creating Effective Energy Efficiency & Conservation Strategies Part 1
Passive House: A Bit of Overkill
Cracking the Energy Code: What Will It Cost?
Sweet Sustainability on the Ancient St. James Way

How do you optimize a forced-air system to maintain a green home? Alistair Jackson, LEED AP for Homes Rater Responds: Part 4: MECHANICAL VENTILATION

If not installed or maintained properly, forced-air heating and cooling systems can perform poorly, creating air quality problems and unnecessary expense. To optimize a forced-air system, you need to design or refine it to prevent leaks and pressure imbalances, protect it properly during construction (or make sure the ductwork is clean and sound), and use the right filter.

The performance spec of the heat (or cooling) source is also important, but it is critical to address the distribution system first before investing in better furnace and air handler performance. This article is the FINAL of four focused on optimizing forced-air systems on the topics of Distribution, Filtration, Heat Source (and Controls), and Ventilation.

Whether in a new house or an existing home, mechanical ventilation is an important component of indoor comfort and building durability. Here in Washington, codes have required it for several years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the ventilation system in a home is effective.

This is another system that is worth having tested by a qualified contractor to see if it is over- or under-performing. A system that is under-performing (provides less airflow than recommended) may not provide adequate fresh air or remove enough moisture from the home. A system that is over-performing (providing too much airflow) will increase energy consumption, as heating system has to heat or cool the additional volume of  air.

The ventilation performance requirements of the IRC 2009 (and the current Washington Residential Code) are consistent with ASHRAE 62.2-2007, a recognized national reference standard, and a great performance benchmark even for a project that isn’t covered by the code. The intent of this standard is to ensure adequate air changes in the home, based on size and occupancy load. It requires mechanical ventilation with dedicated outside air inlets in new construction to increase the likelihood of effective ventilation.

For existing homes, it should be noted that mechanical ventilation becomes increasingly important as the building envelope becomes more air-tight. If a blower door test gives a result of ≥7 ACH@50, the focus should be on reducing envelope leakage rather than adding mechanical ventilation. This test result is roughly equivalent to 0.35 nACH or about one air change every three hours. With this much leakage in the envelope, the house will experience more than enough ventilation through the natural convection caused by “stack effect” as well as those induced by the influence of wind on the structure. But if your envelope weatherization efforts have brought envelope leakage substantially below this level, adding effective mechanical ventilation is a top priority.

Let’s assume we’re talking about a project that has successfully upgraded the building envelope to something less than 4 ACH50. A common practice in forced air homes is to integrate a mechanical ventilation system into the forced air system; a logical approach since you already have a system of ducts to deliver air to all the living spaces. This is called a “Central Fan Integrated System (CFIS)” – Imagine that. It is a straightforward solution that can be properly implemented for around $500 as long as your distribution ductwork is clean and sound and there’s easy access for a duct run from your air handler to an exterior wall, away from other exhaust outlets.

In its simplest form, this approach consists of a duct into the return side of the air handler, drawing fresh air into the system whenever the air handler fan runs. The problem with this approach is that the ventilation rate is totally dependent on how much the air handler runs. So on the coldest days (or the warmest days in a cooling-dominated climate) you get the greatest ventilation. On these days, the outside air also needs more conditioning to meet the indoor set-point temperature – so that means more heating (or cooling) energy; a recipe for higher energy bills.

                                      

This can be mitigated by adding a “fan cycler” – a control box connected to a mechanical damper in the fresh air duct. See the mechanics of an AprilAire fan cycler  in the photo at left. The fan cycler opens and closes the fresh air duct and monitors how much time the fan runs with the duct open. On cold days, it will close the fresh air duct once the ventilation air volume for a given period has been reached. On mild days, when heat (or cooling) demand is low, it will also switch on the air handler fan to circulate fresh air to meet the ventilation requirement. The disadvantage of this action is that it uses the large air handler fan (and associated electrical consumption) to circulate a relatively small amount of fresh air. If your air handler includes an efficient, variable speed fan this impact is significantly reduced. Aircycler provides an interactive  schematic showing the airflow.

 

Another approach that reduces fan energy is to tie the Fan Cycler to one or more exhaust fans and use these fans to pull outside air through the ducts when the air handler is not running. Energy Star labeled fans from Panasonic and others use a fraction of the energy of a typical air handler fan. I’m not personally convinced this solution provides good outside air distribution but it may be worth further exploration.

Energy (or heat) recovery, where energy from the stale exhaust air is used to pre-condition the incoming fresh air, can also be integrated into this approach. Typically, the air handler fan of an HRV or ERV is not large enough to effectively circulate fresh air through the large, forced air duct system, resulting in inadequate distribution and mixing of outside air. It is better to integrate the ERV/HRV with a fan cycler and use the furnace air handler fan, (Venmar AVS used to sell a passive  HRV unit called the Enerflo, that offered all this in one convenient unit, but I’m not sure this product is still available – comment if you know differently!).

You can also install small diameter, dedicated ductwork for the ventilation air distribution. Either approach will involve increased installation cost and control complexity (see the photo). In simple payback terms, this probably only makes sense in very cold or hot climates.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Any CFIS system requires proper commissioning by a qualified technician to ensure it is performing properly and delivering the required rate of ventilation in a range of conditions. Your HVAC contractor may be able to provide this service, or you may choose to use an independent contractor such as those listed with Home Performance Washington, RESNET, Building Performance Institute (BPI), National Comfort Institute Certified Contractors. 

Alistair Jackson, LEED AP, CSBA is Principal in Charge of O’Brien & Company’s Residential Technical Services, and is a LEED for Homes, Energy Star and Built Green Verifier, LEED for Homes Faculty and ARCSA certified Rainwater Harvesting designer. Alistair is a frequent contributor to the Building Capacity Blog and was also a major contributor to the Northwest Green Home Primer.

Did you enjoy this article?  You might also like these Building Capacity Blog articles:
Tips for Optimizing Forced-Air Heating and Cooling Systems Part 1
Tips for Optimizing Forced-Air Heating and Cooling Systems Part 2
Tips for Optimizing Forced-Air Heating and Cooling Systems Part 3
Interview with LINC’s Maria Elena Marquez-Brookes
Creating Effective Energy Efficiency & Conservation Strategies Part 1
Cracking the Energy Code: What Will It Cost?
Mechanical Systems and Fuel Choices for the Warming World