Industry News & Announcements

>>Register Now for BSC Seminar in September with Joseph Lstiburek 
Source: buildingscienceseminars.com
The seminar "2014 Renovation and Rehabilitation" with Dr. Joseph Lstiburek will be taking place September 25, and there are still a few of the 15 spots available. The seminar is a highly personal "boardroom" discussion that will address the specifics of renovation and rehabilitation. It takes place in Westford, Massachusetts. To register or to see the reading material for the seminar, click here.

Lstiburek also hosts a Building Science Summer Camp each year. To see excerpts from the 2013 Building Science Summer Camp at Lstiburek's residence, click here. 

>>BPI Launches New Credentialing Program 
Source: bpi.org
BPI announced the launch of the BPI GoldStar Contractor program, a companywide credentialing program that recognizes and rewards home performance contractors committed to the principle that quality is profitable and can set them apart in the marketplace. The program rolls out in tandem with a consumer outreach campaign to educate the public on the exceptional quality of BPI GoldStar Contractors. 

To participate in a free webinar addressing the new program, click here.  

>>Alliance Vice-Chair Rep. Kinzinger Pushes for Energy Efficiency
Source: ase.org
On June 10, 2014, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bipartisan energy efficiency bill meant to analyze how federal agencies use energy and water. H.R. 4801 can be added to the list of other energy efficiency bills that the House of Representatives has put forward in recent months. The House continues to champion energy efficiency as a means to reduce the federal deficit and save tax payers money.

>>Update from the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America
Source: energy.gov
Topics addressed in the current newsletter include: 
-A Top Innovation Spotlight on high-efficiency window air conditioners 
-Apply for the 2014 Housing Innovation Awards by June 30 
-Crafting effective building science power words 
-June 25 webinar on deep energy retrofits 
-Residential building success stories from Florida 
-Upcoming DOE Zero Energy Ready webinars on marketing and sales solutions and building fortified homes 
-The latest publications from Building America: multi-split heat pumps in multifamily retrofits, case studies for deep energy retrofits, and more! 
 
Click here to access the newsletter. 
 
>>Spray Foam Coalition Comments on California "Priority Products List" Workshops
Source: americanchemistry.com
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC) Safer Consumer Products Program held public workshops to gather input on the initial Priority Products list before the official rulemaking process began.The Spray Foam Coalition, a self-funded group of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), released the following statement after the final workshop.
  
>>SPFA Sponsors U.S. DoE Student Competition --  Apply by June 30 for Next Year
Source: energy.gov
As part of its Building America Program, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invited college students across the United States to participate in the DOE Challenge Home Student Design Competition and become part of a leadership movement to achieve truly sustainable homes. There were 28 teams from across North America and more than 300 students participating. Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) was a sponsor of this event.

At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., the teams presented their designs and competition awards were announced in these categories: Grand Winners, Best Design Solution Integration, Best Technical Integration, Best Presentation and Best Production Home Integration.

The Grand Winners were:
>Montage Builders Northern Forest: State University of New York – Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse University, and Onondaga Community College - Best Single-Family Detached Design (project profile | presentation)
>Ryerson University’s Urban Harvest Team - Best Single-Family Attached Design (project profile | presentation)
 
For a complete list of winners, click here.
 
To be part of the next competition, be sure to fill out your applications! Applications for the second annual Housing Innovation Awards have just been posted. This distinction allows builders to transform their core message from ‘what you build’ to ‘why you build.’ And in the case of award-winning, zero energy ready homes, it’s all about delivering a superior living experience. But, you have to apply. And of course you must have at least one DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (formerly known as the DOE Challenge Home) certified by June 30, 2014. Which means it’s also time to make sure your HERS rater is submitting all certified homes to DOE.  
 
The 2014 Housing Innovation Awards ceremony will be held on September 23, 2014, at EEBA’s Excellence in Building Conference in St. Louis, MO.  

>>EPA Identifies Safer Substitutes for Toxic Flame Retardants
Source: epa.gov
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing safer alternatives to the flame retardants now used in consumer and commercial products, including building insulation and products with flexible polyurethane foam.

"EPA’s findings for safer alternatives is great news for consumers and industry," said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "We will now have safer alternatives for use in our products from furniture to car seats to building insulation." 

Flame retardant chemicals such as hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and pentabromodiphenyl ether (pentaBDE) raise concerns for human health and the environment including potential reproductive, developmental, and neurological effects and can be persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic to aquatic organisms. Read more here.

>>Free Monthly Webinars with U.S. Dept. of Energy Building America Program
Source: energy.org
U.S. Department of Energy Building America program to present monthly webinars that will offer information about the latest advances in residential building technologies and practices. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. 

June 25, noon-1:30 p.m. EDT
Part 1 of this series introduced the basic concepts of building and wind interactions and how the FORTIFIED building programs can reduce property damage and loss. In Part 2, IBHS will discuss the building systems that are most vulnerable and how getting the roof right can reduce as much as 50% of the $20 billion of insured property losses that homeowners experience each year in the United States.
 
June 25, 3 p.m. EDT 
The webinar will focus on specific Building America projects and case studies that highlight real-world examples of deep energy retrofits (DERs) that are meeting with technical and market success. Presenters will focus on technical strategies, modeled and actual performance results, and project costs.