Redefining Home Value Through Energy Efficiency and Building Science

This podcast episode explores the transformative efforts in the home building and real estate industries towards embracing energy efficiency and high-performance building.

Judson Willis, a former home builder turned coach, discusses the importance of education, innovation, and the integration of building science principles. Justin highlights challenges such as the conventional appraisal process that often overlooks the value added by energy-efficient features.

Furthermore, Ben & Judson explore leveraging new technologies, like LiDAR scanning, software commissioning and accessible data collection techniques, emphasizing the role of ethical practices and stakeholder engagement in revolutionizing the industries.

Judson has recently launched The Home Building Energy Efficiency Academy with a novel business model suggest solutions to bridge the gap between construction practices and home valuation. Judson has already realized many successful projects through his novel techniques, and calls for collaboration indicate a path towards making high-performance, energy-efficient homes the new standard across markets, including Canada.

00:00 Welcome to A #betterhvac Podcast!

00:17 Introducing Judson Willis: A Home Builder's Shift to Building Science

02:07 The Uncommon Path: From Military to Home Building

04:17 Challenging the Status Quo in Home Building and Lending

08:17 Navigating the Complexities of the Lending World

12:27 Homebuilders, Lenders & Realtors Are Often Ignored In Our Energy Transition

15:44 The Appraisal Challenge: Valuing Energy Efficient Homes

27:22 Creating Competent Green Appraisers

33:37 Launching an Innovative Education Program for Appraisers

34:04 Expanding the Reach: Partnering with Appraisal Management Companies

35:34 Navigating the Appraisal Education Challenge

36:24 The Journey to Find a Willing AMC Partner

36:54 Launching a Groundbreaking Appraisal Training

37:16 Initial Success and Expanding the Vision

37:47 Breaking New Ground in Green Appraisals

38:12 The Impact of Green Certification on Home Valuations

42:35 Exploring the Future of Green Valuations in Legislation

45:36 Addressing Challenges and Ethical Considerations

55:16 Expanding the Conversation to HVAC and Retrofit Markets

01:00:20 Is There Space For A New Data-Centric Workforce?

01:04:32 Looking Towards a Sustainable Future in Home Building

Transforming Residential HVAC: Policy, Innovation, and Collective Action Ben & Abhi discuss how #betterhvac could shape the HVAC industry through policy reform, innovation, and collaborative efforts in the U.S. and Canada.

These two Canadian's explore the significance of aligning policy with the needs of frontline workers, small business owners, and the broader goals of energy efficiency and climate targets. They discuss the challenges faced by HVAC contractors, including unrealistic expectations and ineffective incentive programs, and offer solutions like mentorship, business incubators, and democratizing technical data for better decision-making.

Abhi shares his journey and passion for contributing to his adopted home through his expertise, while also highlighting the work of Efficiency Canada in consolidating efforts towards national goals. The conversation underlines the necessity for policies that support the HVAC industry's business cycles and emphasizes the potential of collective action in driving meaningful change. 

00:00 Welcome to A #betterhvac Podcast!

00:42 Introducing Abhilash Kantamneni A Policy Researcher At Efficiency Canada

01:54 Abhi's Personal Journey and Motivation 

06:27 Exploring Efficiency Canada: A Think Tank for Energy Efficiency

10:36 Understanding Policy: Its Role and Impact

14:58 The Challenges of Incentive Programs in The Residential HVAC Industry

27:50 Consolidation in the HVAC Industry: Causes and Effects

34:22 Exploring the Pros and Cons of Consolidation

35:19 The Emotional Impact of Family Legacy In Our Communities

37:56 The Power of Collective Action and Community Engagement

41:11 Rethinking The Our Language And Positioning for Greater Impact

51:56 Innovative Policy Ideas for the HVAC Industry

01:00:14 The Future of HVAC: Data, Efficiency, and Policy

01:07:09 Wrapping Up: The Path to Electrification and Abhi's CMPX Presentation

Ben Reed has a conversation with a fellow Canadian - Paul Sehr of Jouleia - to learn about what he’s building, and the impact it will have on the Canadian HVAC market. Paul is building a platform to make it easier for homeowners to understand their electrification opportunities and interpret the results of their energy audits. Paul also shares some guidance on how other entrepreneurs can balance profit and ethical outcomes while pursing electrification & #betterhvac opportunities.

0:00 Scaling Energy Advisors In Canada w/ Paul Sehr Of Jouleia 00:14 The Entrepreneur Behind Jouleia 00:55 Paul’s Entrepreneurial Journey 04:09 Paul's Personal Motivation and the Birth of Jouleia 06:20 Why Paul Chose To Electrify & Why The Journey Was Painful 10:22 Energy Advisors Have Been Forced Into A Corner 13:29 A Solution to Electrification Challenges 18:04 The Expertise Behind Jouleia and Its Mission 20:43 Understanding the EnerGuide and Its Role 22:38 Transitioning From Managing A Large Org To Founding A Small Company 24:14 The Ease of Website Deployment Today 24:50 Innovating Home Energy Assessments with Software 25:58 The 'Good Enough' Approach in Product Development 29:01 Building a Marketplace for Home Energy Efficiency 30:15 Listening to Customers: The Roadmap for Growth 35:55 The Entrepreneurial Journey: Challenges and Advice 42:13 Balancing Profit and Mission in a Startup

Elevating HVAC: Training, Technology, and the Push for Standardization

In this episode of the Better HVAC podcast, host Ben Reed and guest Clifton Beck from the ESCO Institute explore ways the BetterHVAC Movement can impact the world of residential HVAC. They discuss the importance of training and accreditation programs, the industry-wide shift towards heat pumps, and the necessity of designing reputation systems for contractors. A significant part of their conversation highlights the lack of a standard communication protocol in residential HVAC systems and the potential benefits of establishing one. 

Beck shares his journey from being a technician in the field to becoming an influential educator and his belief in the power of community and technology to improve the HVAC industry. They further explore the roles of HVAC Excellence and ESCO in enhancing educational standards, the challenges of aligning trade school curriculums with industry needs, and the potential impact of standardized testing for technicians. 

Finally, the dialogue turns to the future, focusing on the need for industry-wide cooperation to adopt standardized communication protocols for HVAC systems, drawing parallels with the automotive industry's successful adoption of unified standards.

0:00 BetterHVAC Enables Collective Action w/ Clifton Beck - #aBHP S01E05 01:18 Clifton Beck's Journey into HVAC 04:36 The Role of ESCO Institute & HVAC Excellence In The Industry 08:58 The Role of Advisory Committees in HVAC Education 10:43 Challenges in the HVAC Education System 12:30 The Role of ESCO and HVAC Excellence in the Industry 17:47 The Impact of Industry Participation in HVAC Education 18:59 The Importance of Standardized Testing in The HVAC Industry  24:00 The Need for Continuous Learning in HVAC 27:21 ESCO's Training Data Has #BetterHVAC Potential 28:32  Why Isn't There Nationwide Standardized Testing? 30:25 Addressing the Skilled Labor Shortage in the Industry 30:40 The Role of Schools and Educators in Workforce Development 31:18 The Importance of Formal Training for Technicians 31:46 The Need for Better Communication and Collaboration in the Industry 32:46 The Challenge of Verifying Contractor Quality 34:10 Who's Responsibility Is It To Standardize The Industry?  37:08 The Impact of Technological Transitions on the Industry 37:42 Do We Need A Coalition To Solve The Big Problems? 39:15 The Convergence of Many Risks  40:50 The Role of Google and DOE in Promoting BetterHVAC Contractors To Homeowners 46:25 What is the DoE Looking For To Make Electrification Successful 50:37 We're Going To See Major Marketing Dollars To Promote BetterHVAC Outcomes 52:50 The Energy Transition Gold Rush Has Begun 55:09 The Need for a Unified Communicating System in HVAC 01:00:43 BetterHVAC Enables Leverage Through Collective Action 

Ben Reed engages in a conversation with Shauna Henderson of Blue House Energy - A fellow Bluenoser and self-described "building science wonk". Ben & Shawna explore various aspects of the building industry, particularly focusing on the necessity of integrating building science and decarbonization into building practices, while stressing on the importance of educating current and future stakeholders in the industry.

Shawna expresses discomfort in the fact that building science is not demanded enough, attributing this to the lack of reformation in the building valuation processes - such as eal estate transactions. Highlighting the influence of codes on building practices, she supports the idea of having more self-expressive codes that allow professionals the flexibility to optimize building envelopes to their context. The discussion also dives into the history of building science in Canada and the role of R2000 and HOT2000 programs in shaping the present state of building codes and practices. 

0:00 Introductions 00:54 From Textiles to Building Science Through A Sensory Deprivation Chamber 06:25 The Residential Building Industry Needs A Lot Of Help 09:02 Every Home Is Different, But Physics Don't Change 12:16 Blue House Energy: Solving Big Puzzles By Training Energy Advisors 17:48 Canadian vs US Housing Markets 22:11 Passive House Originated In Canada 22:54 Why Did Canada Fall Behind In Building Science 25:49 The Effect Of PITE on Building Science 30:10 The Political Wrench Thrown In The Gears  31:40 The Building Code Is Our Only Stick 32:42 The Step Code Across Canada 35:57 Rant: We Have Lost Our Ability To Make Things 40:03 The Birth Of Building Science 44:41 The Death Of Building Science In Canada 46:24 A Rebirth Of Building Science In Canada? 49:01 Canada's Culling Of Retrofit Programs 51:23 2025: A Turning Point In The Canadian Building Code? 53:45 We Need To Fight A Good War 56:20 Municiapilties Need To Step Up  59:42 5 Year Payback Periods Shouldn't Be Applied To Houses 01:02:30 A Flexible Building Code To Incentivize Good Work 01:05:38 Wrapping It Up

Ben Reed from Teal Maker and John Semmelhack from The Comfort Squad have an insightful conversation about the challenges and opportunities in the residential HVAC industry. 

John shares his experience transitioning from a Home Energy Rater to an HVAC designer and the importance of coupling technical expertise with real-world data for optimum results. They dive into the issues with manual HVAC installation practices, emphasize the opportunities using real-world monitoring, and discuss the potential for software automation in this space. 

Their discussion provides technical tips for improving HVAC system efficiency, specifically focusing on ductwork and filtration improvements. The talk underscores a key message - using data effectively can significantly transform the HVAC industry.

Ben sits down with Paulus Schoutsen, the creator of Home Assistant - one of the world's largest open source projects - to discuss whether Open Source has a role in the world of residential HVAC.

The discussion revolves around the origin, development, and growth of Home Assistant, the importance of local control and privacy, the effect of open source contributions on the platform, potential implications for HVAC and building science, and the benefits of standardization in smart home devices. Ben & Paulus also discuss the business side of running Home Assistant and Nabu Casa, the company Paulus Schoutsen founded to sustainably fund Home Assistant's development.

Ben sits down with Edward Louie from PNNL to discuss Edward's applied research projects, how to achieve quality installation in heat pumps, his experience as a Rater in the field, and new hypothetical business models that could improve the industry. Ben also probed Edward on how the DoE participates in open source projects.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this production are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the DoE, PNNL or measureQuick.

In this episode, Ben talks with Max Sherman, the vice chair of the new ASHRAE 241 standard. Ben & Max discus COVID, IAQ, resilency, filtration & ventilation - and how it all relates to residential HVAC contractors.

Last year, I chose to join ASHRAE to grow my network and learn from the experts who craft and maintain the world’s mechanical codes. As I have a background in IAQ, I was very excited to follow the progress of the COVID 19 Epidemic Task Force, who have recently formed a committee and published a new IAQ standard called “ASHRAE Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols”. Most news articles and social posts surrounding this standard focus on applying the standard to commercial buildings, but i couldn’t find any information on how to apply it to single family homes. Being a member of ASHRAE, I reached out to their media team and was able to connect with Max Sherman, the Vice Chair of standard 241.

You can read more about the ASHRAE 241 Standard here: https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/bookstore/ashrae-standard-241-control-of-infectious-aerosols