EP116 RESNET Data Sheds Light on Energy Efficient Home Trends with Ryan Meres
RESTalk
“Data is the most valuable asset in the world.” - Brittany Kaiser Housing trends have significant importance to the RESNET community. In addition to tracking progress with RESNET HERS Ratings, the hundreds of data points collected on each home provide insights into the trends in energy efficiency, component selection and electrification. What are some of the latest trends in HERS Rated homes? What value can this data provide to all the stakeholders in RESNET? RESTALK welcomes back RESNET’s Program Director, Ryan Meres, to share with us some insights he has...
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EP115 The New RESNET Embodied Carbon Advisory Committee with Chris Magwood from RMI
RESTalk
“Doing your best in this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” -Oprah Winfrey A critical element in the decarbonization of homes is the embodied carbon produced in the construction of homes. As the current RESNET Carbon Index® only covers the carbon produced due to energy used in a home, what do we do next? What type of standards exists to perform this assessment? What are the challenges and roadmap ahead? Recently, the RESNET Board of Directors formally authorized the creation of an effort to explore the development of a residential embodied...
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EP114 Meet the new RESNET Board leaders, Mark Johnson & Cy Kilbourn
RESTalk
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” -Warren Bennis What are some of the qualities embodied in outstanding board leaders? Someone who has experience in business leadership roles. A person that has a proven track record in developing and executing strategy. Someone who demonstrates a forward-thinking mentality. In today’s podcast, we are joined by two outstanding board leaders, Mark Johnson, Executive VP and Director of Business Development at the International Code Council, and Cy Kilbourn, Vice President of Engineering at Ekotrope. We...
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EP113 Update on RESNET Carbon Index with Philip Fairey and David Goldstein
RESTalk
“The big picture doesn’t just come from distance; it also comes from time.” -Simon Sinek Climate change is becoming an increasing concern. The private sector, individuals as well as state, local and federal governments are seeking to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As the energy used in all buildings, including homes, is cited as a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, how do these entities get an accurate metric on emissions?Is there a way to use this info to address when energy is used in a home?As well as how much home energy...
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EP112 RESNET's 2023 Goals and Priorities with Steve Baden and John Hensley
RESTalk
“The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual. -Vince Lombardi Strong organizations fulfill their mission by periodically reflecting on their goals and priorities. RESNET is no exception having adopted their 2023 Mission, Goals and Priorities by vote of the Board of Directors on October 7, 2022. How are the goals crafted that align with and fulfill the mission? How are priorities and budgets set so these goals are achieved? How is 2023 looking to shape up? John Hensley, President of the RESNET Board of Directors, and Steve Baden, RESNET...
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EP111 The Best of RESTalk 2022 with Bill Spohn
RESTalk
Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful. - Margaret J. Wheatley 23 episodes, 23 topics and 34 different guests. We covered a lot of ground in the RESTalk podcast in 2022, now going into our 5th year of episodes. (Over 12 hours of conversations about the world of RESNET!) We hope we stimulated your thinking and moved you into action in this often-complex world of home energy ratings. If you’d like to dig a little deeper into the topics covered in these episodes, see the list mentioned in each section...
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EP110 The State of RESNET Quality Assurance 2022 with Laurel Elam, Billy Giblin, and Scott Doyle
RESTalk
I remind myself every morning:Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So, if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening. Larry King Change is a constant. Gathering feedback, reviewing changes and trends and acting upon the results is critical to maintaining a successful business, organization or system. As we look back on 2022, and look froward into the coming years, what type of changes are happening at RESNET with regard to QA? We welcome back RESNET’s multifaceted QA Team - Laurel Elam, Billy Giblin, and Scott Doyle for an...
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EP109 The Pretty Good House with Emily Mottram
RESTalk
Those that educate the market, own the market. Emily Mottram We’ve all heard of advanced housing concepts that require little net energy to operate. Architects, builders, and suppliers in the residential construction industry often get together at conferences and locally and sometimes birth new concepts while challenging others. What kind of ideas develop when you ignite their passions, crowd source ideas, and marinate for a few years? What if you aspire to build a Pretty Good House? What does that look like? How do you go about educating others? Joining...
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EP108 Unpacking the ANSI-RESNET-ACCA-ICC 310 HVAC Rating Standard series: Tasks 4&5 Blower Watt Draw and Refrigerant Charge with Jim Bergmann, MeasureQuick
RESTalk
The only source of knowledge is experience. Albert Einstein The message is clear, HVAC equipment is often the largest energy-consuming system in a home. While listeners likely know about blower door and duct leakage tests, what impact do blower Watt draw and refrigerant charge on HVAC energy use? What can we learn from an HVAC expert with so much experience? Today’s podcast continues down the technical trail with the last installment of a three-part series on cracking open the details of the ANSI/RESNET/ACCA/ICC Standard 310. Previous podcasts...
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EP107 Learn more about the RESNET CO2e Index with David Goldstein and John Taylor
RESTalk
Passion provides purpose, but data drives decisions Andy Dunn What does CO2e mean? What are the impacts of time and location on energy use and production? How and why are we morphing from energy as a proxy for emissions? We are joined on today’s podcast by David Goldstein, Energy Co-Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and John Taylor, Deputy Director of The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) to discuss a new tool that RESNET has underdevelopment: The CO2e Index The RESNET CO2e Rating Index is among the first in the...
info_outline“I hope to continue to inspire our nation’s youth to pursue careers in science, technology engineering, and math so they, too, may reach for the stars.“
-Ellen Ochoa (American engineer, former astronaut, and former director of the Johnson Space Center)
The percentage of women in the construction industry grew from 9.9 percent in 2018, to 10.9 percent in 2020 marking a recent steady increase in women's employment. Women now take on more roles in the industry that range from work in the trades to project management.
In honor of Women's History Month, we asked: "So what’s it like to be a woman working in the HERS industry? What inspires women to take this career path?"
In today’s podcast, we hear from Elizabeth Sanfelippo of Brayn Consulting, and Beth Ainsworth of Performance Point about their career journeys leading to roles in the HERS world.
They share their stories both coming from aspects of the fields of art and design. We learn of some of the challenges, large and small, as well as how they manage self-doubt and bias.
Elizabeth attended Middlebury College in Vermont where she received her BA with a major in studio art. While attending Samford University for a Masters in Environmental Management, she homed in on her passion for residential energy efficiency and home performance. She became a HERS Rater in 2016 (not really knowing much about HERS) and now works as a senior engineering associate for Brayn Consulting where she focuses on the 45L tax credit for energy-efficient new construction homes. She was a 2019 RESNET ELC Fellow and recently received the Jo-Ann Golden Humanitarian Award in 2021 from the National Association of Women in Construction Southeast Region.
Beth attended Appalachian State University, where she obtained a master’s degree in building science. After being immersed in the sustainable environment of Boone, NC for 10 years, she decided to follow her passion and pursue a career in green building design. She began working for Performance Point in 2010 and has been in the industry as a HERS rater for almost 15 years. She specializes in the modeling and design of custom housing and assists in the plan review phase and design for multifamily projects with her NGBS Verifier certification. In recent years, she has become a Quality Assurance Designee.
We wrap up the conversation by sharing thoughts on how the concept of women in the trades needs to be made “normal” in society’s thinking.
You can also hear more perspectives on this topic by listening to RESTalk Episode 85: “The House that She built.”
You can get in touch with our guests here:
Elizabeth Sanfelippo: [email protected]
Beth Ainsworth: [email protected]
RESTalk: To the RESNET community, we hear you and want to engage.
Learn more at www.RESNET.us
Or for more info on this topic contact RESNET at [email protected]