Energy Efficient Design

MOVING ARCHITECTS TOWARD BUILDING PERFORMANCEPaul Welschmeyer, principal of Bay Area architectural design firm Paul Welschmeyer Architects, has recently contracted with Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E’s) Energy Efficiency Training Centers to present the im

Moving Architects Toward Building Performance

APPLIED BUILDING SCIENCE, HERS ll RATING & WHOLE HOUSE ENERGY ANALYSISBuilding Science is the study of the movement of air, moisture and vapor through building assemblies (walls, roofs & floors) and the impact it has on human comfort, indoor air quality an

Building Science

ENERGY MODELINGEnergy performance modeling is easy to understand in terms of cars. An automobile manufacturer tests a car under a prescribed method to determine its Miles per Gallon (MPG). When an owner drives a car and calculates their own MPG, it does no

Energy Modeling

HERS ll SCALEIn order to move the residential construction industry towards more energy efficient homes, the California Energy Commission has established the HERS II SCORE, which rates the performance of a home, similar to MPG for a car. In order to establ

HERS ll Scale

ARCHITECT AS HERS ll RATER & HOME PERFORMANCE SUBCONTRACTORPaul Welschmeyer Architects has combined the licensed / certified professions of an Architect and a HERS II Rater, representing the state-of-the-art in the profession of energy efficient home desig

Architect as HERS II Rater

ENVELOPE LEAKAGE TESTINGIn the mid 2000‘s, when the California Energy Commission (CEC) did their own study of homes constructed to the strict national standards for energy efficiency (Energy Star), they unfortunately found that these homes were not perform

Envelope Leakage Testing

DUCT LEAKAGE TESTINGSimilar to the envelope air leakage problems, leaky mechanical air ducts were found to be huge source of energy loss. Unless installed and tested by a certified Home Performance Contractor and then verified by a HERS rater, residential

Duct Leakage Testing

THERMAL IMAGE ANALYSISFinding the source of energy leaks from a building is aided through the use of a thermal imaging camera. These cameras record the surface temperature of everything within the view. They do not record air temperature, but moving air le

Thermal Image Analysis

QUALITY INSTALLATION OF INSULATIONA California Energy Commission’s (CEC) study found air infiltration problems of the thermal envelope were also linked to lower than expected performance of insulation in the walls, ceilings and floors of the house. This s

Quality Installation of Insulation

EQUIPMENT SIZING & EFFICIENCYIn the past, the heating or cooling capacity of residential mechanical equipment was not selected based on the actual needs of the structure, but rather a potential discomfort complaint from the home owner. Mechanical equipmen

Equipment Sizing & Efficiency

GREENBUILDING & ENERGY EFFICIENCYGreen building is the implementation of environmentally conscious design and construction practices in the categories of Energy Efficiency, Water efficiency, Transportation Efficiency, Resource conservation, Indoor Air qual

Greenbuild & Energy Efficiency

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ENERGY & DESIGN Case Study 1

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ENERGY & DESIGN Case Study 2

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GREENBUILD Case Study 1