Intro to Building Energy Efficiency

30 Hours / Self-Study / Textbook Included

Overview

The training at this level provides prospective weatherization professionals with baseline knowledge in the essential concepts needed for weatherization work.  Installers are managed by a Crew Chief, and implement the measures defined by an Auditor. Prospective Installers will be introduced to best practices in air sealing, insulating, duct sealing and base-load energy improvements for conventional homes and mobile homes. In addition, Installers will be introduced to the essential concepts in building science in order to help them understand not just how, but why particular measures need to be taken to improve the energy efficiency, combustion safety and indoor air quality of buildings.

Courses:

·         Work of Weatherizing Buildings

·         Building Envelope, Part 1: Air Seal

·         Building Envelope, Part 2: Insulating

·         Weatherizing Mobile Homes

·         Base Load Measures

·         HVAC and Ductwork

The Work of Weatherizing Buildings

Building on a student's understanding of construction-related health and safety issues, this course provides an overview of the scope of work, and explains the procedures for weatherizing a home.

·         House as a System

·         Purpose of an Energy Audit

·         Work Order Overview

Building Envelope, Part 1: Air Seal

Transitioning from principles to practice, this course leverages air-sealing concepts that have been introduced in The Work of Weatherizing Buildings, explaining the purpose of air-sealing homes and delving into the practical work of air-sealing the building envelope.

·         Pressurization Principles

·         Blower Door/ Duct Blaster Terminology

·         Thermal Bypasses

·         Selecting Caulking/ Foaming

·         Applying Caulking/ Foaming

·         Air Sealing Attics

·         Window Performance

·         Weatherizing Windows

·         Weatherizing Doors

Building Envelope, Part 2: Insulating

Building on the discussion of thermal performance in The Work of Weatherizing Buildings, this course focuses on the practical methods of increasing insulation levels in walls, floors, attics, and crawlspaces. Emphasis will be placed on identifying pre-existing moisture conditions, and details that can impact the long-term performance of the envelope.

·         Insulation versus Air Flow

·         Insulation Options

·         Safety Risks Review

·         Insulating Walls

·         Insulating Ceilings and Attics

·         Insulating Raised Floors

·         Insulating Crawlspaces/ Basements

Weatherizing Mobile Homes

Manufactured homes present a unique set of challenges to weatherization practitioners. This course introduces Installers to common mobile home assemblies and systems, and covers the most common air-sealing and insulating methods and techniques specific to mobile homes.

·         Mobile Home Construction Basics

·         Identifying Problems

·         Sealing Mobile Home Ducts

·         Weatherizing Roofs and Walls

·         Weatherizing the Underbelly

Base Load Measures

A key factor of a well-weatherized home is the baseload energy use associated with domestic hot water systems, electric appliances, and lighting. This course introduces students to the efficiency factors related to DHW, appliances, and lighting systems, and instructs on the practical measures required to reduce baseload energy use.

·         Lighting and Appliance Improvements

·         DHW Efficiency Improvements

HVAC and Ductwork

While HVAC Installation is a separate area of specialization, a portion of the weatherization improvements to the HVAC system can be addressed by the air-sealing crew. This course prepares Installers for the practical work of sealing ductwork and improving exhaust ventilation systems

·         A/C Tune Ups

·         HVAC Performance/ Duct Leakage

·         Duct Leakage and Solutions

·         Exhaust Ventilation Overview

·         Installing Ventilation

Computer Requirements:

High Speed Internet Connection Required - 810 kbps or faster download speed is required for streaming video.

JavaScript - You will need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser to use this site.

Disable Popup Blockers

Flash - This site contains flash videos that you will need to view.

Acrobat Reader - This site contains PDF documents that you will need to view.

Software

·         Operating Systems

§  Windows XP or Vista and Mac OS X 10 and higher, most Linux distributions

·         Web Browsers

§  Mozilla Firefox 2 and 3 (previous versions will work also)

§  Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8