Page 17 - Green Builder Sept-Oct 2016

Our annual building science
partnership with the DOE and
Building America takes a peek into
new systems and products coming
down the pipeline — to better manage
building envelopes, moisture
control, HVAC and IAQ.

BY JESSICA PORTER Material innovation. The Dwell
Development, a high-performance
ONE-FIFTH OF ALL energy consumption is used by home in Seattle, won a DOE 2015
buildings, and nearly half of that consumption is used Housing Innovation Award. It
to keep buildings cool, says Eric Werling, Building blends recycled materials with a
America program director for the Department of modern design while achieving a
Energy (DOE). Because most Americans spend two- HERS score of 55.
thirds of their lives inside their homes, it’s important to continue
making those buildings, and the systems inside, as energy efficient— CREDIT: DOE “TOUR OF ZERO”
and healthy to live in—as possible.

The DOE’s Building America program was started more than two
decades ago to figure out ways to make homes more efficient without
increasing costs. Each year, Building America focuses on a few key
areas to study, with a goal of decreasing energy consumption by 50
percent. That goal has led to a number of new building codes, systems
and processes for high-performance building.

For the first time, Building America recently published its goals
for key areas of focus. “We got to the point where the program has
been around, and we’ve made great strides in a lot of areas,” Werling