Page 31 - Green Builder Sept-Oct 2016

By choosing the right dehumidification CREDIT: HOME INNOVATION RESEARCH LABS

system, homeowners can save by Humidity solutions. High-performance walls and windows are only
part of humidity control. NREL is working on solution to better
rightsizing their air conditioner unit and measure humidity and rightsize dehumidification systems.

dehumidification system.

“Often, dehumidification systems get eliminated in house designs
to save money. But the systems are often engineered for latent
homes,” Winkler says. By choosing the right dehumidification system,
homeowners can save by rightsizing their air conditioner unit and
dehumidification system.

NREL is working on getting their improved dehumidification
measurement system in the Air Conditioning Contractors of
America’s manual, which is considered industry best practice for
the HVAC market.

DRIVING CHANGE
Climate change is driving people in all industries to rethink their
energy consumption. The building industry is well on its way to
high-performance and net-zero buildings. Now, the key is to make
sure those buildings are not only energy efficient, but also realistic
places for homeowners to live.

“We cannot go down the path of having homes that use very little
energy, but are not healthy or safe to live in,” says Iain Walker, lead
of the residential building group at the Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory. “We have to do both, and we need tools that let people
know they are doing the right thing, so they can try out different
approaches.”

The DOE and its research teams and lab partners are working
toward blending these concepts and driving progress in the IAQ
implications of construction materials and processes. By continuing
to look for answers to these issues, the building industrycan make
meaningful progress toward reducing its carbon footprint. GB

CREDIT: ORNL

More than envelopes. A tight building envelope isn’t enough to make a high-performance home a truly healthy, energy efficient building.

www.greenbuildermedia.com September/October 2016 GREEN BUILDER 29