Green Building Curmudgeon

Upon returning home from five long days at the RESNET Building Performance Conference in Raleigh, N.C., I reviewed my notes to see what I had picked up while there. Now for those of you who don’t know this crowd, this is one roomful of serious geeks. Compared to the building industry and the average consumer, I am pretty geeky when it comes to building science, but most of this crowd (as well as many of my friends here at GBA) truly humble me with the extent of their knowledge.

Among other endeavors, I have been certifying LEED homes as a provider representative for about two years now. In order to continue doing this work after next year, USGBC and GBCI have decided that I must become certified as a green rater. After looking at my various options for obtaining this designation, I elected to take a two-day training class in advance of the required test. Not uncharacteristically, I bristled at the thought that I would have to spend my time and money learning something I was already doing.

This is just a brief rant about a photo I ran across today. While I was working my way through the USGBC's required online training modules in preparation for a two-day green-rater training class at RESNET this month, this picture appeared in the section describing blower door testing. The training is obviously designed to provide information to a wide range of professionals, from the least to the most experienced. Being the impatient type, I zipped along as quickly as possible through the areas that I knew well and spent more time on those that I was less familiar with.

I had a discussion several months ago with a designer I know regarding energy efficiency in a project she is working on. She recently took the initiative to become a licensed residential contractor and is now managing entire projects. I applaud her for making this transition and for working hard to maintain her professionalism in an industry where there are a lot of fly-by-night operators. The homeowner is interested in making the house more efficient, and our conversations focused on those aspects of the project.

IBS this year was refreshingly downsized from the behemoth that it had become over the past several years. With attendance in the range of 100,000 a few years ago and enough demand for exhibit space to outstrip the capacity of all but the largest convention centers in the country, this annual conference became a test of endurance for anyone attempting to see everything on display. Even though attendance of about 55,000 this year (roughly the same as last year) was disappointing, vendors and attendees seemed more optimistic than in 2009.

Sometimes the complexity of building science makes me a little crazy. The worst manifestation of this is when I make recommendations to clients or building pros at meetings or in seminars. Rarely is there a single, clear-cut solution to most problems. “It depends” is usually the right answer. It depends on the climate. It depends on the materials used. It depends on existing conditions. It depends on so many things that the average person slips quickly into MEGO mode (My Eyes Glaze Over).

On Wednesday, December 30, 2009, the New York Times headline read “New Slip in Housing Prices Undercuts Fragile Optimism.” As disappointing as that may sound, I think that it is a sign of hope for green building. Sustainable building has suffered too long from slow acceptance. This is due, I believe, in large part to the drunken orgy of real estate speculation we were living through for much of the last 20 years.

I saw a commercial the other day for yet another new prepared food product, Marie Callender's Home-Style Pasta Creations, sold in microwaveable plastic containers that heat the pasta and sauce separately, presumably making them taste more like something you make at home. I don’t know how they taste, but it sure looks like they will produce a lot of plastic waste if they are successful.

Earlier this fall, on one of the first chilly days, I considered climbing into the crawlspace to light the pilot on my floor furnace, but decided it was easier to just put on a sweatshirt. The practically prehistoric furnace is part of the house I had intended to demolish as part of my derailed plans for a new house, so I have been putting up with it for a few years now.

For my faithful readers who have been waiting anxiously for a report on my new house, I have distressing news. At my hearing before the historic commission in November, my project was soundly rejected by the five-member board. As mentioned in my earlier post , I expected, and was prepared for, a challenge on demolishing my existing house, which they considered historic.