What’s with all the RENs?

You may have noticed more programs and offerings by Regional Energy Networks lately. Also known as “RENs” (like a wren), these public agencies are formed through a state-regulated process run through the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). RENs are funded through the small user fee we all see on our utility bills. Those fees generally go to the large investor-owned utilities (IOUs) like PG&E and Edison for energy efficiency programs. But several years ago, some local counties got together to request that a portion of those funds go directly to the local communities, to meet gaps the large IOUs weren’t able to address. RENs throughout the state now serve as program administrators and deliver energy programs to local communities – all at no cost to the customer!

A few RENs, including those in the Bay Area and Central Coast, have been operating for several years while others have recently been approved and are just now getting set up. Here is the current list and general territories.

1.        BAYREN – San Franciso Bay Area

2.        SoCalREN – Southern California

3.        3C-REN – Tri-Counties: SLO, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties

4.        I-REN – Inland: San Bernardino and Riverside Counties

5.        CCR REN - Central California Rural areas including San Joaquin Valley, Eastern Sierra and northern Central Coast

6.        Rural REN – Northern California

7.        SDREN – San Diego

Together, these seven RENs cover 94% of California residents! For coordination and efficiency, they are all part of a convening entity known as CalREN.

Each REN establishes its own objectives and programs, which are reviewed by the CPUC. Programs can include direct incentives for home or business energy upgrades, training for contractors and professionals, career programs for youth, and code support for building departments. Each REN focuses on its community needs, particularly underserved and hard-to-reach populations.

Be sure to sign up for your REN’s newsletter so you can take advantage of classes, incentives, articles and more. CalREN links to all of the RENs in the state.

At In Balance Green Consulting, we’re proud to partner with 3C-REN, I-REN and CCR-REN to provide Building Performance Training, Energy Code and CALGreen Training and Energy Code Coach services.

If you have questions, reach out and we’ll put you in touch with the best REN for you and your project.

Let's Get Some Fresh Air in Here: Operable Window Automation for IAQ

In November, I shared information about our visit to Living Places Copenhagen, a demonstration home in Denmark addressing energy efficiency, environmental impacts and indoor air quality. Using the project as a ‘living laboratory’, the Living Places team collected data throughout the project and has now published the results. Through my weeklong stay at the house and subsequent review of the data, I found the approach to, and results of, the indoor air quality (IAQ) design particularly informative and inspiring.

Typically, we rely on one of two approaches to IAQ in residential projects: an open window or mechanical ventilation.  Opening a window is great but relies on humans to be present and aware of indoor conditions. Mechanical ventilation is also crucial, especially balanced ventilation with heat recovery, but unless you’re actively heating or cooling the building, mechanical ventilation expends unnecessary energy. A third option is the one used in Living Places – operable fenestration (windows or skylights) linked to CO2 sensors to open and close automatically. In that project, the automation is also linked to temperature and humidity sensors for thermal comfort.

CO2 Data Collection and Analysis

The two occupiable homes in Living Places were designed with discreet differences so they could analyze components in isolation. For IAQ, they set up one house to only use the automated skylights, while the other house used a hybrid, adding mechanical fans as well. CO2 levels were measured with calibrated environmental sensors placed in habitable rooms of occupancy. After two months, they found that both homes meet the European Standard (EN 16798-1:2019) for indoor air quality! The European standard is generally equivalent to 750 ppm or below.

Two caveats: First, the homes are designed for effective air movement throughout all spaces, incorporating the stack effect to connect all three floors. Other homes may not have enough connectivity to achieve adequate air movement.

Second, the study was conducted over the summer in Denmark. Air conditioning was not installed or needed, based on the climate and the passive thermal strategies. The home is extremely well insulated and designed for passive heating in the winter, but the homes were not tested for IAQ with thermal comfort demands during winter conditions.

Note that, in California, operable windows and skylights do not replace the code requirement for mechanical ventilation.

Comfortable Personal Experience

For those of us staying in the house, we all felt comfortable and appreciated the indoor conditions. Throughout the day, we would see individual skylights and roof windows open and close. We had remote controllers to override the automation at any time if desired, and the units include weather sensors to automatically close skylights if there is rain. The sensors throughout the house were tied to an app that we could check at any time. Use of the app, along with directly observing the automation, helped build awareness as we ‘tuned in’ to our activity levels, the number of people in the room and changes in temperature, and the collective impact on our comfort.

Using automation for operable skylights and windows can support comfortable temperature and indoor air quality under many conditons. Our experience in the home was for Velux brand of products, but other automatic operation systems are available. One more tool in shared toolbox!

For more information on the project analysis, see “Learnings” on the Velux website.

Questions about optimizing IAQ for your project? Reach out.

All-Electric Remodel Construction Site Tour - February 11

Do you love visiting construction sites? We do too! So we’ve partnered with 3C-REN to offer tours of high performance, all-electric projects on the Central Coast.  The first will be in San Luis Obispo on February 11 at 3:30pm, visiting a major residential remodel. The builder, Mike Horgan of Cairn Collaborative, will lead us through the energy efficiency and electrification upgrades, providing first-hand information on implementation, lessons learned and best practices.

Topics covered include:

• Installation requirements and options for heat pump mechanical systems.

• Observe an installed heat pump hot water system and learn the space and location requirements and potential pitfalls to avoid.

• Discuss ventilation and indoor air quality and different options appropriate for retrofits versus new construction.

• Review wall, floor and roof assemblies for both insulation and air sealing best practices.

Project location will be provided to registered participants. To register for this free program, go to the 3C-REN calendar page HERE.

Stay tuned for tours in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Have a project you would like to include on a tour? Let us know!

Living Spaces - A View from Cophenhagen

In our industry, we are always looking for innovative ways to create the buildings we need while reducing environmental impacts. Throughout California, we need housing that is more affordable so families who work here can afford to live here. We also need to reduce our carbon footprint, protect our open spaces and conserve energy. So, when I learned about a low-carbon, energy-efficient prototype housing in Copenhagen Denmark, I was very interested. And when lead partner Velux invited me and some others to go live in one of the houses for a week over the summer, I jumped at the chance.

Called Living Places, the project was developed in 2023 as an exhibition at the UIA World Congress of Architects. Located in an older industrial area of the city, the project consists of seven structures – five open pavilions and two completed homes – connected by an elevated system of walkways, patios and gardens.

The core principles of the project include building homes that are healthy for people and planet, shared spaces to strengthen community, simple so the cost is lower, adaptive to accommodate more ways of living, and scalable for builders to adopt the approach quickly and broadly.

I was impressed with so many aspects of the project and plan to write up some blogs over the next few months. In the meantime, check out this 4-minute video highlighting some of the project features. More information is also available on the Velux website. Or reach out to me, andy@inbalancegreen.com so we can chat about innovation and how to implement great ideas here at home.

Disclaimer: Velux sponsored my travel and stay at Living Places; all opinions are my own.