Batteries, Energy Codes, Embodied Carbon and More!

A New Year – A new lineup of Free Courses!

As we all settle into 2024, here at In Balance Green Consulting we are ramping up for new course offerings. We continue to serve as a proud partner of the Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN) to provide online and in-person courses on building performance, energy efficiency and Title 24 energy code compliance. All courses are free, thanks to 3C-REN, which is funded through public utility fees.

Online classes that are coming up:

Batteries: Options and implementation

Wednesday, 1/24, 10-11am

Whether you’re interested in resiliency and cost savings for a home or simply meeting energy codes for new construction, understanding battery storage is increasingly important for the building industry. In this course, we’ll go over battery types, what’s currently available and what’s on the horizon, how to size a battery for code compliance or other goals, and what to look for in implementation.

Register HERE.

Using HERS Measures

Wednesday 1/31 and 3/20, 9:30-11am

Third-party verification through HERS measures is a great way to improve energy performance and, more to the point, meet the Title 24 Energy code. In this two-part course, we’ll cover what architects and builders need to know to successfully integrate HERS measures into residential design and construction.

Register for Part 1 and Part 2

Energy Code Implementation: Single Family New

Wednesday, 2/14, 9:30-11am

Since the energy code update took effect in January 2023, the industry is adjusting design, detailing and construction to meet compliance. In this series, we’ll review the code requirements with a focus on what to include in construction documents to streamline the permitting process and tips for construction to ease sign-offs and occupancy. Separate courses over the next few months will cover Single Family New Construction; Single Family Additions and Alterations; ADUs; Multi-Family; and Non-Residential construction.

Register HERE.

Practical Ways to Address Embodied Carbon

Tuesday, 2/20, 10-11am

Embodied Carbon, the term that identifies the collective impacts of extracting, manufacturing and transporting building materials, is appearing on everything from requests for proposals to the next round of the building code. In this course we’ll provide practical approaches to reducing embodied carbon in residential and commercial projects.

Register HERE.

For lots more classes, both live and on-demand, go to 3C-REN.org.

Is your firm, department or organization interested in a particular topic? We’ll come to you! Reach out to us for scheduling.

Energy Use at Home and on the Road!

With new data provided by Southern California Edison (SCE), we are noting changes in both energy source and energy cost for our homes and, importantly, on the road.  According to Edison International’s Countdown to 2045: “Although electric bills will increase, savings from reduced or eliminated fossil fuel expenses will more than offset the increase for households that adopt electrified technologies.”

A few key observations:

Less Energy Use Overall, and More Electric.

Californian are using much less total energy than in the past, with an increasing trend toward lowering use of natural gas and increasing use of electricity. This trend aligns with California’s effort to reduce carbon emissions by requiring that electricity in the grid is generated through clean alternative energy like solar and wind.

New Construction Leads the trend

Newer buildings continue to use less gas and more electricity. New homes use a third less natural gas but 50% more electricity. Onsite renewable energy is required for almost all new construction, bringing energy savings to homes with installed PVs. Use of energy storage systems such as batteries will increase due to the public interest in resiliency and in mitigating power outages, as well as building code requirements for commercial and high-rise multifamily occupancies.

Personal Transportation Makes a Difference

The adoption of electric vehicle technology is increasing more rapidly than projected. Charging a car at home increases the owner’s electric bill, but the cost increase is more than offset by their savings on gasoline.

A Bumpy Road but Results will be Long-term Savings

Reviewing the chart below, we see that today, the combined energy cost for gasoline, electricity and natural gas is over $6,600 per year for the average SCE customer.

www.edison.com/countdownto2045

As we transition to electric vehicles and home equipment, electric bills (either to the grid or to pay for onsite PVs) will increase substantially, but use of any fossil fuel will drop dramatically, so the total energy costs will fall below $3,900 per year by 2045. That reduces the “energy burden” of an average household to less than 3% of their income. The cost savings is not a straight line, however, as the costs savings of electric vehicles are not yet available to everyone, nor are the savings from renewable energy and battery storage.

In the long run, households throughout California are projected to save money, including personal transportation costs, after the transition from fossil fuels.

Building a Foundation for Future Green Builders

In Balance Green Consulting is delighted to be partnering with 3C-REN’s Guest Speaker program to deliver green building education for students in high school, community college and centers for employment training (CETs) throughout the tri-county region. In the past year, we’ve been able to present in over 40 classrooms, with a focus on two core “101”- level green building lessons.

The first, Green Building 101, introduces typical materials in construction, their sources, and relative impacts on the environment and carbon emissions. We explore solutions through efficient resource use and implementation of green building design strategies such as daylighting, natural ventilation and passive solar.

Our Green Careers 101 helps students survey the broad range of jobs related to the construction industry, including a range of trades, planning, inspections, and maintenance. Students are encouraged to think about the skills needed for different career paths and work environments that appeal to them.

Building on these successes, we look forward to offering three new presentations in 2024.

·      Introduction to Zero Net Carbon Design for community colleges

·      All-Electric HVAC and DHW for CTEs

·      Hands-on Green Building for high schools

If you’d like to have our speakers at your school, contact us!

Harry’s House Achieves GreenPoint Rated Gold

We are excited to announce that Harry’s House, an all-electric, affordable senior housing project in Santa Ynez, has achieved GreenPoint Rated Gold certification! This two-story building is comprised of 60 affordable rental units, a community center, meeting rooms, a beauty parlor, computer room, laundry facilities, a covered patio with a barbeque area, and other amenities. It even has a full all-electric commercial kitchen in the common area serving the resident dining hall.

In Balance Green Consulting worked with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara (HASBARCO) consulting on energy optimization, photovoltaic (PV) sizing, GreenPoint Rated certification, and commissioning.

The project achieved GreenPoint Rated Gold certification by implementing features that contribute to increased energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor air quality, resource conservation, and promoting livable communities. Because GreenPoint Rated Gold was an important goal set early in the design process, the project teams worked together to develop a checklist and plan that led to a smooth construction process and a high performing building.

Sunseri Construction managed an incredibly efficient construction timeline, considering long lead times and storing materials on site to ensure smooth progress through the duration of construction.

Amana package terminal air conditioner (PTHP) and heat pumps are installed in each dwelling unit. Along with Sanden heat pump water heaters, both contribute to the energy efficiency of the all-electric building. The project includes a photovoltaic system generating over 291,000 kWh of electricity per year, offsetting almost 90% of the predicted residential energy usage.

Last year In Balance published a blog article showing Harry’s House as an example of best practices for radon mitigation as part of the GreenPoint Rated program requirements for projects in Radon Zone 1, primarily covering Santa Barbara County. As radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, proper mitigation is important for promoting indoor air quality and occupant safety.

This project serves as a great example of how early planning, goalsetting, and coordination across disciplines sets a project up to meet and exceed building performance goals, creating a healthy environment for all occupants. Congratulations to the team!