Brought to you by Sustain Jefferson, there is sure to be something for everyone to hone their natural-living skills.  Learn more at their Facebook page.  See you there! ...read more

Join hundreds of exhibitors and presenters and thousands of attendees who will Make Green Happen for three days of education, exploration and inspirationEco Fair 360 Website ...read more

With the slow-down in the housing market, many homeowners are opting to upgrade their homes rather than trying to sell and move to a new location. If you are thinking an upgrade is in your future, you should consider having a home performance evaluation before beginning the process. No matter what type of work you are planning, whether it be a simple bathroom upgrade, room addition, basement remodel or anything that changes the function of your house, the information you get from a home performance test will help you to take advantage of energy-saving and performance enhancing opportunities that might otherwise be missed. I have been called out to many homes to investigate problems that have arisen after remodeling work had been completed, problems that could easily have been remedied while the work was being done. While most reputable, established contractors can provide you with high-quality work, experience has shown me that they can often be somewhat lacking in overall building science knowledge. This (building science) refers to how a building “performs” as a combination of many individual components: changing one part of a building can have unintended consequences on other areas. For example, simply adding on to existing duct-work to supply heat to an addition can result in the whole house being less comfortable and the furnace having to run much longer than before. Another common problem is where old and new meet. I’ve tested many homes where the new area is tight and well insulated, the old areas are reasonable, but the junction between the addition and the original house ends up having many open connections up into the attic space(s). This can lead to big problems beyond simple energy waste, including condensation and mold growth. Remodeling can be a disruptive and messy business so it makes sense to take advantage of this reality to address issues that would normally not be very cost-effective to do by themselves. Often the performance testing reveals features in a house that can easily be accessed while other work is being done. Insulation materials and techniques have advanced greatly in the last 10 to 15 years, so even if your house is relatively new, it’s a good bet that your house can benefit from this work. The insulating and air sealing that gets done during a remodeling job will be a very small part of the overall cost. Yes, a professional builder will “insulate” as a normal part of the job, however my job as a building performance professional is to design appropriate insulation measures as dictated by the findings of the tests and how the building is put together. Doing it right does not cost much more up front, but will have a big effect on how much you will save and how comfortable you’ll feel years after the mess is cleaned up and the builders are gone. ...read more