Intermediate Building Envelope Assessment & Weatherization

Intermediate class on building envelope and how to improve commercial/institutional building efficiency and comfort through weatherization

This is an intermediate class for those who meet one of these prerequisites:

Take our introductory class on April 14 or May 6 OR already familiar with the following:

• The four envelope control layers: purpose and identification
• Insulation types and physical properties of each
• Air barrier materials and continuity
• Commercial window, skylight, and door types
• Common commercial and residential construction techniques
• Construction drawings and specifications (the “A” or “architectural” pages)

In the intermediate class, we will go over the most common envelope improvements in commercial and institutional buildings and cover challenges and potential risks with implementation. We will also go deeper into the techniques used to evaluate and prioritize building envelope opportunities, including energy modeling and cost estimating. There will be activities throughout where students will work in teams to practice what they have learned.

Agenda:

1. Envelope Evaluation Exercise
2. Typical Opportunities
3. Obstacles and potential risks to retrofits
4. Energy modeling
5. Advanced envelope audit
6. Practice - interpreting what we find
7. Selling envelope upgrades

Coffee and light breakfast will be available starting about 8:30am. Class starts at 9:00am. Lunch will be provided. Continuing education units (CEUs) will be available through UMass.

Instructor: Jon Haehnel, CEI, BPI- BA-T BA-P, CABS, Vice President, SALAS O’BRIEN

Jon has been testing and inspecting buildings for over 24 years. His expertise in building envelope commissioning and design focuses primarily on institutional and commercial buildings, both new construction and renovation. Jon has commissioned the building envelope on all types of construction: laboratories, clean rooms, indoor pools, hospitals, military facilities, manufacturing, dormitories, high rise construction, and educational buildings. His experience also includes building envelope forensics.

Jon is coauthor of “Setting Airtightness Standards” (ASHRAE Journal, Sept. 2005) and has presented on building envelope topics for American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Better Buildings by Design Conference, Building Commissioning Association (BECxA), Construction Standards Institute (CSI), American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). Jon formerly taught commercial energy auditing and blower door testing at Vermont Technical College.