Feature

Making Air Barriers that Work: Why and How to Tighten Up Buildings

What's Happening

Use of Home Energy Rating Index Grows
The HERS Index, an energy rating system based on a straightforward scale that puts a net-zero home at zero and a basic code-built home at 100, has been adopted by a variety of programs that evaluate the environmental performance of homes.

Fears Grow with Polycarbonate Chemical Bisphenol-A
Bisphenol-A, a chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic for numerous building materials as well as consumer items, is under growing scrutiny in the U.S. and Canada.

USGBC to Outsource LEED Certification
The U.S. Green Building Council is conforming to international norms and scaling up certification capacity by handing off responsibility for certifying LEED buildings to its sister nonprofit organization, the Green Building Certification Institute.

Next Generation of LEED Out for Public Comment
The U.S. Green Building Council has opened a public comment period for a new version of the LEED rating systems, incorporating changes to the point structure and putting greater emphasis on climate change.

FEMA Working to Limit Formaldehyde
As FEMA looks to limit formaldehyde emissions in its emergency housing units, trade associations for the recreational vehicle and trailer industry are following FEMA’s lead.

FSC National Standard Friendly to Small Forests
The U.S. affiliate of the Forest Stewardship Council is moving towards a national standard that incorporates some of the streamlined procedures used for smaller forests.

Utility-Scale Solar Thermal Growing Fast
New utility contracts confirm that concentrating solar power is one of the fastest growing utility-scale, renewable energy sources in the country.