In September 2008, building information modeling (BIM) software firm Bentley Systems announced the creation of a new group within the company to consolidate its tools and services that support designers’ ability to model the energy and environmental performance of buildings. The Building Performance Group aims to provide tools that enhance... Read more

Integrated project delivery, or IPD, is at first glance simply a contract mechanism. Like other common structures, including design-bid-build and design-build, it is a legal framework that the owner, the architect, and the builder can use to collaborate on a design and construction project. Specific IPD contract documents have been developed by... Read more

Windows are the weak link, thermally speaking, in most building envelopes. Modern windows are much better than old single-pane windows and store-fronts, but they still represent a compromise—we accept their mediocre thermal performance because we want the daylight, views, and ventilation they offer. It’s true that south-facing windows in a... Read more

I moved to Brattleboro, Vermont 28 years ago to work for an organization that was all about promoting solar energy--an industry that blossomed out of the energy crisis in the 1970s. When the problem is dependence on an energy source that's non-renewable, that comes from far away and sucks money out of our local economy, that pollutes... Read more

We faced some pretty tough choices this past summer. Heating oil prices were around $4.50 per gallon, and scary news reports were projecting $5.00 per gallon by January. Some rushed to lock in prices by pre-buying their winter oil. It was a gamble. Were prices going to go even higher (as the heating season approaches, heating oil prices have... Read more

A story's been posted on BuildingGreen.com that ASHRAE has unexpectedly pulled the plug on the Standard 189 development committee. This standard is supposed to be "a new minimum, code-enforceable standard for green buildings." The USGBC and IES have been working with ASHRAE on the project since 2006, and were apparently ambushed by ASHRAE's... Read more

Note:

This article, first published on October 17, 2008, was updated on October 29.

What was supposed to be a new minimum, code-enforceable standard for green buildings now faces an uncertain future. In a move that came as a surprise to its partners, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers... Read more

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I get this question a lot from homeowners wanting to reign in their energy costs. Windows usually account for about a quarter of the heat loss in a typical house. State-of-the-art, triple-... Read more

Windows have a huge impact on the energy use of our homes. Fortunately, there have been dramatic advances in window technology over the past thirty years. This column will take a look at factors that affect the energy performance of windows.

Multiple panes of glass. A single layer of glass--and the layers of relatively still air on... Read more

What's moisture have to with energy? Quite a bit, actually. When we tighten up or insulate a house, there's the potential of causing moisture problems that could harm your health by allowing mold to grow or affect the life of materials your house is built from. And any time you work on a house, especially when you do... Read more

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Adding to a growing list of such policies, insurance broker Aon Corporation announced in August 2008 that it will add green rebuilding coverage to its global property policy, which covers large properties, with damage limits of up to $1 billion. Covered buildings, whether certified or not prior to damage, will be repaired or replaced to meet... Read more