the Building Performance Workshop

the Building Performance Podcast

Science EN ↓ 93 episodes

The Building Performance Podcast is an interview series drawing on the experience and ideas of a wide array of professionals in the high performance building industry. The intersection of advances in building technologies, the energy crisis, green building trends, and the environmental crisis has made it hard to pursue business-as-usual. The general climate is forcing those of us in the building industry to take a more integrated, systematic approach to building. We talk with engineers, policy makers, program managers, contractors, diagnosticians, ESCOs, architects, utilities, and building man...

Author

the Building Performance Workshop

Episodes

#69 WEB PERFORMANCE PRO: Peter Troast on What the Internet Proves 19.05.2015 28:02

Today Corbett talks with Peter Troast of Energy Circle, who was just awarded the 2015 BPI Tony Woods Award at ACI National Conference . Peter runs the websites of over 300 home performance contractors, and so may have the best view of how performance-based business in the 21st century is actually working.

#68 TINY HOME BUILDER: Dan Louche on the Microcosm of Green Building 03.05.2015 8:36

Today Corbett talks with Dan Louche of Tiny Home Builders about the challenges, specialties, and impacts of having an army of homeowners-to-be designing and building their own tiny homes. Sponsored by the Building Performance Workshop Training Portal.

#67 ARCHITECT AS BUILDER: Chris Laumer-Giddens on Abandoning the Way Your Grandpappy Did It 29.04.2015 22:43

Today Corbett talks with architect Chris Laumer-Giddens, half of LG Squared , about why he decided to tackle the whole pizza, what's wrong with the current models of architect, builder, and contractor, and what certifications like ENERGY STAR or LEED can and can not do for the industry. Sponsored by the Building Performance Workshop Online Training Portal.

#66 RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB: Spohn & Bergmann on the Evolution of Test Equipment 16.04.2015 21:34

Today Corbett talks with Bill Spohn of TruTech Tools and James Bergmann of Stride Tool about where testing tools have been, where they're going, and how contractors are using them to prove they kick the competition's butts. This special episode is from the 2014 Fall Fast Track- learn more at HomePerformance.training

#65 TINY HOUSE HOTEL: Yes, This Is a Real Thing. Yes, It's Awesome. 25.03.2015 22:08

Today Corbett travels all the way to Portland to talk with Kol Peterson, owner of Caravan Tiny House Hotel , and tiny house builder Ben Kovco . Tiny houses- who wants one, what are the challenges, is it a passing fad or here to stay? Sponsored by the Building Performance Workshop training portal !

#64 THE CONTRACTOR AT THE TOP: Rick Chitwood on Being Unbeatable 17.03.2015 20:52

Today Corbett talks with Rick Chitwood of Chitwood Energy Management , author of the book Measured Home Performance , and the wizard behind the curtain for all home improvement contractors whether they know it or not. Rick discusses how he launched into performance-based home improvements from a conventional HVAC background, and why he had zero warranty claims despite promising concrete and aggres...

#63 ALL OVER THIS LAND: Taking the Temperature of Homebuilders Around the World 23.02.2015 7:49

Today Corbett takes you on a tour of performance based building from a sampling of builders around the world, and realizes that the millionaires are going to be very angry when they realize what they're paying for isn't nearly as good as the affordable housing to be had on the other side of the tracks. Hosted by Corbett Lunsford at the International Builders Show (IBS) in Las Vegas and the Michiga...

#62 PERFECTION IS PURCHASABLE: Gavin Healy Can and Does Deliver Performance (and so can you) 11.02.2015 17:39

Today Corbett talks with Gavin Healy of Balance Point Home Performance about walking the walk- modifying off-the-shelf HVAC and retrofit products to deliver proof that his clients got what they paid for. Tons of people talking big about this, but you will find only a handful competent enough to actually do it in real life. Evidence of Balance Point's delivery: their zero-dollar marketing budget ....

#61 BREAK FREE OF REBATES: Nate Adams on Private Market Home Performance Contracting 06.01.2015 14:20

Today we talk with Nate Adams of Energy Smart Home Performance about the techniques necessary to skirt the red tape of rebates and incentives, and earn more with stellar customer service and huge performance improvements. This special episode is from the 2014 Fall Fast Track- learn more at HomePerformance.training

#60 THE BOTTOM LINE: Russell King on HVAC Design & Energy Codes in Real Life 28.10.2014 21:26

Today Corbett talks with Russell King of Sierra Building Science about the labratory of California, where they've been trying to whip and incentivize efficiency like nobody's business. Are Manual J, Manual D, Manual S, window placements and sizes, and a menu of prescriptive energy code requirements actually leading us toward perfection?

#59 SPRAY FOAM SPECIALTY: Robert Lepage on Where, How, and Why 11.09.2014 27:03

Today we talk with Robert Lepage of Ex-El Shell Systems, Maintenance & Consulting LLC on the chemistry, the hype, the conspiracy theories, the right way, and the wrong ways to use spray foam insulation. Sponsored by the Building Performance Workshop Training Portal .

#58 HOW TO WALK ON WATER: the U.S. EPA's New Free Guide for Moisture Control 07.07.2014 26:09

Today we talk with Lew Harriman of Mason-Grant Consulting and Terry Brennan of Camroden Associates about water drainage, condensation, building tightness, and the free new EPA publication "Moisture Control Guidance for Building Design, Construction, and Maintenance". Hosted by John Bergman of Green Dream Group in Chicago . ~DOWNLOAD THE FREE EPA PUBLICATION HERE~

#57 PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS: Entertain What's Wrong in Green Building with the Green Curmudgeon 20.06.2014 24:33

Today Corbett talks with Carl Seville, aka The Green Curmudgeon , about the unsolved problems of green product lobbies, utility energy efficiency programs, value engineering, and people's screwed up notions about what's important in buildings. Hosted by Corbett Lunsford of Green Dream Group , and sponsored by the bible for testing homes.

#56 UNDERWATER BUILDINGS: Italian Building Scientists on Venezia's Age-Old Challenges 12.06.2014 28:22

Today we talk with Piercarlo Romagnoni and Francesca Cappelletti of the Architectural Institute of Venice (IUAV) about seawater vs. brick, mold vs. air quality, and beauty vs. function in a city that's been dealing with it elegantly for 500 years. Hosted by Corbett Lunsford and sponsored by the bible for home performance testing.

#55 AIR LEAKAGE LOVE AFFAIR: Colin Genge on All Things Blower Door and Duct Testing 26.05.2014 21:21

Today we talk with Colin Genge, founder and CEO of Retrotec, about the history of air leakage testing, how the tests really work (and what they doesn't actually test), and using home performance diagnostics for playing competitive poker. Hosted by Corbett Lunsford of Green Dream Group in Chicago.

#54 HOW BUILDERS THINK: Chase Ming on the Secret Sauce for Buildings and Clients 07.05.2014 27:03

Today we talk with Chase Ming of All Development in Alabama about how to use overcommunication to make more money doing better work for happier clients. A real builder doing real business with real clients, in a state that's just starting the journey into performance codes.

#53 A/C CAN BE SEXY: Kristof Irwin on the Magic of Variable Refrigerant Capacity 23.04.2014 17:46

Today we talk with Kristof "Handsome" Irwin, founder of Positive Energy in Austin Texas , about why your air conditioner is probably an idiot (bless its heart) and HVAC heaven that you might not have heard about.

#52 NOT YOUR GRAMMA'S BUILDING SCIENTIST: Iain Walker on air tightness, testing, and the origin of stinkiness 02.04.2014 41:25

Today we talk with Dr. Iain Walker of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory about the frontier of air tightness, fresh air ventilation, and why we're arguing about it in the first place.

#51 WHAT GREEN'S REALLY WORTH: Appraisal Expert Sandra Adomatis on The Bottom Line 07.03.2014 32:35

Today we talk with Sandra Adomatis, Appraisal Institute's green valuation expert and author of Residential Green Valuation Tools , about greening the MLS, swimming pool ROI, and the future of appraiser apprenticeship (which, yikes).

#50 WEST SIDE, BABY! A Bunch of Californian Rockstars Show Us What's Behind the Curtain 31.12.2013 19:51

IT'S A PARTY! Today we talk about the universe of home performance in California with: Dan Perunko & Gavin Healy of Balance Point Home Performance Mike MacFarland & Brian Tyrrell of Energy Docs Natalie Freidberg & Scott Nyborg of Home-ology Caroline Veerman of Loisos Design and Judy Rachel of Green Achers Sustainable Solutions (that spells GASS, but she doesn't care- she's Judy Rachel!)

#49 THIS HOUSE SUCKS, BUT NOT VERY HARD: Brett Singer, scientist, shows us where depressurization testing has led us astray 18.12.2013 39:47

Today we talk with Brett Singer, air quality scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , about the red herring of worst-case depressurization on combustion testing, and the actual hidden enemy in every home.

#48 PRODUCTS WILL SAVE US: Keith Aldridge on Future Solutions in Stuff 23.11.2013 32:52

Today we talk with Keith Aldridge, VP of Business Development for Advanced Energy , on what the programs get wrong, why human QA will disappear, and what your clients really want. Recorded at the ACI Regional Home Performance Conference in San Diego, CA.

#47 BIG SEXY MORTGAGES: Kerry Langley on How to Borrow More, Lend More, and Keep More with Energy Efficient Mortgages 07.11.2013 21:54

Today we talk with Kerry Langley of Synovus Mortgage about how his company collaborated with Southeastern builders, HERS raters, and homebuyers to make an absolute killing for everyone involved. Corbett: "Why hassn't everyone been lending money this way?" Kerry: "I have absolutely no idea." YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS.

#46 PASSIVE HOUSE IS SEXY: Dan Whitmore and Adam Cohen, Builders Who Want You To Do It 23.10.2013 43:30

Today we talk with Dan Whitmore of Hammer and Hand and Adam Cohen of Structures Design Build about why and how to build like a badass. You got this.

#45 SUPERMODEL OF ENERGY: Brian Christensen of REM/Rate on What Matters in Modeled Life 11.10.2013 20:12

Today we talk with Brian Christensen, senior engineer for REM at Architectural Energy Corporation , about how energy models work, why they work, and how not to drive yourself insane.