DOE Challenge Home Training Opportunity Coming to Durango

Training on Net Zero Ready Homes Comes to Durango on May 9th

The Colorado Green Building Guild, a trade organization focused on advancing the craft of sustainable building in Colorado, announces a new partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide dynamic content on the business, marketing, and technical strategies to successfully build net zero-energy ready homes in today’s housing market.

This builder-focused training session features multiple modules covering the business advantages of high performance building, marketing to consumers, advanced building system design strategies and specifications, and gaining recognition through the DOE Challenge Home Program.  This 3 ½ hour course is eligible for AIA CEUs.

“Anyone in the building sector interested in new construction projects should attend,” says Cori Andreatta, Training Coordinator at 4CORE. “These trainings will help position contractors ahead of the curve and give them a marketing edge as we see the building sector start to pick up,” adds Andreatta.

The Guild is collaborating with 4CORE to bring the training to Durango on May 9th, 1:00 to 4:30 pm in the Community Room at Pine River Valley Bank located at 1701 Main Ave, Durango, CO 81301. Guild  members can attend for $25 and non members for $50.  Rates go up $25 the week of the event.

For more information on rates, the specifics of the DOE Challenge Home trainings, and other trainings to be held across the state, visit www.coloradogreenbuildingguild.org.

To register for the event visit www.fourcore.org/Contractors/SustainableBuilding.aspx.

About the Guild

The Colorado Green Building Guild is an association of building professionals dedicated to promoting healthier, resource-efficient homes and workplaces. Since 2004 the non-profit organization has grown to over 600 members. The Guild strives to advance the craft of green building, support members' environmentally responsible

4CORE Hires Permanent Weatherization Program Manager

4CORE has permanently hired Kirk Coppinger as Weatherization Program Manager, starting December 5th. Coppinger is replacing Gregg Dubit, who was recently hired as 4CORE’s Executive Director. Coppinger was appointed Interim Program Manager on July 1st of this year, and prior to that was one of 4CORE’s Weatherization Inspectors.

“Kirk has eleven years of experience in managing large-scale commercial building projects and a solid foundation of knowledge in building science,” said Gregg Dubit. “He has proven his abilities by successfully assuring high-quality work on hundreds of weatherized units. His knowledge of the rigorous program requirements and existing relationships with subcontractors and our funders allows for a smooth transition.”

The Weatherization Program is a 34 year old Department of Energy program which strives to increase the quality, safety, and energy efficiency of residential, low income housing. Kirk has already proven to be a competent building science technician as well as a very responsible steward of this federally funded program.

"I will endeavor to meet and exceed expectations and hope to develop opportunities to keep the Weatherization program strong and viable for many years to come," said Coppinger. "I look forward to leading the 4CORE Weatherization team into 2012."

Coppinger's background is in commercial construction, including the Springs Hotel in Pagosa Springs and the Sky Ute Casino project.  He has been involved in heavily-themed exterior building skin projects including the Wynn and three Residences at MGM towers in Las Vegas, a new facility for the oldest dental school in the nation in Washington, DC, and the University of Maryland’s Comcast Basketball Arena.  Kirk is a native of the areafrom  Mancos, and enjoys getting out and camping with his family.

Resource Smart Business Program

Two years ago, a group of my friends and I were told to sit down, blueprint, imagine, and present a program “to spur sustainable economic development” that was transparent, credible, consistent, valuable, holistic, locally defined, and unique.  Our feelings were somewhere between absolutely overwhelmed and excited to show off how competent we were. We then realized we were contained only by the realization we had NOTHING to go from.

We were a mere semester away from graduation, reveling in the attitude that we could take on the world, so we pulled something together, got to dress up, and presented the shared masterpiece of our world-view, understanding, and skills picked up in college having no idea what we achieved or if it would… accomplish anything.

We called it the Sustainable Services Program, an ill choice for a name if you are not into the whole “green” thing and are irritated when people wax poetic "evil corporations". And what does "sustainable" mean, anyway? 

Coming out of college I thought anyone would be totally thrilled to have someone like me who could use power point so well join their (professional) business team.  When I did finally find a place that brought together my interests in sustainable economics (4CORE), I was shocked to see our program, the one we truly devoted our efforts to, being discussed and initiated by the end of the year.  I am alternately overwhelmed and refreshed on a project I helped create.  It is awesome and a bit embarrassing all at the same time. 

Our team has changed the name.  I was so blown away that they liked the idea that I overlooked the lack of zest in the new moniker: Resource Smart Business Program.  Real people with real jobs, real capability, and real resources are actually pioneering a multi-generational sustainable business program with intent to make it for profit, long term, and a community focused economic model for towns, cities, networks or whoever can use it around the world.  I want to do everything I can to participate and help realize this program and can’t believe more than my three friends from college are interested too. This is going to be fun, which is exactly what we wanted. 

About the Author

Ryan graduated from Fort Lewis College with a Major in Business Economics and Minor in Philosophy.  His specific interests and area of expertise are economic strategy, green business, and community networking toward specific goals.  When not at the office, he's on the pitch playing and singing after 11 years of loving rugby and many surgeries.

Your House: A Machine for Living

Since starting as an intern at 4CORE on January 4^th I have been on a steep learning curve in the weatherization program. I have been exposed to a wide variety of tasks and gaining on the job training in a number of different aspects of the program. I am gradually finding my niche, and feeling like a member of the 4CORE team with something to contribute.

The part of the weatherization program that I find most fascinating are the investigations of client’s homes. Over the years I have owned several different houses, but I really didn’t understand how the different systems of a house, such as heating, hot water, insulation, the flow of air and moisture (to identify just a few) all interact to form one big system that affects your comfort, health, and energy use. The first thing 4CORE does when weatherizing a home is to investigate all the systems of the house, looking for ways to improve its efficiency. This investigation is called the ‘home energy audit’. If you think of your house as a machine for living and the different systems of the house as its parts, the energy audit is the diagnostic tool used to identify the inefficient and unsafe parts.

An example of an unhealthy condition that is caused by the interaction of the house systems is something called back-drafting. Back-drafting is when combustion exhaust is pulled back into the living area of the house instead of venting up the chimney, resulting in pollution of indoor air. There are many unhealthy gases in combustion exhaust but the gas we are most concerned with is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide or CO, is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause sickness or death.

When a furnace starts running, it takes the chimney five minutes or more to heat up enough to start a draft, and small amounts of combustion gas may enter the living space. This temporary back-drafting is called spillage. The type of back-drafting we are more concerned with is continuous, and can be caused by the interaction of other exhaust air systems in a house. In houses with a mechanical room that has the furnace and the water heater next to each other, the stronger combustion of the furnace can potentially pull exhaust fumes out of the water heater vent, creating unhealthy levels of CO.

Another situation is when several exhaust air appliances are operating at the same time and create enough air suction in the house to draw furnace exhaust into the living area. Let’s take a house where a fire place is burning, the hot water heater is operating, the gas clothes dryer is on, and the range exhaust fan is running. All these systems are sucking air out of the house and up the vents. In a case like that there is potential for back-drafting of the furnace combustion exhaust and CO accumulation. It is these types of “worst case scenarios” that energy auditors test for, and correct if necessary.

As a footnote, it is a good idea to install combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in bedrooms and hallways.

Learn more about how your house works and ways to make it more energy efficient: check out the book Cut Your Energy Bill Now (150 Smart Ways To Save You Money & Make Your Home More Comfortable & Green), by Bruce Harley, 2008.

About the Author:

Tom Zajicek is interning for 4CORE through the Rocky Mountain Senior Employment in Community Program. His interest in green building and energy efficiency lead him to choose 4CORE for an internship. He is presently getting training in weatherization, including energy audits and inspections. In addition he is working on client utility data, and developing a respiratory safety program.

Tom moved to Durango two years ago from Ithaca, New York. His varied previous experience includes home building, field biology, outdoor education, and industrial roped access inspection. When not working Tom is off to the mountains, canyons and deserts of the four corners area.