Welcome to part one of my conversations with Ed May.  Ed, is a partner at Building Type, a design consulting firm that concentrates on passive house energy modeling and successfully guiding projects to certification and/or just achieving their performance goals. Ed’s carrier started as a carpenter/builder who then got his master’s in architecture at Parsons School of Design. These two worlds collided when he became a faculty team lead of the 2009 Parsons DOE Solar Decathlon project.  Ed now spends his time on the science of building performance including energy modeling simulations,envelop detailing, hygrothermal analysis, and helping to develop open-source software that ties it all together. In our conversation Ed openly explains the pros and cons of passive house and high-performance buildings.Ed May on LinkedInBuilding Type PH-TOOLS open-source tools for Passive House energy modelingBuilding Type LearnParsons School of DesignParsons Solar Decathlon TeamMore information about Construction Instruction

My discussion with Doug Hansel of DHP Energy follows his move from being a respiratory therapist to becoming a building science consultant. We begin with work that he has done documenting the R-value of installed insulation and then move into how he has blended respiratory health, indoor environmental air quality and his new passion for building science.  He has created his own Frankenstein ERV system that he feels meets the modern needs and realities of our housing today.  Broan and others manufactures of ERV are listening.DHP Energy LLC. Doug Hansel on LinkedInAir Quality Index Explained: How AQI Affects Our EnvironmentIQ AirAir Barrier Association of America (ABAA) QAP programhttps://airbarrier.org/qap-overview/How to measure spray foam insulation densityBuild Equinox Advanced Air Quality ManagementCADR Rating Explained

Sean Vo US director of Sales and Partnership and Vanessa Wright Sustainability Manager spoke to me about LEVVEN Electronic, the company they work for.  Interestingly LEVVEN basically sells one product, radio frequency controlled switch that replace normal toggle or dimmer switches in a home and comply with the new 2021 IECC section  R404.2 Interior lighting controls requirement that permanently installed lighting fixtures be controlled with either a dimmer, an occupant sensor control or other control that is installed or built into the fixture.  Sean and Vanessa explained to me how these fixtures actually work, which took awhile for my dense brain to understand, and how their installation can improve a home’s performance beyond control electrical usage. House tightness, cost of construction, and future uses for the technology were all touched on.Sean Vo on LinkedInVanessa Wright on LinkedIn LEVVEN

Nick Burch is the Director of Finance at SASHCO, a family owned and operated business that is celebrating their 90th year of operation this year. Nick got his real start at SASCHCO filling caulking tubes as a baby. As they say, labor laws were less strict in the ’80s, but really, he worked on the floor manufacturing caulks and sealants while growing up. We learn more about Nick and the history of this 90-year-old company and the business philosophy that has made it a success all these years. I know you will enjoy this listen and will learn some interesting management and business strategies. SASHCO Products that work SASHCO’s history timelineCaulk and Sealant Catalog Get a SASHCO Pro Sample Kit

Welcome back to Part Two of my conversation with Carl Grimes. Our conversation picks up where we left off explaining more of the five principles and then gets into how Environmental health is impacting the building of homes. EnjoyHayward Score Healthy Home Director Carl Grimes, has a unique combination of experiences. He has personal experience of the disabling impact of an unhealthy home, and professional experience working in the Indoor Air Quality field. Both these experiences lead him to the Hayword Score where they are helping people live healthier lives by first believing in the negative health experiences they are having in their home, and second by offering a tool that can help homeowners understand these experiences. Carl understands that moisture and mold are not the only things that lead to poor indoor air quality and is trying to work out the synergistic interactions between occupants, house, and building science that can result in either a health supporting or health degrading environment.Carl Grimes on ⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠Hayward Score⁠Indoor air quality ⁠Association ⁠The Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory⁠(Symptom Star)⁠⁠ASHRAE Guideline 10-2023⁠ -- Interactions Affecting theAchievement of Acceptable Indoor EnvironmentsToxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance ⁠(TILT) ⁠- ChemicalIntoleranceInstitute of Inspection, Cleaning and RestorationCertification ⁠(IICRC)⁠⁠ANSI S520-2025⁠ Standard for Professional Mold Remediation

Hayward Score Healthy Home Director Carl Grimes, has a unique combination of experiences. He has personal experience of the disabling impact of an unhealthy home, and professional experience working in the Indoor Air Quality field. Both these experiences lead him to the Hayword Score where they are helping people live healthier lives by first believing in the negative health experiences they are having in their home, and second by offering a tool that can help homeowners understand these experiences. Carl understands that moisture and mold are not the only things that lead to poor indoor air quality and is trying to work out the synergistic interactions between occupants, house, and building science that can result in either a health supporting or health degrading environment.Carl Grimes on LinkedInHayward ScoreIndoor air quality Association The Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory(Symptom Star)ASHRAE Guideline 10-2023 -- Interactions Affecting theAchievement of Acceptable Indoor EnvironmentsToxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT) - ChemicalIntoleranceInstitute of Inspection, Cleaning and RestorationCertification (IICRC)ANSI S520-2025 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation

Ken Nelson is well known as an applied building science and indoor air quality (IAQ) expert at Panasonic North America. Our conversation wandered through the three ventilation strategies and further explained Panasonic’s Oasys System, which I really did not realize is an innovative approach for heating and cooling not just whole house ventilation. Ken is passionate about the subject and seamlessly explains the benefits for all stakeholders as well as some of the stumbling blocks we need to look out for during installation. Ken Nelson on LinkedInPanasonic Ventilation Panasonic Oasys

Randy Plumlee specializes in energy code and building performance with SPEER or the South Central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource which is one of six regional Energy Efficiency Organizations. Jason Helm is the CEO for Texas Home Energy Professionals. In this conversation you will hear the three of us debate whether the International Energy Conservation Code requires both Whole House controlled mechanical ventilation and local, or spot, exhaust ventilation systems to be tested to achieve the flow rates required by the International Residential Code or IRC.  This is of special interest to me since I introduced the proposal in the 2021 IECC for this testing requirement and I definitely have a point of view. Randy and Jason do as well.  Let’s see what you think after listening to the conversationRandy Plumlee on LinkedIn SPEERJason Helm on LinkedInThe Home Energy Rating Systems CouncilRESNET Home Certification Organizations (HCOs)Building Science Institute (BSI)John Krigger's Residential Energy

Bill Rectanus spent the bulk of his career in the world of construction innovation. Seeking out materials and solutions to drive production building to zero energy while being cognizant of cost effectiveness and bottom-line economics. Working for midsize regional production builders in Colorado for the bulk of his career, Bill found his next chapter aligning with Automated Architectural. AUAR as the company is known, is a company from England that has the capability to turn a job site into a factory by deploying Micro-Factories to build wall, floor, and roof panels directly on the building sites where they will be installed.  This new phase of panelized construction has potential to address skilled labor shortages, as well as the economics of constructing homes that could be the next innovation that the construction industry is looking for. Bill Rectanus on LinkedInAutomated Architecture – “AUAR”

Welcome back to our buildCAST conversation with Rich Truitt, Harford County Maryland Deputy Code Official.  In this second half of our conversation we dive deep into the Approved Third-Party Inspection Agency section that has been expanded and better explained in the 2024 IECC. Through Rich’s experience we see again the good, the bad, the ugly, and the potential future of this relationship between jurisdictions and Approved Third-Party Inspection Agencies.Rich Truitt on LinkedIn  Harford County MarylandRESCheck SoftwareExample Private company code implementersSHUMS Coda and Associates  SAFEbuilt