Building Science, Energy Auditing and Home Performance:
Affordable Comfort, Inc.: ACI, a non-profit organization, celebrated 20 years of training building and housing professionals in 2006. Founded as the Affordable Comfort Conference in 1986, our roots are in defining the best way to make homes energy efficient, without harming the residents and the building.
BuildingScience.com: Provides objective, high-quality information about buildings. This resource combines building physics, systems design concepts, and an awareness of sustainability to promote the design and construction of buildings that are more durable, healthier, more sustainable and more economical than most buildings built today.
Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA): One of the oldest and most respected residential building education organizations in the U.S.A., with a history of providing insight, collaboration, and education, to builders and designers seeking to construct resource efficient, durable, healthy homes spans over 30 years.
Energy Savers Blog: The Energy Savers Blog provides a place for consumers to learn about and discuss energy efficiency and renewable technologies at home, on the road, and in the workplace.
Home Energy Audits: Here you’ll find information about do-it-yourself home energy audits and professional home energy audits.
Home Energy Magazine: Get instant access to the latest news on energy- efficient, durable, comfortable, and green homes.
Home Performance with Energy Star: Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, a national program from the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE, offers a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency and comfort at home, while helping to protect the environment.
Insulation and Air Sealing: You can reduce your home’s heating and cooling costs through proper insulation and air sealing techniques. These techniques will also make your home more comfortable
Regreen; Green Remodeling Best Practices Guidelines: The American Society of Interior Designers’ Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council have partnered on the development of best practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential improvement projects. This program will increase understanding of sustainable renovation project practices and benefits among homeowners, residents, design professionals, product suppliers and service providers to build both demand and industry capacity.
Carbon Calculators:
EPA Carbon Footprint Calculator: You can use the online calculator to get a rough “ballpark” estimate of your personal or family’s greenhouse gas emissions and explore the impact of taking various actions to reduce your emissions.
Home Energy Saver: The Home Energy Saver is designed to help consumers identify the best ways to save energy in their homes, and find the resources to make the savings happen.
Nature Conservancy: Use The Nature Conservancy’s carbon footprint calculator to measure your impact on our climate. Our carbon footprint calculator estimates how many tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases your choices create each year.
Educational Programs and Resources:
High Performance Commercial Building Facades: Produced by Building Technologies Program staff at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, this 133-page document examines the performance of advanced building facades. The report includes technology overviews, a look at the design process, building performance, and case studies. It is available in both HTML and Acrobat formats.
Non-PGE Energy Classes: In addition to educational programs offered at the Pacific Energy Center, other utilities and organizations within California also offer classes related to energy conservation.
PGE Energy Classes: Welcome to PG&E’s energy efficiency class registration site. All classes are* free of charge* unless otherwise noted.
Save Energy and Money at Home: Learn ways to save energy and use clean renewable technologies at home, while driving and at work.
SCE Training Center: These programs are funded by California utility customers and administered by Southern California Edison under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.
The North Bay Institute of Green Technology: Our mission is to train and prepare low-income, unemployed, under-employed, unskilled workforce for a career in the field of the emerging green-collar jobs industry with an emphasis on practices such as sustainability, natural resource conservation, and environmental technologies.
Whole Building Design Guide: This comprehensive design guide was developed by the National Institute of Building Sciences. Topics include below grade, wall, fenestration, roofing and atria systems.
Government Agencies and Programs:
Business Environment Alliance (BEA): The Business Environmental Alliance (BEA) promotes the economic benefits of responsible environmental practices and provides resources to enable businesses to implement these measures.
California Building Climate Zone Map: A detailed map of California’s 16 climate zones can be downloaded here. Lists of climate zones by city or zip code are also available.
California Energy Commission: The Energy Commission adopted the 2008 Standards on April 23, 2008, and the Building Standards Commission approved them for publication on September 11, 2008. The 2008 Residential Compliance Manual was adopted by the Commission on December 17, 2008, and the 2008 Non-residential Compliance Manual is scheduled for adoption in January 2011.
City of Cloverdale: The Community Development Department helps the City Council develop policies to guide the physical, economic, and housing development of the City and for implementing ordinances consistent with those physical development policies.
City of Cotati: The City of Cotati Sustainable Building Program information is available at this web site.
City of Healdsburg > Building Resources : The Building staff accepts permits, reviews plans and inspects all building related activities within the city to ensure compliance with adopted codes. Public assistance is also given to facilitate proper plan submittals and understanding. Enforcement of code compliance for both zoning and building rests with this division. Another important task is to administer the Unreinforced Masonry Program.
City of Petaluma > Building Division : Petaluma Build It Green is a voluntary, points-based program designed to stimulate and support green building in Petaluma.
City of Rohnert Park > Development Services : The City of Rohnert Park has identified sustainability as one of its major goals. One component of sustainability includes the practice of green building. The City has adopted a Green Building Ordinance as one way of incorporating sustainability into new and existing buildings. We have provided information and links below to assist you with your project.
City of Sebastopol > Building & Safety > Planning Department :The City of Sebastopol encourages the use of building design and construction that results in the conservation of resources, the reduction of toxic pollutants and reduces green house gas emissions. To achieve this we have instituted a Green Building Program.
HERS (California Home Energy Rating System): The California HERS Program includes field verification and diagnostic testing available through Commission-certified providers. The Energy Commission has a process for certifying Home Energy Rating System (HERS) raters who perform third-party inspections when verification of duct sealing, thermostatic expansion valves (TXVs), refrigerant charge, airflow measurement, and building envelope sealing measures are used when complying with the 2005 Standards (effective October 1, 2005).
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR: A national program from the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE, offers a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency and comfort at home, while helping to protect the environment.
Office of EERE: Here you’ll find information about the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), which manages the ten EERE programs.
Solar Sonoma County: Solar Sonoma County is a consortium of local governments, businesses and other local entities and individuals working collaboratively to identify and implement initiatives to promote, expand, and accelerate solar photovoltaic and solar thermal energy generation and energy efficiency throughout Sonoma County.
Sonoma County Climate Action Plan: Sonoma County’s commitment to the future and its desire for extraordinary action brought this Plan into being. This Plan is, in essence, a public works project to meet Sonoma County’s bold goal for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2015.
Sonoma County Energy Independent Program: Sonoma County’s Energy Independence Program is a new opportunity for property owners to finance energy efficiency, water efficiency and renewable energy improvements through a voluntary assessment. These assessments will be attached to the property, not the owner and will be paid back through the property tax system over time, making the program not only energy efficient but also affordable.
Title 24: Is contained in the California Code of Regulations (CCR) and is the embodiment of most of the construction and energy conservation requirements for the state.
Town of Windsor > Building Division : The Division of Building Inspection is responsible for the enforcement of the California Code of Regulations to safeguard the public health and welfare and access to persons with disabilities.
Green Building Materials and Techniques:
Advanced Framing Techniques: Optimum Value Engineering (OVE) uses engineering principles to minimize material usage while meeting model building code structural performance requirements.
ECOS Paint Products: Conventional gloss paints AND emulsion paints contain solvents which can cause irritation and serious health problems. ECOS Organic – the world’s only range of solvent free paints and varnishes.
Green Building Glossary: Use this glossary to assist you with defining some Green Building Terms
Green Building Research: This is where the US Green Building Council provides information on Green Building products and research of interest to owners, designers and builders.
Kelley Moore Paints: Recycled post-consumer paint products blended into a quality paint that preserves the environment (green friendly!). It offers simple water clean-up, resists outdoor elements and offers good wash ability indoors. E coat is truly an economical alternative for your painting needs!
Low or No Voc Paint: Today, alternative manufacturing techniques have allowed the development of low- and no-VOC paints that release no, or minimal VOC pollutants, and are virtually odor free.
Low or No VOC Construction Adhesives: Environmental concerns of construction adhesives include their process of manufacture, emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), application tool cleanup, and disposal. Choosing products or applications that use little or no adhesives is preferred.
Wood Preservatives – Low Toxicity: Same benefits of conventional wood preservatives, with fewer health concerns.
Green Building Trade Associations:
Affordable Comfort, Inc. (ACI): A non-profit organization, celebrated 20 years of training building and housing professionals in 2006. Founded as the Affordable Comfort Conference in 1986, our roots are in defining the best way to make homes energy efficient, without harming the residents and the building.
Build It Green (BIG): Build It Green is a professional non-profit membership organization whose mission is to promote healthy, energy and resource-efficient buildings in California. BIG GreenPoint Rated is a recognized Green Building Standard that has been adopted by a very large number of California communities as part of their building codes.
California Association of Building Energy Consultants (CABEC): CABEC is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing up-to-date, reliable information about the California Title 24 Energy Standards and related building energy efficiency topics, as well as helping energy consultants stay on the cutting edge of building energy efficiency.
CalCERTS: CalCERTS is a California Home Energy Rating System Provider (HERS Provider).
CBPCA (California Building Performance Contractors Association): CBPCA helps green contractors identify and perform quality Green Home Energy Upgrades and is also a Home Energy Rating System Provider (HERS Provider).
CHEERS® (California Home Energy Efficiency Rating Services): Cheers is a Home Energy Rating System Provider (HERS Provider).
Certified Green Building Professional (CGBP): CGBP is an individual who has successfully completed the Certified Green Building Professional training class offered by Build It Green.
Certified GreenPoint Rater (CGPR): CGPR is an Individual who attended a rigorous training course based on the GreenPoint Rated (GPR) system, a program of Build It Green.
Consortium for Energy Efficiency: CEE is a consortium of efficiency program administrators from across the U.S. and Canada who work together on common approaches to advancing efficiency. Through joining forces, the individual efficiency programs of CEE are able to partner not only with each other, but with other industries, trade associations, and government agencies. By working together at CEE, administrators leverage the effect of their funding dollars, exchange information on effective practices and, by doing so, and achieve greater energy efficiency for the public good.
Database for Energy Efficient Resources: The Database for Energy Efficient Resources (DEER) contains information on selected energy-efficient technologies and measures. The DEER provides estimates of the energy-savings potential for these technologies in residential and nonresidential applications. The database contains information on typical measures — those commonly installed in the marketplace — and data on the costs and benefits of more energy-efficient measures. Energy-efficient measures provide the same energy services using less energy, but they usually cost slightly more.
Forest Stewardship Council: FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.
LEED Green Building Rating System for New Construction & Major Renovations, ver. 2.2 : This latest version of LEED’s rating system includes requirements for daylight and views, heat island effect, ventilation for indoor air quality and thermal comfort.
New Buildings Institute: The New Buildings Institute is a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting buildings and building systems that have low environmental impact and are energy efficient. NBI has developed several useful building design guidelines. These include the Advanced Lighting Guidelines, guidelines for mechanical systems, and roof insulation guidelines. Technical reports, news, and code information are also provided.
Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET®): The Residential Energy Services Network’s (RESNET®) mission is to ensure the success of the building energy performance certification industry, set the standards of quality, and increase the opportunity for ownership of high-performance buildings. RESNET is a membership 501-C-3 non-profit organization.
USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council): USGBC is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated.
Roofing Resources:
Consumer Energy Center; Cool Roofs: The California Energy Commission provides an overview of cool roofs and their benefits, FAQ, and links to related cool roof resources including videos and cool roof product guides.
Cool Metal Roofing Coalition: This organization promotes the benefits of cool metal roofing. This site includes papers and articles on cool metal roofing; information about incentives, rebates, certification programs; upcoming events; and industry news.
Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC): The CRRC provides unbiased ratings for roof products. The Product Listing Directory lists the solar reflectance and thermal emittance of each product.
Energy Design Resources; Cool Roofs: This EDR Design Brief describes how cool roofing works and the benefits of its application to commercial buildings. It also describes how to achieve Title 24 compliance and get LEED credits. Estimating energy savings, design considerations, and long-term performance are also discussed.
Energy Star; Reflective Roof Products: Energy Star qualified roof products and manufacturers, plus articles and case studies are provided on this site.
Windows and Skylighting Resources:
American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA): This association of window, door, curtain wall, and skylight manufacturers features a Certified Products Directory, AAMA standard and certification information, and summaries of publications available for purchase.
Design Lights: This regional collaboration is coordinated by the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships. Design Lights provides guides for warehouse and retail Skylighting, as well as, links to Skylighting software tools, guidelines, and case studies.
Efficient Windows Collaborative: The Efficient Windows Collaborative provides impartial information on the benefits of energy efficient windows, plus details on glazes, window types. How they work, a window selection tool, fact sheets, tool kits, and incentive information.
National Fenestration Rating Council: The NFRC provides an energy performance rating system for window products. This site includes descriptions of windows products, information about their site-built certification program, access to NFRC publications, links to software tools, detailed information about their rating system, and a product directory.
Windows & Skylights: This Federal Technology Alert from the Department of Energy is a detailed paper on spectrally selective glazing technology, applications, and performance.
Whole Building Design Guide; Windows and Glazing: This comprehensive overview by Gregg Ander describes issues and features of window systems and glazing Terminology and recommendations for specifying windows and glazing are discussed. A case study is included.
