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Upgrade your skills and join the movement towards energy-efficient, sustainable, and resilient homes with the Whole House Energy Retrofit course by Blue House Energy and Built Green Canada.

As the demand for housing continues to grow, it is more important than ever to prioritize energy efficiency and sustainability in residential construction and renovation. Whole house energy retrofits play a crucial role in meeting these goals, while also addressing the need for resiliency in the face of climate change and upcoming regulatory changes.

In partnership with Built Green Canada, the Whole House Energy Retrofit course offers an exciting opportunity for individuals to upgrade their skills and stay ahead of the game in the construction and energy efficiency industry. Participants will learn the 'Envelope First' approach to energy retrofitting, gaining expertise in assessing energy use, investigating and addressing building science challenges, and tackling heating/cooling upgrades. They will also explore the importance of developing a whole house retrofit plan.

The Energy Advisor Exams are challenging. Time is limited, there's a lot of questions, and test anxiety is a real thing that can trip you up. Sometimes it's difficult to see the correct set of answers in a multi-choice exam question. When you are taking an exam or practicing for one, and you get stumped, about a list of options, ask yourself: which of these are simple facts? 
 Blue House Energy has a whole module on study tips and test-taking strategies to help you pass Natural Resources Canada's Energy Advisor exams. Our goal is to see you succeed!  

While preparing for energy advisor exams may present challenges, there are solutions available to overcome them. Seek guidance, opt for flexible study programs, find comprehensive and up-to-date resources, build confidence through practice and support, and look for cost-effective options. By addressing these challenges head-on, you can enhance your exam preparation and increase your chances of success. Good luck!

In cold climates, the vapour retarder is installed on the warm side – typically directly behind the drywall. This location prevents the warm and relatively humid air from traveling into the wall where it may condense. But here’s the thing: Building scientists agree that the use of vapour impermeable retarders or barriers are not always necessary and in fact can be a poor strategy in all except the coldest climates such as northern Canada and Alaska. This is because the use of vapour impermeable barriers has two significant flaws:

A high performance process for building high performance houses has 3 key characteristics: Integrated Design Process (IDP) Construction Quality Management Commissioning The best practice for building a high performance house is to make all the decisions about energy conservation measures during the design stage. This is the least expensive and most cost-effective part of the process. Decisions can be revisited based on energy modelling and costing before construction begins. This results in a package that works for the builder and for the homeowner.

This year marks the second season of This Must Be The Place- The Building Science Podcast. Shawna has welcomed a number of women to the table for thoughtful, engaging conversation in all areas of the sector. Listen to how they inspire change and innovation to help create better building practices, policy, and guidelines that impact energy efficiency.

What do building science wonks do in the vague days between Christmas and New Years? They eat and rest and eat and rest, and then get bored and start to wonder about things like relative humidity, indoor air quality, air cleaners and filtration, and how they relate to their own house. Well, that’s what I did this year.

Following on the heels of my own COVID adventure, I’ve got some things to say about using building science actions (eliminate, ventilate, filter/clean) to maintain a healthy indoor environment and what we did right.