Submitted by Zach Vaughn on Tue, 03/18/2025 - 10:16
Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps (PTHPs) have undergone remarkable evolution since their early iterations as Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners (PTACs) commonly found in hotels. Today's PTHPs represent sophisticated climate management systems that feature inverter compressor technology, variable speed fans, and smart controls – far outperforming their predecessors in both efficiency and comfort.
Our team recently completed LEED for Homes Platinum certification for The Grinnell, a 63-unit affordable housing project in Berkeley, California developed by Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA). The project was named after a peregrine falcon that lived atop UC Berkeley's Campanile.
Achieving 80 LEED points, this project really knocked it out of the park! Here are some reflections on our work.
Submitted by Nate Russell on Wed, 03/20/2024 - 10:53
Did you know that water heating is often the top energy end use in smaller ADUs or homes with a higher occupant density? Specifying heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) is one of the best strategies to reduce energy use as these are about three times more efficient than electric resistance or gas.
Submitted by Katy Hollbacher on Wed, 12/20/2023 - 13:05
Katy Hollbacher interviews Laken Allen
Today I'm interviewing my colleague Laken Allen. She's a homeowner in Victor, Idaho with husband Sam, 1-yr old Auggie, and dogs Wilson and Dory. Before their baby arrived, she and Sam decided to purchase the MRCOOL "DIY" multi-zone mini-split heat pump system and install it in their home. Read on to learn more about their experiences and lessons learned!
Submitted by Katy Hollbacher on Fri, 11/18/2022 - 02:35
Beyond Efficiency is highly motivated to solve the nation’s housing crisis and planet’s climate crisis through our technical work, but the traditional building consulting model isn’t going to cut it. To scale our impact far beyond what we’re able to accomplish as a small team working on one-off building projects, we’re excited to announce our new technology- and community-based initiative, BuildingGenius.
Submitted by Dan Johnson on Tue, 07/26/2022 - 11:51
This is a case study about modernizing my 1200-square foot East Bay home by removing gas-fired appliances. The gas replacement work was done with some willingness to tolerate temporary inconveniences to minimize cost, which might be helpful for scrappy remodeling projects undertaken by many readers.
Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps (PTHPs) have undergone remarkable evolution since their early iterations as Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners (PTACs) commonly found in hotels.
Our team recently completed LEED for Homes Platinum certification for The Grinnell, a 63-unit affordable housing project in Berkeley, California developed by Sa
Beyond Efficiency is highly motivated to solve the nation’s housing crisis and planet’s climate crisis through our technical work, but the traditional building consulting model isn’t going to cut...
Have you ever wondered how solar panels capture energy from the sun to produce electricity? Or perhaps you want to learn how to get the most power output of your own PV array?
We are grateful to the more than 120 respondents that took the time to complete our survey in early April and share honest insights on the impact of the global health crisis on themselves.
The built environment has a hot water distribution problem. There historically haven’t been any analytical tools available for hot water distribution systems.
Earlier this year, The New York Times published an article by Kendra Pierre-Louis called "Americans Are Staying Home More. That's Saving Energy." The article refers to a...
I am reminded every day that the old adage “The devil is in the details!” rings true in our quest for high performance building construction—as much any other endeavor.
I was lucky to be in Jackson Hole, Wyoming—virtually smack-dab on the "blue line" in the narrow path of totality—for the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in 99 years on August 21.
Thanks to a recent presentation by Pierre Delforge from the Natural Resources Defense Council (select sides below), the case for deploying heat pump water heaters to replace both electric and
With the passage of Assembly Bill 802 earlier in 2015, California became the first state in the nation with the mandate to provide energy use data to users so they can measure or benchmark the...
Our flights are booked and hotel is reserved for Vancouver- we can't wait and hope to see you there! The Canadian Passive House Institute (CanPHI) will host the first North American Passive...
High Performance Details For California Climates: Lessons Learned--Passive House advocates Katy Hollbacher, Bronwyn Barry and Mary James are delivering this presentation at the upcoming 2012 ACI...
Advanced framing (Optimal Value Engineering) is a collection of design and building methods that reduces lumber use, minimizes wood waste, and maximizes a structure’s energy efficiency.