Blog

Upcoming Event: High Performance Window Panel

Submitted by Katy Hollbacher on Wed, 04/16/2014 - 06:07

On April 27th, Passive House California is hosting a High Performance Window Panel. This is a great opportunity to learn more about what makes a window "high performance" and to meet some of your local window experts. Networking and beer are included, and the meeting will kick off with an introduction to Passive House. 3pm start, $10 for non-members, $5 for supporters and free for members. Held at the Pyramid Brewery in Berkeley.

Category: 
News + Events

Retrocommissioning: The Class

Submitted by Lizzie Adams on Tue, 11/19/2013 - 08:05

For the past four months, I've spent a day a month at the Pacific Energy Center in an intensive retrocommissioning class. For those not familiar with retrocommissioning, it's essentially a treasure hunt for poorly performing systems in existing buildings. Identifying and fixing these "poor performers" can save energy, water and resources, as well as improve comfort. And the savings can be significant- typically between 5 and 20% of operating costs depending on the facility.

Category: 
Projects
Technical

New website to spring into fall

Submitted by Katy Hollbacher on Mon, 10/21/2013 - 14:25

Now in Beyond Efficiency's 5th year of business, it was due time to refresh the website. As days get shorter and weather cools, the importance of the work we do to optimize building performance is magnified. So four weeks ago, just before the autumnal equinox, we went live! We're proud of our new website, and it much better reflects what we've been up to and can offer to clients. 

Category: 
Random

Next stop: 8th Annual North American Passive House Conference!

Submitted by Katy Hollbacher on Wed, 10/16/2013 - 13:09

Tomorrow I'm off to my 3rd conference in the last 3 weeks, this one in Pittsburgh. I always am so excited to be off to a big Passive House event, but recent travel has made me exhausted and I'm glad this is the last of my traveling at least for a little while! If anyone's still on the fence, this conference is sure to be as great a Passive House event as in past years. Here's the scoop:

Category: 
News + Events
Projects

Report-Back: AIA Western Region Conference

Submitted by Katy Hollbacher on Sun, 10/13/2013 - 06:32

I returned home to California a few days ago after an incredible week in Jackson, Wyoming for the 2013 AIA Western Region Conference, which rotates between the six member states--Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico--each year. I presented on high-performance building envelope design and crammed in all that I could in two presentation slots (browse or download the presentation below).

Category: 
News + Events
Random

October 3: Building Carbon Zero Marin

Submitted by Katy Hollbacher on Mon, 09/30/2013 - 12:10

Part II in Passive House California's Building Carbon Zero California series is scheduled for October 3rd at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center. Randy Hayes (formerly Rainforest Action Network) and Peter Busby (Perkins + Will) are keynote speakers for this event. Attend to learn how we can drastically reduce our carbon emissions today, and build a better environment for future generations.

Category: 
News + Events

Passive House at AIA Western Region Conference

Submitted by Katy Hollbacher on Mon, 09/16/2013 - 13:58

Katy Hollbacher is delivering Part I and II presentations, Passive House and Energy Modeling: The Foundation for True High-Performance Buildings, at the upcoming AIA Western Region Conference in Jackson, Wyoming. The Western Region comprises Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming--encompassing mountains and deserts along with their harsh conditions and extreme temperature ranges.

Category: 
News + Events

A “Top Five Wish List” for every building project

Submitted by Lizzie Adams on Mon, 09/16/2013 - 11:36

What if every project we worked on committed to five things? "

This is the question I asked Katy while BARTing back from a meeting recently. The discussion that ensued was very nerdy and distracted us to the point where we ended on the wrong line. But this is what we decided on:

Category: 
Technical

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