katy hollbacher's blog

Katy Hollbacher interviews Laken Allen

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...

A few years ago, I had the opportunity and privilege to design and build a high performance all-electric home in northwest lower Michigan.

Image credit: Sense, a home energy monitoring system.

I’ve lived in frigid climates that have four distinct seasons my whole life.

Image: Beyond Efficiency schematic mechanical design for new office building with direct outside air system (DOAS)

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.

As I introduced in my previous article, we at Beyond Efficiency are

I’m late to the party. Prior to working at Beyond Efficiency, I couldn’t have told you what a heat pump was, nor what Passive House meant.

Beyond Efficiency is proud to be on the team led by Onion Flats Development, and supported by Love |

Image credit: Lake | Flato Architects – Georgia Tech Engineered Biosystems Building

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 recently attended the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) 2018 Hot Water Forum.

How much do you feel you are helping to reduce global warming?

In early October, I attended the 10th Annual WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.

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.

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...

I recently went to two events, a LEED for Homes Rater Training in Chicago and a Passive House Califo

As part of the year-long PG&E Retrocommissioning class, the 20 or so participants and three teachers took a two-day field trip down to UC Santa Cruz.

On April 27th, Passive House California is hosting a High Performance Window Panel.

Now in Beyond Efficiency's 5th year of business, it was due time to refresh the website.

I returned home to California a few days ago after an incredible week in Jackson, Wyoming for the 2013 AIA Western R

Katy Hollbacher is delivering Part I and II presentations, Passive House and Energy Modeling: The Foundation

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...

EAH Housing and the City of Turlock officially broke ground on Avena Bella, an 80 unit affordable housing property, on March 28.

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.