Tag: energy-efficient building

January 15, 2020

BRINC to Exhibit at Better Buildings in Vermont and Wisconsin

The impact of non-profit organizations that promote energy-efficient building standards is growing. Some of the most successful outreach programs include regional events that bring together architects, builders, and high-performance building material experts facing the same set of climate considerations.

This February and March, BRINC Building Products will be again be exhibiting at two notable building conferences in this realm: Better Buildings by Design (Northeast), and Better Buildings: Better Business (Midwest).

Better Buildings by Design

When we think of leaders in energy-efficiency and sustainability, we think of Vermont. It’s no surprise Vermont ranks among the top 5 states in the nation for the advancement and support of energy efficiency, and has long maintained a pioneering role among the states in this arena.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) credits Vermont’s three energy efficiency utility companies as the driving force for Vermont’s ranking: Vermont Gas Systems, Burlington Electric, and Efficiency Vermont.

“Efficiency Vermont is really keen on helping with the social responsibility of living in Vermont.“

– Jennifer Severidt, Energy Consultant – Residential, Efficiency Vermont

We’ve been fortunate to witness firsthand the effectiveness of Efficiency Vermont on two housing projects. One, the Rutland Innovation Home, and two, the Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity House in Randolph. We look forward to contributing to their Better Buildings by Design event, the region’s leading design and construction conference.

Better Buildings by Design – February 5th & 6th

The Better Buildings by Design conference brings together over 1,000 attendees from all over the Northeast, and more than 60 exhibitors annually to Burlington, Vermont. Affordable Energy is the focus of the 2020 Better Buildings by Design event, and attendees will share their successes, failures, and strategies for the future. More than 40 workshops are available for attendees, featuring five learning tracks: Building Systems, Business Support, Commercial, Envelope, and Integrated Design.

BRINC Building Products is proud to be an Exhibitor for this year’s event, and will be exhibiting ThermalBuck, the high-performance window buck – as well as a preview of a new building envelope material launching in Spring 2020. For a complete list of exhibitors and more information, check out the event homepage here.

Better Buildings: Better Business – March 9th -11th

Seventh Wave is the force behind the annual Better Buildings: Better Business conference in Wisconsin. Their mission is “To advance economic and environmental sustainability through engineering, education and research”. With offices in Chicago and Madison, this non-profit works with utility programs, offering services such as education, financial incentives, and technical assistance for building owners and design teams to exceed the Illinois energy code standards.

The Better Buildings: Better Business conference will be held March 9th – 11th this year in Wisconsin Dells, at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center. Nearly 60 exhibitors and sponsors focused on advancing the residential building and remodeling industry are part of the two-day event. It also features multiple workshops and keynote speakers, which will focus on advancing the building industry for a clean energy future. Visit seventhwave.org for a full list of exhibitors.

Want to learn more about energy-efficient organizations in your region? Check out our post, Advancing the Energy Codes, for more information on the six REEOS, or Regional Energy Efficiency Organizations to get started.

March 27, 2019

BRINC BP Names Market Development Manager – Northeast

New Bethlehem, PA – Geoffrey Sloane, a high-performance building material professional with a background in architecture, historic renovations, green building and the building material industry, has been appointed by BRINC Building Products, Inc., as Market Development Manager – Northeast.

His most recent position was in Commercial Sales with LaValley Building Supply, a well-known building material supplier with 10 locations in the Northeast.

“BRINC BP is offering comprehensive solutions for forward-thinking design and construction. I’m excited to employ my experience in all phases of the building process to develop the New England market for ThermalBuck.”

– Geoffrey Sloane, Market Development Manager – NE, BRINC Building Products, Inc.

Geoffrey has always been passionate about the building industry, having earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY., and acting as both designer and general contractor for his own home. His professional knowledge and experience in both the architect and builder roles allows him to understand the challenges that face both sides of the build. Sloane’s work in the building material industry provides him with an extensive knowledge of a wide array of materials, and an understanding of how important it is to consider the relationship between different building materials in the building envelope.

“BRINC BP is offering comprehensive solutions for forward-thinking design and construction. I’m excited to employ my experience in all phases of the building process to develop the New England market for ThermalBuck,” said Sloane.

ThermalBuck

ThermalBuck falls into an unusual category of the building material market – there’s nothing quite like it.

Use of exterior insulation on residential and commercial buildings is a growing practice in construction, for its ability to limit thermal bridging.

But it creates a new challenge – now that the insulation extends anywhere from 1.0″ to 6.0″ or more past the sheathing, how do you mount the windows?

Before ThermalBuck, the only option for architects and builders to extend the rough opening was to build a wood buck out of 2 x’s or plywood. Rough openings have always been the weakest spot on any building for air and water infiltration, and “bumping” the window out only makes it more difficult to achieve a good air and water seal. Wood bucks are a challenge to flash, and they can rot, shrink, or warp over time.

“Geoffrey offers a unique balance of knowledge and experience in the building industry. His passion for providing green building solutions to architects and builders is exactly what we were looking for.”

– John Brooks, President, BRINC Building Products, Inc.

Continuous Insulation

The European and Canadian building markets have long recognized the need to build tighter, well-insulated homes. The U.S. building industry is quickly catching up, driven both by the adoption of newer IECC codes, and an increased focus on energy-efficient and high-performance building.

“Architects and builders are looking for solutions on how continuous insulation affects the window installation,” said Brooks, “ThermalBuck is the ideal solution.” Boise Cascade distributes ThermalBuck in New England through their Westfield, Massachusetts distribution center.

“Geoffrey offers a unique balance of knowledge and experience in the building industry. His passion for providing green building solutions to architects and builders is exactly what we were looking for. He’s a great asset to our team, and the ideal fit to manage the growth of ThermalBuck in New England,” said Brooks.

Sloane lives in New Hampshire’s capital region with his wife, Nicole, and their children – Suzie, Peter, and Meredith. Stop by Booth #1037 and meet him in person at the 2019 JLC Live show in Providence March 29th & 30th! Contact Geoff at gsloane@brincbp.com, or 603.268.4640.

BRINC Building Products, Inc, headquartered in New Bethlehem, PA, is the manufacturer of ThermalBuck, the high performance window buck. ThermalBuck is now available through Boise Cascade and Alpen HPP in the U.S., and via Performance Haus in Canada.

July 25, 2017

Building Energy-Efficient Bridges in Pittsburgh

As one terribly clever energy professional pointed out – a city with 446 bridges couldn’t possibly be intimidated by hundreds of pages of building codes.

“Bridges to the Future” was the theme of the 2017 National Energy Code Conference, which took place July 18th – 20th in Pittsburgh, PA. The third city to become part of the 2030 District, and commonly known as “The City of Bridges,” Pittsburgh proved a fitting venue in which to focus on the future of energy-efficiency through the impact of codes and initiatives across the U.S.

The conference kicked off with “Energy Codes Bootcamp,” a great session for professionals new to the industry. It covered code basics, compliance software training for REScheck and COMcheck, and a brief overview of what’s coming in the 2018 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2016. Overall there is a focus on improved efforts to understand the different performance paths, and proving performance measures for buildings.

Next on the agenda, “Tours of the Tower” at PNC Plaza, which was designed to exceed LEED Platinum certification, and is known as the “greenest office building in the world.” The Tower is truly the crown jewel in Pittsburgh’s green building community, and no one could be more appreciate of it than the group of energy professionals in attendance.

The final tour of the day showcased The Energy Innovation Center, a not-for-profit organization whose purpose includes community engagement, workforce education and training, and support for businesses in the clean energy market.

Educational Sessions

“If you work in building codes, it is essential to consider the future”
– Ian Finlayson, Massachusetts Dept. of Energy Resources

One of the best educational sessions of day two was presented by Ian Finlayson of the Massachusetts Dept. of Energy Resources, “Developing and Promoting a Stretch Energy Code.” Massachusetts has mandatory requirements to adopt the latest ASHRAE and IECC codes every 3 years. But rapid gains in energy-efficient building are also being achieved across the state through educating and encouraging stretch codes. The keys to success include seeking expert input, keeping the message simple, and tracking adoption across municipalities.

“It’s all about ROI – how you consume and how you build must align.”
– Timothy McDonald, Onion Flats, LLC

Timothy McDonald, President of Onion Flats, LLC, kicked off the final day with the impressive gains his development company is achieving in the affordable housing market in Pennsylvania. Building on that knowledge, he has focused extensive efforts on including passive house building standards in the point system used by state housing finance agencies in awarding contracts. Once again education is a key component, emphasizing the fact that net-zero and passive house standards can be met cost-effectively. He added competition to the strategy, as the motivation tool for getting more builders to utilize energy-efficient building standards.

Some of the unique features of his own multi-family developments include facades that communicate energy use of the building, and making inexpensive design strategies essential, not traditionally key considerations in affordable housing.

Awards

A final highlight of the conference was the presentation of the Jeffrey A. Johnson Award to the 2017 winner, Shaunna Mozingo, of Colorado Code Consulting. Jeffrey was remembered by his colleagues for his passionate work in energy-efficiency building. It was evident throughout the conference, and through the recognition of her colleagues, that Shaunna has embodied that same spirit throughout her career.

The conference was a great place to connect with a wide range of professionals focused on advancing the energy-efficiency initiatives at all levels – not just regulation. The architects, consultants, builders, manufacturers, and code officials in attendance all shared the same common goal: planning for the future by improving how we build today.

Considering attending an energy code conference in the future? Next up on the calendar is the 2017 International Code Council Conference, to be held September 10-13th in Columbus, OH. Take a look at the complete lineup of exhibitors and the education agenda here. Year-round, one of the best resources for both the residential and commercial building industries is the US Department of Energy website energy.gov. If you haven’t visited the site yet, take the time to look around – it has an absolute wealth of information for most any topic relating to energy-efficiency.