'On The Level' Trainings (2021 Series)

Join Earth Advantage & BetterBuiltNW for a three-part training series on air barriers, indoor air quality, balanced ventilation & ERVs/HRVs.

NW Builders are continually looking to improve the air tightness and ventilation of their homes. At the same time, the OR & WA building codes were updated in 2021, leaving many wondering what the best opportunities are to make the jump in performance.

This 'On The Level' series has been designed to provide field-tested recommendations from building professionals and will provide tangible design principles and construction practices that can be integrated into your building process. The sessions also cover the new OR & WA code pathways so you can consider the benefits of these approaches and make well-informed decisions.

Previously offered as a live webinar series, we've now adapted these trainings to an on-demand online format. Participants are invited to attend one or more of up to three 1-hour 'On The Level' trainings, all presented on the BetterBuiltNW online training platform: 

       Exterior Air Barrier Details in the NW

           Trainer: Josh Salinger, Birdsmouth Design-Build

       Balanced Ventilation Approaches for Healthy Indoor Air 

            Trainer: Stephen Aiguier, Green Hammer Design Build

       Installation Elements for ERVs & HRVs 

           Trainer: Bruce Sullivan, Base Zero LLC

           (Read more and sign up for each individual training below.)

This is essential info that every builder must know will help you keep pace with the building code trajectory, stay ahead of homebuyer expectations, and increase the energy efficiency, comfort and durability of the homes you're building. 

Note: This online training series is one of the many components of the Sustainable Homes Professional (SHP) online training and accreditation program designed for the NW region. Join our SHP training and gain over 15+ hours of cutting edge design and building best practices that are critical to success in today's housing market. Learn more and register today! 

Individual Training Descriptions

Exterior Air Barrier Details in the NW

Trainer: Josh Salinger, Birdsmouth Design-Build 
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Even when done well, traditional air sealing approaches that involve caulk/foam/drywall have proven to leave significant air leakage at the top and bottom plates. With new codes rewarding tighter air leakage performance and homebuyers expressing concern about wildfire smoke, many are wondering how they can make the jump down to below 2 ACH50. Moving to a continuous air barrier at the exterior sheathing plane can provide a highly effective solution. 

Attend this session and hear tried-and-true construction details and architectural drawings for integrating an exterior air barrier (sheet goods/tapes, membranes, stem walls and top/bottom plate connections, etc) into your home building process. 

What you’ll learn:

• Understand what areas of a building account for the most significant air leakage
• Review common solutions and approaches to addressing primary leakage areas
• Gain effective approaches to minimizing leakage via cost effective exterior air barrier solutions
• Successfully apply this knowledge to various building types, assemblies and architectural details

Balanced Ventilation Approaches for Healthy Indoor Air

Trainer: Stephen Aiguier, Green Hammer Design Build 
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The attention on indoor air quality is higher than ever before with homeowners confronting wildfire smoke, viruses, and a greater awareness of healthy indoor environments and overall personal well-being. As of 2021, building codes now require balanced (Oregon) or efficient ventilation (Washington). As this takes on greater importance, consumers are increasingly asking builders about ventilation and filtration when searching for homes. There are several balanced ventilation systems and approaches to consider, and builders will need to decide which provides the best solution for their projects and customers. 

Join us for this session where we'll go over the primary field-proven options for balanced and filtered ventilation in high performance homes. 

What you’ll learn: 

• Review primary objectives of ventilation in high performance homes
• Identify effective balanced ventilation approaches
• Explore filters and filtration options
• Understand wildfire impacts, additional considerations, and devise an emergency action plan

Installation Elements for ERVs & HRVs

Trainer: Bruce Sullivan, Base Zero LLC
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Among home builders and designers seeking airtight performance with balanced ventilation, many have decided to go with either a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or energy recovery ventilator (ERV). Increasing code standards for ventilation will likely result in more HRV/ERV installations, and with any new technology or approach, this can lead to installation errors or inefficiencies.

Access this session and learn about the different use cases for HRVs/ERVs and how to navigate the strategies and pitfalls to help ensure an effective installation. 

What you’ll learn: 

• Identify the essential components of balanced heat recovery ventilator (HRV) and an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) ventilation systems
• Describe the difference between HRVs and ERVs as well as the appropriate applications of each
• List the steps for designing an effective HRV or ERV system
• Understand the key installation details to ensure effective system operation 
• Explain the importance of high-efficiency filtration for ventilation make up air

Online courses available on-demand
Three trainings available, 1 hour each

On-demand training format consists of a series of a 5-10 minute video divided into sections. Users can start or stop their viewing at their own pace and easily resume the course at another time.

 

Architects, Builders/Contractors, Code Officials, Developers, Program Representatives, Raters/Verifiers, Subcontractors