Session 3: Intermediate Building Envelope Assessment & Weatherization

This is an intermediate class for those who meet one of these prerequisites:

Take our introductory class on April 14 or May 6 OR already familiar with the following:

• The four envelope control layers: purpose and identification
• Insulation types and physical properties of each
• Air barrier materials and continuity
• Commercial window, skylight, and door types
• Common commercial and residential construction techniques
• Construction drawings and specifications (the “A” or “architectural” pages)

In the intermediate class, we will go over the most common envelope improvements in commercial and institutional buildings and cover challenges and potential risks with implementation. We will also go deeper into the techniques used to evaluate and prioritize building envelope opportunities, including energy modeling and cost estimating. There will be activities throughout where students will work in teams to practice what they have learned.

Agenda:

1. Envelope Evaluation Exercise
2. Typical Opportunities
3. Obstacles and potential risks to retrofits
4. Energy modeling
5. Advanced envelope audit
6. Practice - interpreting what we find
7. Selling envelope upgrades