Why live in an ordinary home, when you can live in an EXTRAORDINARY one! This on-demand video course for homeowners gives an introduction to building exceptionally energy-efficient, low-maintenance, & resilient homes for the cost of a conventional house.
This training overview of high-performance construction techniques specific to regional climate conditions explores the principles of resilient design for individual climates.
You will discover the importance of proper material selection and design details, and how to elevate homes from simply code-built to exceptionally-built in terms of energy-efficiency, durability and resiliency.
"If you can build a house that costs next to nothing to operate for almost the same price as building a traditional house, why would you build it any other way?" - Mike Reynolds
This training course is offered in a convenient video format, allowing you to watch it at a time and location that works best for you. The course is accessed in the education hub in your member zone, so it can also be reviewed in the future as many times as you like.
Targets and objectives:
- Understand the fundamentals of building science as they apply to foundations, walls, roofs and openings
- Learn to assess your specific climate conditions and design for resiliency
- Understand the science behind the movement of heat and moisture through building envelopes to ensure durability, safeguard indoor air quality and achieve your energy efficiency goals
- Learn to create more efficient building envelopes in order to reduce heating and cooling demands
- Learn the resilient design principles of how to construct buildings that require as little maintenance as possible
Who should attend:
This special offer training course is aimed at homeowners and soon-to-be homeowners who want to build homes with greater sustainability, energy efficiency and durability, and who want to learn which of the many choices make the most sense for high-performance and healthy homes.
Book a place at the ECO+ special offer price
Lesson Plan
Foundations
- Resiliency comparison between a basement, crawlspace and frost-protected slab-on-grade
- Best practices for insulating foundations - material selection and proper application
- How to manage moisture and protect foundations - controlling ground water and interior humidity
Walls
- Walls as an environmental separator: understanding how air, heat and moisture move though walls and learning how to control it
- Exploring options of wall assemblies - the pros and cons
- Insulation options: choosing the right kind and knowing the proper applications
- Air barriers, vapor barriers and weather barriers: explore material options and installation
Roofs
- Choose a pitch - learn the pros and cons of high and low-pitched roofs
- Insulation choices and levels - choosing materials and R values
- Roof and attic ventilation and durability
- Roof coverings and bulk-water management
Windows
- What to consider when choosing windows
- How to install windows to prevent water and air infiltration
Passive solar design concepts
- Orientation and optimal design of buildings for passive heating and cooling
- How to capture, store and redistribute heat
- Shading and heat dissipation
- The pros and cons of thermal mass in homes
Heating systems
- Heat delivery systems - forced air, radiators, radiant heat : pros and cons of each
- Heating fuel reliabity, sustainability and cost : an analysis of electricity, oil, gas
Book a place at the ECO+ special offer price
Instructors
Mike Reynolds
Ecohome Editor-in-chief
Builder, project manager, teacher, writer, editor. I love building and creating, and launching Ecohome was the culmination of a career always geared towards trying to build the most efficient homes with the least impact.
100% satisfaction guaranteed
Experience Ecohome's training courses!
Ecohome is committed to offering high-quality training and Accreditation in sustainable housing that is adapted to North America's climates and markets. All our training sessions are given by expert instructors with many years of experience in their respective fields. So you can be sure of a rewarding experience! And please look over our satisfaction policy to see that providing a positive and valuable experience for our participants is our priority.