Tag: energy-audit

March 1, 2017

Monthly Forum Recap: Everyday People and Sustainability

by Theresa Baker   If you’re trying to make more sustainable choices in your daily life, the GreenHomeNYC February Forum offered plenty of options.  The evening featured four speakers who spoke passionately about ways that “everyday people” in New York City can improve their quality of life, save energy and live more sustainably.   Simple Steps for Everyone Carmel Pratt, a Sustainability Consultant for Steven Winter Associates, spoke on the top ten ways to save energy in your apartment or home.  Pratt pointed out a stunning statistic – the average American uses 140-170 gallons of water per day through choices they make in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry. By simply not running water when washing dishes, limiting shower time, and using cold water instead of hot when doing laundry, residents can significantly reduce this usage. (more…)

February 3, 2017

All the News From the Green Catwalk

by Thomas Storck   GreenHomeNYC launched another year of monthly forums with the annual Green Catwalk, featuring seven speakers who discussed the latest “green” news.  From Saudi Arabia to New York City, challenges remain.  But, in New York, in particular, much is being done to overcome them. The speakers offered insight into what needs to happen in order achieve our climate goals, the progress we’ve made already, and the programs and opportunities that are in the works right now.   Development in the Desert While New York City has its own sustainability goals and initiatives, we can’t forget that the climate crisis is a global one. Duncan Prahl of IBACOS, began by taking the audience to the opposite end of the earth, to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2015, Riyadh became home to the first LEED-Platinum building in the Middle East. Designed to achieve a net-zero energy balance, it holds 28 kW of rooftop solar PV and has enough batteries to last 24 hours. After two years of serving as a high-level consultant on the project, Prahl shared his thoughts on the challenges of building to such standards in the desert: “I would never recommend doing that again… to anyone.”   (more…)

December 1, 2016

Building Energy NYC: Sustainable Solutions for New York City

by Kimberly Stempien   Imagine a city with clean air, solar energy, plenty of pedestrian spaces and no cars. It’s not at all far-off; these are all on the agenda for New York City in coming years. In fact, some of the projects are already in progress. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association held their annual Building Energy NYC conference on November 3, bringing together leaders in energy, building maintenance, real estate, policy, product, and new technologies. Many topics were discussed, but three of the main takeaways were long term planning, regional-district planning, and enhanced resiliency for the city of New York.   In a talk by Jenna Tatum, Kate Gouin, Benjamin Mandel and John Lee from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, the focus was on 80×50, the de Blasio administration’s commitment to reduce GHG emissions 80% from 2005 levels by 2050 (80×50). NYC’s Sustainability 80X50 plan states, “It is the level the UN projects is necessary to avert the most disastrous impacts of climate change.” The plan is essentially a roadmap that is broken into four areas of focus: Buildings, Energy Supply, Waste, and Transportation, with comprehensive reporting and modeling done for each category. Following are the four main takeaways of the plan’s goals in each sector. (more…)

February 24, 2016

January Forum Recap: Sustainability Trends from the Green Catwalk

by Megan Nordgrén   Sustainability trends are constantly evolving and at GreenHomeNYC’s annual Green Catwalk, a number of hot topics were placed center stage as seven speakers discussed issues like carbon assets, solar technology, sustainable modular housing, green financing and benchmarking.   Carbon Offsets in the Building Industry Reed Shapiro, Director of Business Development at Carbon Credit Capital, started the evening by making a case for integrating carbon offsets in the building industry. To avoid exceeding a global temperature increase of 2°C, broadly seen as the planetary tipping point for catastrophic impact from climate change, we need to look at the critical role that buildings play in greenhouse gas emissions.   Buildings make up approximately 40% of the annual 5 BT U.S. greenhouse gas emissions: 15% through manufacturing, 83% through use, and the remainder through design, distribution, on-site operations, and demolition or refurbishment. (more…)

February 23, 2016

Don’t Miss the BuildingEnergy Boston 2016 Conference

By: F. L. Andrew Padian It may be hard to believe, but NESEA’s Building Energy Conference is less than 2 weeks away, March 8-10.  Yes, another year has passed.  We’re sending you a heads up on five session to see at a minimum.  There are other reasons to come, but these are mine.  To sweeten the pot, NESEA has created a special promotion code for you to use. With this code:  FRIENDOFNESEA (note that this code is case sensitive), your friends and colleagues will receive $25 off the non-member workshop, conference and trade show pass pricing (this does not include NESEA Night). The code should be entered into the “discount code” field at the top of the registration page.   Tuesday, March 8 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm:  Diagnosing and Air Sealing Large Commercial and Institutional Buildings The always interesting, informative and entertaining Larry Harmon’s air sealing in commercial buildings session should be on your calendar. Larry’s session will focus on both air leakage and thermal deficiencies.  He’ll discuss how, when, where and why to test; how to determine if there is a problem; how to fix what is found and finally, how to test again to be sure the problem was solved.  In addition to the building science nitty gritty, topics will include how to choose appropriate materials, safety/OSHA considerations and how to ensure a quality installation. (more…)

January 24, 2016

New York City Energy Water Performance Map

  Last month, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability released the New York City Energy & Water Performance Map, developed in partnership with the New York University Center for Urban Science and Progress.   This website makes NYC Local Law 84 publicly disclosed data much easier to use by mapping all reported buildings and providing a well-designed set of analysis tools.  The Map shows how buildings compare to other similar buildings in energy and water management, and identifies top performing buildings in the city. It also empowers New Yorkers to understand the energy, water, and climate change impacts of the spaces they rent and buy.   Visit the NYC Benchmarking Visualization Website for more information and to access the Map.    

September 4, 2014

Multifamily Building Analyst Training – Fall 2014

Get the BPI Certification you need – Evening Classes! Our schedule allows you to finish the class in two months. If you are an energy professional working in multifamily buildings or just want to learn about multifamily building energy analysis and efficiency, this is the class for you. GreenHomeNYC’s experienced network of building scientists will conduct classes to prepare you to become a certified BPI Multifamily Building Analyst (MFBA).   Our classes are condensed, 3 hour sessions 6 – 9pm, once a week, to complete the course in a little more than two months.   Our class includes over 175 Pages of digital handouts, some out of print, and some of the best new and classic information available about the subject matter.   

$850 Fee* Includes 10 Evening Training Classes,

175 Pages of e-publications, and all powerpoints!

* discounts available for GreenHomeNYC Volunteers & NESEA Members

  REGISTER HERE!  

 TESTIMONIALS FOR GreenHomeNYC’s MFBA Class:

  “Whether your focus is energy auditing, real estate development or building management, this is a valuable certification that will change the way you look at buildings, and poignantly delivered with the Padian flare!”  – Christopher Mahase, Director of Sustainability, NYC Housing Preservation & Development

 

“GreenHomeNYC’s MFBA class prepared me for the BPI Multifamily Buildings Auditor certification and allowed me to meet some amazing people currently working in New York’s green industry. The instructor brought with him a wealth of real-world experience that really drove home the concepts of multifamily building science and helped me to obtain my certification, which was key to me getting hired in the industry.”  – Mary Tchamkina, Program Associate, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.   “The MFBA class is taught by Andy Padian who is truly passionate about the material. You cannot help but feel excited about the lecture topic as his energy transfers to the class even after a long day at work. This class has real value to anyone who takes it. It is full of interesting learning and networking.”  – Ruth D. Ayalon, BPI-MFBA, Mechanical Engineer, Association for Energy Affordability. (more…)

September 2, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Samantha Schoenberger

Countdown to BE NYC! With onlydays until the conference, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making the BE NYC an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Samantha Schoenberger.  Ms. Schoenberger, LEED AP, BPI MFBA, is the Real Estate Facilities Manager for Selfhelp Community Services.  An extremely intelligent and driven young woman, Samantha grew up modestly in Newburgh, NY.  Having wanted to be an architect from the age of seven, she received a Bachelor’s of Science in Architectural Engineering from Alfred State College of Technology in 2007.  Samantha has worked since she was fourteen; her experience more recently includes positions at Habitat for Humanity NYC, Enterprise Community Partners, and an architecture firm.  She loves drawing and is an avid runner who is currently training for her seventh half-marathon.  Ms. Schoenberger was a presenter at last year’s NESEA conference in New York City, a speaker on tenant outreach at the Supportive Housing Network of New York (SHNNY) Managing Lean and Green Program, and a panel participant on Construction Management Training at Enterprise Community Partners.   Samantha is the co-chair for the Multifamily Track of BuildingEnergy NYC 2013. (more…)

August 19, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Dan Rieber

  Countdown to BE NYC! With only days until October 16th, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making BE NYC  conference an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Dan Rieber.    Dan Rieber is the Weatherization Director at NMIC (Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation) as well as a frequent speaker at GreenHomeNYC forums. He has a BA from SUNY Stony Brook. Over the past 20 years Dan has given numerous presentations on various weatherization topics at the National Affordable Comfort conferences (ACI), National Multi Family Buildings conferences, National Weatherization Training conferences, Regional Weatherization Program conferences, NESEA, and GreenHomeNYC.   Dan will  be speaking about “Steam Heat: Tech Tips for Successful Operation” as part of the Multifamily track at BuildingEnergy NYC.   What is weatherization and why is it important for residential buildings? How does it affect the resident’s quality of life? Weatherization, in our Northeast climate, is mostly about keeping your building as efficient as possible during the heating season. This means making sure your walls are insulated (if they can be), insulating the roof, insulating pipes (heating and DHW), air sealing wherever you can, tuning your heating system to maximize its efficiency or replacing it for a more efficient unit. Repairing windows for drafts and replacing them if necessary. Being sure that you are making domestic hot water in as efficient a manner as possible can have a big impact on your energy bill. Domestic hot water is made all year round and can use more energy than heating in some buildings. Energy efficient lighting is an important part of the energy efficiency equation too, but has less of an impact on the heating side. Mechanical ventilation is another item to be looked at. Over ventilating can have an effect on heating use and the resident’s comfort. Resident quality of life is a big issue if people are cold in their homes. Seniors and young children are most susceptible to colder temperatures. On the flip side if people are overheated then the building is wasting money on fuel going up the chimney and there are health issues related to poor indoor air quality in this case. This leads to open windows in the winter time as well. (more…)

August 12, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Erica Brabon

  Countdown to BE NYC! With onlydays until October 16th, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making BE NYC  conference an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Erica Brabon.   Erica Brabon is a Senior Multifamily consultant at Steven Winter Associates. She is a frequent speaker at NESEA’s Building Energy conference and GreenHomeNYC events.  Erica will serve as co-chair of the Multifamily Buildings track for the upcoming BuildingEnergy NYC conference.  She will also be speaking at the workshop, “What Local Law 84 & 87 Mean and How to Get the Most Out of it”, at BE NYC.       What sparked your interest in sustainable building? Environmental activism is something I’ve been involved in since middle school. When I realized what an impact I could make working to make buildings more efficient in their use of energy and water, but also providing healthier living environments, I jumped at the opportunity.   Please reflect upon your experiences in speaking at GreenHomeNYC forums and Building Energy conferences? What are your thoughts on the programs? NESEA BE is my favorite conference because I not only learn from the pros but have a chance to meet them and talk shop in a unique environment. I’m a lifetime member and look forward to any NESEA events as well as GreenHomeNYC events. The connections made from both organizations have been integral in my professional development. The programs from both are great avenues for new ideas to not only reach the industry but the public. (more…)