[This article, submitted by Scott Finley, clearly refers to two-part spray foam, but possibly to filler foam as well. The implications regarding the use of air sealing products will be important.]

The Environmental Protection Agency EPA has detailed how it will address the potential health risks of certain compounds – chemicals which may pose a threat to homeowners taking on energy efficiency projects.Americans may come into potentially harmful contact with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate MDI, toluene diisocyanate TDI or related compounds when sealing concrete, finishing floors or using spray foam insulation, the EPA said.In action plans released this week, the EPA said is considering a range of options under the authority of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Potential actions include restricting access to or enacting an outright ban on the products.Diisocyanates are used to make polyurethane polymers. Most polyurethane products, such as foam mattresses or bowling balls, are fully reacted or “cured,” and are not of concern to human health, the EPA says. Some products, however, such as adhesives, coatings, and spray foam, continue to react while in use, and may contain “uncured” diisocyanates to which people may be exposed, according to the agency.The chemicals are known to cause severe skin and breathing responses in workers who have been repeatedly exposed to them. Diisocyanates have been documented as a leading cause of work-related asthma, and in severe cases, fatal reactions have occurred. To protect worker health, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulates workplace exposures through permissible exposure limits.In contrast to the availability of exposure data for professionals who work with diisocyanates, there is very limited information available about the use and exposure patterns of consumers who may be exposed to products containing uncured MDI and TDI. The EPA plans to consider the potential risks from consumer exposure to these chemicals.“There has been an increase in recent years in promoting the use of foams and sealants by do-it-yourself energy-conscious homeowners, and many people may now be unknowingly exposed to risks from these chemicals,” said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “The EPA is working to protect the health of the American people and the environment.”“We look forward to a productive exchange with EPA on the action plans,” Kathryn St. John, spokesperson for chemical manufacturers’ association the American Chemistry Council ACC, told Chemical & Engineering News, ”Working with the EPA over many months, we have enhanced product stewardship programs to further improve safe use of spray polyurethane foam.”The new action plans can be viewed here.Photo credit: Elizabeth Buie

via EPA Targets Home Insulation Chemical · Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Subject: City of Seattle launches Community Power Works for Home Tuesday, April 19, 2011, at the home of Dana Zimmerman and Allison Henrich.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                  FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

April 19, 2011                                                       Jill Simmons (206) 684-9261

City of Seattle launches Community Power Works for Home

Earth Week celebration kicks off program that will create jobs, save energy

SEATTLE—The City of Seattle will celebrate the kickoff of the Community Power Works for Home program Tuesday, April 19 at the home of a Genesee Park couple who are early participants in the program. Mayor Mike McGinn chose Earth Week to launch Community Power Works for Home, a neighborhood program that will create good, green jobs and help Seattle residents make energy-saving improvements to their homes.

“I applaud Mayor McGinn and the many community and business partners in Community Power Works for Home,” said Congressman Jim McDermott. “This innovative program will create jobs, save energy, and improve the health and affordability of our homes; this is exactly what Congress had in mind with BetterBuildings funding through the Department of Energy.”

Community Power Works for Home plans to upgrade 2,000 homes in its service area over the next two years. The project serves the central and southeast neighborhoods of Seattle, areas which have historically been underserved by energy efficiency programs. It will give residents of those neighborhoods an affordable way to make their homes more comfortable and healthy while making energy-efficient upgrades to their homes.

“Our leaky old houses waste so much energy, it’s like having a window open 24 hours a day, every day of the year,” says contractor Jason Lear, of Batt + Lear, a Seattle green design/build company. “We find our customers like having a home that is far less drafty. They had no idea how much more comfortable they could be in their home, in winter and in summer. And what so many people don’t know is that when you improve the energy savings of a home, you inevitably improve the comfort, the durability and the health of the home, too. ”

Community Power Works for Home is part of a $20 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant awarded through the Department of Energy’s BetterBuildings program. Over a two-year period, Community Power Works is leveraging these federal dollars to produce an additional $25 million in economic activity in the region from state funding, utility rebates, and homeowner investments in their homes. All of this investment will put a charge into a local green industry to preserve and create hundreds of living-wage jobs, help homeowners save energy, and reduce the City’s carbon footprint.

Dana Zimmerman and Allison Henrich will host the house party, attended by the Mayor, city council members, U.S. Representative Jay Inslee, and Gil Sperling, senior policy advisor, U.S. Department of Energy.

“Allison and I are thrilled to be a part of such a fun and important event,” Zimmerman said. “We signed up for the Community Power Works program because we wanted to work with a knowledgeable and objective partner who could help us start-to-finish with a complete plan for making energy upgrades to our home.”

Zimmerman and Henrich had a deeply discounted home energy assessment done through the program. Their home’s Energy Performance Score showed their home’s energy use was slightly above average for similar homes, and that the associated carbon emissions were about average. To improve the energy performance of their home by at least 15 percent, they are planning to seal air leaks in the attic, add insulation, and upgrade their electrical system and water heating.

Community Power Works for Home has built strong partnerships. Partners in the program include public, private, nonprofit, community and labor institutions that together created a set of sustainable contracting standards and community benefits. This Community High Road Agreement ensures that employment, training and business opportunities stay in the community, and that the program will create and retain career jobs for area residents while saving energy. Enterprise Cascadia, a local non-profit lending partner, will provide affordable financing for energy upgrades, and a pool of qualified contractors will pay family wages to do the work.

Participation in Community Power Works is easy. Residents of the program service area can simply contact an Energy Expert at home@communitypowerworks.org or 206.449.1170. They can also start the process themselves by visiting www.communitypowerworks.org. Community Power Works will provide:

• A deeply discounted home energy assessment. Usually $400, the program provides the assessment for just $95.
• Pre-approved contractors to do the work.
• Rebates and incentives to bring down the cost of the upgrade by up to $3,000.
• Affordable loans with easy terms to qualify. Payments are simply added to the resident’s Seattle City Light bill.
• Energy Experts to help every step of the way and make sure the job is done right.

Everyone is invited to a community celebration of Community Power Works for Home at South Shore School on May 3, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. The celebration will feature food, children’s activities, and information on affordable ways to increase the energy efficiency of people’s homes.

Seattle already is considered a national leader in programs to boost residential energy efficiency and new jobs in the green industry. Community Power Works for Home promises to serve as a model for others around the state and nation.

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Designing a high-performance HVAC system starts with understanding its goals.

High Performance Starts with Integrated Design and Energy Modeling.

Increasing the energy supply is not the only answer to a stable energy future. Reducing demand through the improved efficiency of devices and procedures has the same end result. Learn about energy efficiency “wins” from the past and areas showing potential for the future.

Understanding Efficiency — The National Academies.

“The focus on technological solutions had overshadowed the need also to consider the “human side” of energy use in buildings…”

BBC News – People power overlooked by energy policies.

If not installed or maintained properly, forced-air heating and cooling systems can perform poorly, creating air quality problems and unnecessary expense. To optimize a forced-air system, you need to design or refine it to prevent leaks and pressure imbalances, protect it properly during construction (or make sure the ductwork is clean and sound), and use the right filter.

The performance spec of the heat (or cooling) source is also important, but it is critical to address the distribution system first before investing in better furnace and air handler performance. This article is the first of four focused on optimizing forced-air systems on the topics of Distribution, Filtration, Heat/Cooling Source, and Ventilation.

Read more here:

How do you optimize a forced-air system to maintain a green home? Alistair Jackson, LEED AP for Homes Responds: Part I: Distribution – Building Capacity.

Following is an information update from the WSU Extension Energy Program’s Energy Code Technical Assistance Team.

There seems to be some confusion about the implementation date for the 2009 Washington State Energy Code. The Code is effective on January 1, 2011, not April 1, 2011.

In addition, the State Building Code Council entered emergency rulemaking and decided that duct sealing for existing HVAC systems is not required. Testing the system is still a requirement. Test results must be given to the homeowner and the local building department that issued the permit. This emergency rule is in effect for 120 days from November 19, 2010 and will expire on March 19, 2011. Within the 120 day period, the council will decide whether to adopt the emergency rule as the permanent requirement, go back to the original code language or make some other modification.

We have modified the Duct Testing Affidavit for existing construction to show testing results only, as required under the emergency rule.

You can download the Duct Testing Affidavit and other compliance forms on our website at http://www.energy.wsu.edu/BuildingEfficiency/EnergyCode.aspx.

Happy Holidays,

WSU Energy Code Team

WSU Extension Energy Program > Building Efficiency > Energy Code.

There are only three weeks left to submit comments to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on the Workforce Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades:  the public comment period ends January 7. The guidelines will establish quality specifications for weatherization and home energy retrofits and a foundation for better training and certification programs. Be sure your voice is heard by submitting your commentstoday. Submit comments to DOE using online form. DOE is developing the guidelines in order to foster the growth of a high-quality retrofit industry and a skilled and credentialed workforce. The development of the guidelines involved historic collaboration between the DOE Weatherization Assistance Program practitioners and trainers, home performance contractors, building scientists, organized labor, healthy homes and worker safety experts, and other professionals in the building trades and throughout the retrofit industry. DOE expects to publish the guidelines in early 2011 after public review is complete. You can read more about the Residential Retrofit Guidelines project on the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Web site.

Weatherization & Intergovernmental Program: Public Comment on Workforce Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades.

The Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC) met on Friday, November 19, 2010 and entered into emergency rulemaking regarding duct sealing for existing residences when mechanical systems are altered or replaced (2009 WSEC 101.3.2.6). The SBCC voted to require testing but not sealing of systems “when a space-conditioning system is altered by the installation or replacement of space-conditioning equipment (including replacement of the air handler, outdoor condensing unit of a split system air conditioner or heat pump, cooling or heating coil, or the furnace heat exchanger)”. This code change is valid for 120 days during which time it is expected the SBCC will enter into permanent rulemaking.

The contractor is required to test the system and provide the test results to the building official and the homeowner. It is up to the homeowner to decide if they want to seal their duct system.

For additional information go the SBCC website at:

https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/apps/sbcc/default.aspx

SBCC – Home.