EEBA Academy

Confusion about all-electric building codes and cooking options got you turned off? Get plugged in to an empowering event with code-clarifying, myth-busting details that will turn you on to electric cooking for life with better cooking performance, safer, healthier homes and a sustainable planet.

Residential energy is changing quickly with new mandates, greater demand for electricity and an aging infrastructure. Home builders today are meeting these challenges in new ways to build homes of the future today. With new strategies and solutions, home builders are building not just smart homes, but homes with smart, sustainable, resilient energy.

Many countries, including the US, are seeking ways to decrease current carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to respond to the concerns about global warming. Electrification of homes is a key strategy in transitioning to renewable energy sources and reducing CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels. LBNL recently completed a study that surveyed the deep retrofits of more than 1,500 homes across the US. The findings identify emerging trends in deep energy retrofit projects and we outline where changes are occurring most rapidly, such as electrification, decarbonization, advancing heat pump technologies, smart controls, and new program designs.

This 1924 Colonial home had fallen into severe disrepair before coming up for sale. As part of the muchneeded renovation, the new homeowners (two Steven Winter Associates, Inc. employees) wanted to eliminate onsite combustion and produce as much of their operating electricity as possible. Other goals included lower embodied energy materials and a healthy indoor environment. LEED v4.1 for Homes offered one platform to address energy, health, and materials. The home was gutted down to the foundation, framing, and floors before the year-long renovation. After the first 8 months of occupancy (July-February), the home produced 14% more energy than it consumed.