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NESEA Building Energy Conference

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MedEd Facilities Conference

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Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Whole Buildings XIII International Conference

Abstract: Unvented roof assemblies can bring attic mechanical systems into conditioned space, negating ductwork losses. However, in previous work, unvented roofs with air-permeable (fibrous) insulation, instead of air-impermeable insulation (spray foams) have shown localized moisture accumulation at the ridge. This research is a test implementation of two unvented roof assemblies insulated with air-permeable insulation (netted and blown fiberglass or adhered fiberglass) in hot/humid climates. One test roof is located in Houston, TX and has asphalt shingles; the other is in Orlando, FL, with concrete tile; both are in Climate Zone 2A. Given that localized moisture accumulation and failures occurred at the ridge in previous unvented roofs, a diffusion vent (open to water vapor but closed to airflow) was installed at the highest points in the roof assembly to allow for the wintertime release of moisture. The diffusion vent is an opening at the ridge and hips covered with a water-resistant but vapor-open membrane. As a control comparison, portions of the roof were constructed as a typical unvented roof (self-adhered membrane at ridge). Collected data indicate that the diffusion vent roof shows greater moisture safety and less wintertime moisture accumulation than the conventional, unvented roof design. The unvented roof had winter periods of 95%–100% rh, with other sensors indicating possible condensation; high moisture levels were concentrated at the roof ridge. In contrast, the diffusion vent roofs had drier conditions. In the spring, as outdoor temperatures warmed, all roofs dried well into the safe range (10% MC or less).

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Moisture Safe? The Writing is on the Wall

Our speakers are building enclosure consultants steeped in wall moisture solutions through data-rich research, computer simulations, lab testing, live performance monitoring – as well as a myriad of “house-calls” to clients. They’ll offer takeaways on building moisture-safe walls, including insulating sheathing, ventilated claddings, inward vapor drives, and vapor retarder paints. You can expect a lively Q&A.

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Deep Energy Retrofits in Residential and Commercial Construction

Bringing state-of-the-art building science to existing buildings, Ueno and Baker will spend the day confirming the need and means for deep energy retrofits to commercial and residential buildings. They will explore why energy and deep energy retrofits are a viable option to new construction. You have a row house, you have a walk up, you have a mess and you want to fix it. How do you keep the rain out of it? How do you make it energy efficient, not violate the building code and not irritate your contractor and the owner? Or you have a commercial building that’s an energy sieve and needs to be improved. How do you deal with brick and masonry basement foundations from the inside? Should I worry about freeze-thaw damage when I insulate on the interior? How do I insulate on the exterior of a mass wall assembly? Answers to these questions and more. Presenters: Kohta Ueno and Peter Baker, Building Science Corporation AIA New Hampshire and the Environmental Guild

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Deering Lumber Presentation

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NESEA: Unvented Roofs without Spray Foam

The current building codes let you build moisture-safe unvented roofs using spray foam or rigid board foam. But what about just using cellulose or fiberglass instead? Our team has been studying this issue over many climate zones for years. The current Building America/Department of Energy-sponsored research has a test hut here in Massachusetts, looking at a variety of assemblies, over the past two winters. Cellulose vs. fiberglass? Diffusion vents vs. no diffusion vents? Interior vapor control membranes–fixed perm or variable-perm? Effect of interior relative humidity? All things that we’ve examined. We will present the latest data, and provide our current thinking on what assemblies are the most likely to work. Level: 3 (prior experience/knowledge strongly recommended) CEU Information: BOS18-112 – AIA 1.5 LU/HSW; BPI 1.5, MA CSL 1.5

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Path to Zero – Comfort, Health, Resilience, Carbon Action

NAPHC is the leading passive building conference for climate-specific zero energy design, construction, and building science expertise.

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NESEA BE19 Tools of the Trade for Building Diagnostics

How do you go about diagnosing a sick, leaky, dripping, humid, dry, or uncomfortable building? Join Kohta Ueno for an overview of the tools that he commonly uses in his diagnostic work on building enclosures and mechanical systems. We’ll learn about everything from the air side (blower doors, airflow meters, flow sensors) to the moisture side (spray testing, moisture meters, hygrometers) to the heat side (infrared cameras, temperature meters) – instruments that measure things that are not easily visualized. Multiple case studies will demonstrate how these measurements provide actionable results in solving problems.

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2019 Buildings XIV International Conference

The 2019 Buildings XIV International Conference will be held December 9-12, 2019 at the Sheraton Sand Key in Clearwater, FL inaugurated in 1979, the “Buildings Conference” takes place every three years allowing time to develop new research and technology applications and to document the findings. Attendance is international and draws heavily on the advanced technical knowledge of all our global experts. The “Buildings Conference” presents a great opportunity for product manufacturers, research groups, technical advisors, builders, designers and other consultants to discuss their work achievements, interest and awareness of buildings issues, and provides solutions to some of our major building problems.

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Energy and Moisture in Sealed and Insulated Attics

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2020 National Home Performance Virtual Conference

2020 National Home Performance Virtual ConferenceNOW COMPLETELY ONLINE | STARTING APRIL 27Live Sessions Offered April 27 – May 8, 2020 | On-Demand Sessions Available After May 10, 2020The 2020 National Home Performance Conference keeps you and your business on the cutting edge of what’s successful right now in the home performance world. This online conference offers educational content on a variety of topics, networking with thousands of industry peers, and the space to connect with sponsors and exhibitors from across the country. Join the Conversation #NHPC20

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NESEA Building Energy Boston 2020

The BuildingEnergy Boston Conference + Trade Show is an event designed by and for practitioners in the fields of high-performance building and design, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. It brings more than 1,000 industry leaders and emerging professionals together to learn from and share ideas with each other. The theme of BuildingEnergy Boston 2020 is Transforming Existing Buildings, with additional emphasis on decarbonization and on bringing more diverse communities into the discussion. This year’s event has been rescheduled and will now take place as a virtual conference and trade show, Wednesday through Friday, August 12-14, 2020.

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Fine Homebuilding Virtual Summit

We may not be able to gather together in person, but that doesn’t mean we can’t join together online. On Oct. 26-29, 2020, Fine Homebuilding–along with Green Building Advisor and Keep Craft Alive–will bring together building-industry experts, influencers, and select manufacturers to share their knowledge and insights through an intense, online collaborative learning experience. This event will feature 14 experts from various fields, each presenting on topics within their area of expertise, all in service of the same agenda: building better homes. While the world has changed and we are not able to meet in person, we still want to gather to share learnings and discuss the topics we are passionate about within the building field.

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BS+Beer – Building Monitoring: What Should We Be Measuring, and How Should It Be Measured?

Join us on Thursday, March 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. EST when we will discuss “Building Monitoring: What Should We Be Measuring, and How Should It Be Measured?” Kohta Ueno plans to share a presentation covering the basics of enclosure monitoring, typical instruments and sensors, and types of measuring. He’ll provide information on implementation, as well as some real-world scenarios and guidance on how to interpret the data. Doug Horgan and Ben Bogie will also be on board to field questions and share their expertise—both are avid practitioners of building diagnostics. In fact, Ben just contributed an article, “Why We Need Building Sensors,” that makes for a good read in advance of the show. And on this episode of the BS* + Beer Show, Doug covered the topic of diagnostic tools—with a fun game to demonstrate lessons learned.

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NESEA BE21

Learn, Influence, Lead Building Energy Boston is a conference designed by and for practitioners in the fields of high-performance building and design, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. It brings more than 1,000 industry leaders and emerging professionals together to learn from and share ideas with each other. Sessions are curated by a volunteer NESEA-Member content committee to ensure that conference sessions are genuinely useful to attendees.2021 conference will be held virtually, Wednesday-Friday, May 5-7. Wednesday will feature a Methods & Materials Showcase with live product demonstrations, networking events, and a keynote presentation. Thursday and Friday will feature accredited conference sessions that offer best practices and lessons learned, case studies and proven data, technical how-to’s, emerging technologies, and innovative policies and programs. In honor of the inquisitive learner in all of us, Getting at WHY is the theme of Building Energy Boston 2021. We believe that focusing on WHY will empower building professionals with key insights to successfully approach and navigate challenges in their own work. Conference sessions will share what knowledge/experience/resources practitioners brought to the table and a commitment to getting at WHY they chose a certain path or course of action. Presenters will share their approach to a given challenge, in addition to what the data show, what they learned, and, our favorite, what they would never do again. Who Attends Building Energy Boston is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together leaders and emerging professionals committed to developing a more sustainable, healthy, and resilient built environment. Attendees represent dozens of industries including architecture, engineering, building, design, consulting, policy, finance, auditing, installation, construction, and education. If you are interested in transforming our built environment, this conference is for you!https://nesea.org/conference/schedule/8762Multifamily Humidity Control Problems: Muggy Mayhem Multifamily buildings with good insulation, great windows, and decent ventilation systems – what’s not to like? Unfortunately, over the past five years, we have received calls from multifamily building owners who are battling persistent summertime humidity problems. Comfort complaints, sweating ductwork, waterlogged drywall, and mold on furnishings, clothing, registers . . . you name it. We will discuss how we went about these investigations and the tools we used to diagnose these issues. When investigating these problems, unfortunately, there was no ‘magic bullet’ or single cause that we could pin down: it was often a perfect storm of factors. From air conditioner sizing vs. cooling load, to poorly configured cooling systems, to outside air ventilation system problems, to catastrophic air leaks – we will look at them all, and discuss how to identify and fix these issues.https://nesea.org/session/multifamily-humidity-control-problems-muggy-mayhemHistoric Buildings & Climate Change Mitigation: Case Study of a Low-Carbon Renovation Retrofitting vacant and underutilized historic buildings to PHIUS standards leverages an existing building’s embodied carbon, which combined with low carbon and carbon storing materials, can transform our historic buildings into carbon sinks. With careful consideration, the Federal Historic Tax Credit program can provide an additional source of funding for these ambitious Passive House projects. Currently under construction, Moran Square is one of the first PHIUS Historic Tax Credit projects in the US. The site includes a historic firehouse, a vacant lot, and historic three-story building. Our team is retrofitting the two historic buildings and constructing a new five-story building on the vacant lot. To push it a step further, this 44-unit affordable project is using low-carbon materials during construction. During this presentation, we will share this project’s technical enclosure details, photos of construction, and stories from the field. We will also illustrate how we managed to meet rigorous historic requirements of the Federal Historic Tax Credit program, while achieving ambitious PHIUS and low carbon construction goals.https://nesea.org/session/historic-buildings-climate-change-mitigation-case-study-low-carbon-renovation Kohta Ueno Senior Associate Building Science Corporation Kohta Ueno is a senior associate at Building Science Corporation, a building science consulting and architecture firm with offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Waterloo, Ontario. His responsibilities at Building Science Corporation include forensic field investigations, energy and hygrothermal modeling, building science research, and field testing. His undergraduate education was in Materials Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been with BSC since 1998, and completed his Masters degree with the Building Engineering Group under John Straube at the University of Waterloo in 2007. He is also conveniently sized to fit into attics and crawl spaces, which is markedly useful in this field.

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NESEA 2022: Care & Feeding of Brick

Solid mass masonry buildings are a significant fraction of the existing building stock, and many contribute to the historic fabric of neighborhoods. However, with wall R-values of R-3 to R-5, they do not meet modern standards for energy efficiency and comfort. Insulating these buildings successfully—without causing long-term damage—is a vital part of the ‘toolkit’ for meeting energy and climate goals. This session will cover potential pitfalls and risks of interior insulation, including interstitial condensation, freeze-thaw damage, decay of embedded wood members, and surface water concentrations. We will then cover assemblies and details that work to control these risks. Session Speaker(s): Kohta Ueno Session Chair(s): Christopher Nielson Event Time: Tuesday, March 1, 2022 – 4:00pm to 5:00pm Room / Location: Harbor 1-2 CEU Information: Attendance for each full conference day offers 4.5 credit hours for both RESNET and MA CSL licensure. CEU Credits: AIA: 1 LU|HSWBPI: 1 Hour GBCI: 1 Hour (BD+C, ID+C, WELL)NARI: 1 Hour PHIUS: 1 Hour Learning Objectives: Explain freeze-thaw and condensation risks associated with interior insulation of mass masonry buildings Discuss potential decay risks in embedded wood members Appraise various interior retrofit insulation assemblies for potential moisture risks Interpret the use of material property testing and hygrothermal simulations to judge freeze-thaw risks

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WAGDY ANIS SYMPOSIUM ON BUILDING SCIENCE 2022

The Sustainable Building Enclosure: Balancing Energy Performance and Durability with Other Building Life Cycle Goals | October 6, 2022

Symposium Overview

Thank you for joining us for the 2022 Wagdy Anis Symposium on Building Science, High Performance Building Enclosures: Balancing Energy Performance and Durability with Other Building Life Cycle Goals.

Over the course of the day we heard from 21 outstanding presenters in nine sessions and one incredible keynote from Jean Carroon FAIA LEED Fellow. We engaged in spirited discussions around the benefits of high performance building enclosures, from air sealing existing buildings and insulating masonry walls to a case study and LCA comparison of two academic buildings. Together, we enjoyed lots of food and a lively closing reception. We hope you enjoyed this symposium.

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Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Whole Buildings XV International Conference

The Buildings XV Conference brings together product manufacturers, research organizations, academia, builders, designers, architects and consultants to discuss their work achievements, interest and awareness of buildings issues, and to provide solutions and insight into some of our major building envelope problems. 

The conference is organized by ASHRAE along with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

NESEA 2023 New England’s Favorite Roof Retrofit: Moisture Data from Three MA Case Studies

Dense packing cellulose in roof slopes has been a common insulation retrofit strategy in New England for a long time, however technically it has not been allowed by code without the inclusion of venting or foam insulation at the roof sheathing for condensation control. Previous Building Energy presentations have suggested that further research should be done to evaluate whether vented attic space above unvented dense-packed slopes could manage moisture more effectively than insulating all the way up to the ridge. Byggmeister and Building Science Corp have collected 2 years of monitoring data on 3 case studies of this type and will be presenting this data and discussing future implications.

Session Chair(s): 

Anna Heath

CEU Information: 

Approved for 1 credit hour toward AIA (LU), BOC, BPI, GBCI (ID+C, WELL), and NARI certification. Credit is offered for each full conference day toward MA CSL, PHI, Phius, and RESNET certification.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify insulation strategies permitted by the current building code for unvented roof slopes and the reasons for the limitations
• Evaluate which roof situations could be good candidates for using only dense packed fibrous insulation in unvented sloped assemblies
• Analyze monitored moisture performance data from an unvented sloped roof assembly
• Evaluate whether these strategies could be implemented in your own practices

Session ID: BOS23-701

NESEA 2023 Windows and Fenestration: Basics and Beyond

Windows are a key part of the building enclosure, but they are also the costliest, most fragile, and worst thermally performing component. We will present on windows from our viewpoint as building enclosure consultants and forensic failure specialists. We will explore energy and comfort impacts of glazing and glazing ratios, and then move on to water control detailing and the window-to-wall interface. Covered topics will include sill pan and rough opening flashings, “innie” vs. “outie” windows in thick walls, two-stage joints and drainage, air barrier detailing, condensation problems, and window water leakage testing. We will also discuss storefront and curtain wall glazing systems and their associated detailing.

Session Chair(s): 

Christopher Nielson

CEU Information: 

Approved for 1.5 credit hours toward AIA (LU), BOC, BPI, GBCI (BD+C, ID+C, WELL), and NARI certification. Credit is offered for each full conference day toward MA CSL, PHI, Phius, and RESNET certification.

Learning Objectives:

• Weigh the energy impacts associated with glazing and glazing ratios.
• Implement the concepts for sill pan designs and window-to-wall interface junctions.
• Estimate the relative condensation risks associated with various window materials and designs.
• Explain the water control and thermal detailing differences between storefront and curtain wall glazing.

Session ID: BOS23-501

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North Central Building Science Symposium

THE BUILDING SCIENCE SYMPOSIUMS WILL CONTINUE IN MINNEAPOLIS, MN. ON MAY 9TH & 10TH – 2023

The upcoming Building Science Symposium will take place on May 9th & 10th, 2023 at the Surly Brewing Company – in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

This Event’s Speakers & Topics Include:

• Steve Baczek – Architectural details for building performance.
• Jake Bruton – Building the Control Layers – how and why.
• Kohta Ueno – How we know what we know, and the edge of risk.
• John Straube – Water management and Rainscreens.
• Randy Williams – Building Diagnostic Testing.

We’ll revisit the roundtable discussion and happy hour, along with the great barbecue and beer you’ve come to expect. 

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North Central Building Science Symposium

THE BUILDING SCIENCE SYMPOSIUMS WILL CONTINUE IN MINNEAPOLIS, MN. ON MAY 9TH & 10TH – 2023

The upcoming Building Science Symposium will take place on May 9th & 10th, 2023 at the Surly Brewing Company – in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

This Event’s Speakers & Topics Include:

• Steve Baczek – Architectural details for building performance.
• Jake Bruton – Building the Control Layers – how and why.
• Kohta Ueno – How we know what we know, and the edge of risk.
• John Straube – Water management and Rainscreens.
• Randy Williams – Building Diagnostic Testing.

We’ll revisit the roundtable discussion and happy hour, along with the great barbecue and beer you’ve come to expect. 

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Northeast Building Science Symposium

THE BUILDING SCIENCE SYMPOSIUMS WILL CONTINUE IN STRATFORD, CT. ON JUNE 20TH & 21ST – 2023

The upcoming Building Science Symposium will take place on June 20th & 21st, 2023 at Two Roads Brewing Company – 1700 Stratford Avenue, in Stratford, Connecticut. 

This Event’s Speakers & Topics Include:

• Ben Bogie – History of Building Science and Functional Flashing Details.
• Steve Baczek – Architectural details for building performance.
• Jake Bruton – Building the Control Layers – how and why.
• Kohta Ueno – How we know what we know, and the edge of risk.
• Ross Tretheway – Indoor Air Quality, Heat pumps and Operational Economics.

We’ll revisit the roundtable discussion and happy hour, along with the great barbecue and beer you’ve come to expect. 

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Northeast Building Science Symposium

THE BUILDING SCIENCE SYMPOSIUMS WILL CONTINUE IN STRATFORD, CT. ON JUNE 20TH & 21ST – 2023

The upcoming Building Science Symposium will take place on June 20th & 21st, 2023 at Two Roads Brewing Company – 1700 Stratford Avenue, in Stratford, Connecticut. 

This Event’s Speakers & Topics Include:

• Ben Bogie – History of Building Science and Functional Flashing Details.
• Steve Baczek – Architectural details for building performance.
• Jake Bruton – Building the Control Layers – how and why.
• Kohta Ueno – How we know what we know, and the edge of risk.
• Ross Tretheway – Indoor Air Quality, Heat pumps and Operational Economics.

We’ll revisit the roundtable discussion and happy hour, along with the great barbecue and beer you’ve come to expect. 

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Rocky Mountain Building Science Symposium

THE BUILDING SCIENCE SYMPOSIUMS WILL CONTINUE IN DENVER, CO. – SEPTEMBER 12TH & 13TH OF 2023

The upcoming Building Science Symposium will take place on September 12th & 13th of 2023, at the  Blue Moon Brewing Company, 3750 Chestnut Place, Denver, CO 80216. More details will follow!

This Event’s Speakers & Topics Include:

• Steve Baczek – Architectural details for building performance.
• Jake Bruton – Building the Control Layers – how and why.
• Kohta Ueno – How we know what we know, and the edge of risk.
• Ross Tretheway – Indoor Air Quality, Heat pumps and Operational Economics.
• Ben Bogie – History of Building Science and Functional Flashing Details. 

We’ll revisit the roundtable discussion and happy hour, along with the great barbecue and beer you’ve come to expect.

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Rocky Mountain Building Science Symposium

THE BUILDING SCIENCE SYMPOSIUMS WILL CONTINUE IN DENVER, CO. – SEPTEMBER 12TH & 13TH OF 2023

The upcoming Building Science Symposium will take place on September 12th & 13th of 2023, at the  Blue Moon Brewing Company, 3750 Chestnut Place, Denver, CO 80216. More details will follow!

This Event’s Speakers & Topics Include:

• Steve Baczek – Architectural details for building performance.
• Jake Bruton – Building the Control Layers – how and why.
• Kohta Ueno – How we know what we know, and the edge of risk.
• Ross Tretheway – Indoor Air Quality, Heat pumps and Operational Economics.
• Ben Bogie – History of Building Science and Functional Flashing Details. 

We’ll revisit the roundtable discussion and happy hour, along with the great barbecue and beer you’ve come to expect.

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Southeast Building Science Symposium

THE BUILDING SCIENCE SYMPOSIUMS WILL CONTINUE IN CHARLOTTE, NC. ON OCTOBER 10TH & 11TH – 2023

The upcoming Building Science Symposium will take place on October 10th & 11th, 2023 at Lenny Boy Brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

This Event’s Speakers & Topics Include:

• Steve Baczek – Architectural details for building performance.
• Jake Bruton – Building the Control Layers – how and why.
• Kohta Ueno – How we know what we know, and the edge of risk.
• Ross Trethewey –  Indoor Air Quality, Heat pumps and Operational Economics. 

We’ll revisit the roundtable discussion and happy hour, along with the great barbecue and beer you’ve come to expect.

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Southeast Building Science Symposium

THE BUILDING SCIENCE SYMPOSIUMS WILL CONTINUE IN CHARLOTTE, NC. ON OCTOBER 10TH & 11TH – 2023

The upcoming Building Science Symposium will take place on October 10th & 11th, 2023 at Lenny Boy Brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

This Event’s Speakers & Topics Include:

• Steve Baczek – Architectural details for building performance.
• Jake Bruton – Building the Control Layers – how and why.
• Kohta Ueno – How we know what we know, and the edge of risk.
• Ross Trethewey –  Indoor Air Quality, Heat pumps and Operational Economics. 

We’ll revisit the roundtable discussion and happy hour, along with the great barbecue and beer you’ve come to expect.

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