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10 Common Failures in LEED for Homes Projects

31.12.69

Green rater Andrea Foss was on a worksite with a developer who had just failed several items on her LEED for Homes inspection when she came up with the idea for a list of 10 common failures in LEED projects.

Presenting at an educational session at the recent Greenbuild Conference, Foss, managing partner of Washington, D.C.-based green building consulting company Everyday Green , recounted the inspiration for her presentation.

“The developer was upset because she had failed some of the items,” Foss said. “She said, ‘I wish I had known to look for these things beforehand.’ ”

To help other green building professionals avoid making that developer’s missteps—as well as the mistakes she made while rehabbing her own home to LEED standards—Foss listed the 10 most common issues she’s found during her LEED inspections:

1. Manual J Equipment Sizing Calculations. Builders use Manual J calculations to determine the proper size of heating and cooling equipment based on a home’s size and tightness. Using the calculation properly is important in ensuring the equipment works efficiently in high-performance homes. Foss sees several common errors, however. One issue is when the calculation doesn’t reflect the home actually being built—the contractor just uses the defaults, or forgets to update the calculation even though the building has changed. Sometimes contractors will do the calculation retroactively, after the equipment is installed, or make one calculation that they use and another one “for the LEED people.”

Source: EcoHome Magazine

Bathroom singer spooks burglar

31.12.69

LAWRENCE — Officer Eli Bernabe was driving west on Manchester Street Sunday morning when she noticed the glass door of the Tripleton Restaurant was smashed and someone was crawling through the hole.

She called for backup and parked her cruiser so she could see the south and east sides of the building at 39 Manchester St., where the front door is located.

When Officers John DeSantis Jr. and Carlos Vieira arrived, they entered the building and checked for the burglar. They found the cook instead.

Adaljisa Andujal told police she arrived for work at 6 a.m. and went to the kitchen to turn the exhaust fan on.

She told the officers she had been singing in the bathroom, located at the far end of the business at the time of the incident and did not hear the door shatter or see anyone inside.

Officers found an unlocked door in the back of the business and police said it appeared the burglar broke in through the front door and ran out the back when he heard Andujal singing and saw the cruiser pull up in front of the building.

Source: Eagle Tribune