VV workshop: Reducing Building Energy Use in Transition Towns workshop with Philip Be'er

Are you wondering what you can do to make you home more energy efficient? Are you concerned about what might happen if your home becomes too airtight? Within the Transition Town movement, these are important questions to ask as we strive to reduce our footprint on the planet and to wean ourselves off fossil fuels.

Unfortunately, the answers are not overly simple because almost anything that we do to our homes to make them more energy can also have undesired outcomes. When we replace windows, for example, it’s important for us to account for the consequent reduction in air leakage and to manage water vapour from cooking, showering, respiration, plants etc. so that the water vapour doesn’t now get trapped within the building causing mould or structural damage.

It only takes an hour or two to begin learning how to manage energy and ventilation in our buildings enough to identify energy efficiency opportunities and concerns.

Philip Be’er is a member of the Village Vancouver steering committee who has worked for many years as an Energy Advisor and who is one of the few teachers and trainers in B.C. for people studying to be energy advisors. We invite you to join Philip in exploring the “House as a System” approach to energy efficiency. These hands-on workshops take place in a building/home where participants have the opportunity to learn the basic principles and then to participate in a real assessment where they can apply the information that they’ve learned. Where appropriate, we will deploy a Blower Door and use it to help us identify air flow and leakage in the building.

All workshops are offered on a pay as you can basis, with $40 being the suggested donation for the 3 hour class.

Registration is limited to 8 participants. To register (or to inquire about hosting a future workshop): Ross at rmoster@flash.net.