Issue #5
June 2007

In this issue...

AHEEA Handbook Announcement

he Importance of an Integrated Design Process

The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) and HERS Raters

AHEEA Handbook Announcement

The AHEEA handbook is your guide to energy efficiency in affordable housing. The intent of the Affordable Housing Energy Efficiency Handbook is to:

• Encourage energy efficiency design in new construction as well as in acquisition/rehab projects

• Showcase the funding sources, programs, incentives, and assistance available to further lower the cost of investments in energy efficiency

• Overcome owner-developers perception that achieving large energy savings is usually too expensive, time consuming or difficult

• Demonstrate design concepts, processes, and practices that will help to minimize the costs of high performance buildings

• Highlight the non-energy benefits associated with high performance buildings

• Emphasize that energy efficiency lowers utility bills, thereby enhancing home affordability

• Stress that a home that just complies with Title 24 is the least efficient home you can legally build in California

The handbook will be available electronically and a limited number will be printed for circulation. If you'd like to receive a free copy of the AHEEA handbook, please send an email request to AHEEA@h-m-g.com, register on www.h-m-g.com/multifamily/aheea to download a copy, or contact Elizabeth McCollum at (760) 436-7001.

The Importance of an Integrated Design Process

The concept of integrated design is based on the idea that buildings should be developed through close collaboration amongst all stakeholders involved in the project. The owner, developer, architect, mechanical and electrical engineers, and energy consultant bring their specialized knowledge and skills together to make informed decisions and achieve commonly agreed upon goals. By working together, each team member develops a general understanding of every aspect of the project and how it relates to his or her individual role. The design and construction process is able to run more smoothly, misunderstandings are less frequent, and the chance of energy-efficient systems being value-engineered out of the project is greatly reduced.

In addition to connecting the design team, the integrated design process helps the design team to understand the interconnectedness of the building with the site and the building systems with each other. The building should respond to climatic conditions in orientation, choice of materials, and sizing of mechanical systems. It is important to remember that the goal of the integrated design process is not to use the most efficient measure for any given building element, but rather to seek a combination of cost-effective and energy-efficient measures that will achieve the energy efficiency goals.

Simulation and Analysis
Building energy simulation is an important tool available to design teams committed to designing a high efficiency building. Simulation allows a combination of measures to be analyzed in order to determine which measures work best together as a package. Building energy simulation is a tool for the analysis of both energy and economics. When simulation output is displayed graphically, it can also play an important role in communication between technical and non-technical members of the team.

Building energy modeling is a specialized skill, and accuracy is essential when the results are the basis for major decisions. For this reason, it is advisable to hire an experienced energy consultant and budget enough time and money to include the energy consultant in design team meetings and to run multiple simulations during design development.

For the best results, the integrated design process and building simulation must be started early in the design process. It is possible, and in fact desirable, to model a building in the conceptual design stage, while the range of options is still broad. The value here is to establish the building's basic energy efficiency profile in its climate zone, and to examine the effects of changing a few essential parameters, such as orientation, window performance and insulation levels, on the HVAC sizing requirements.

Design Charrette
Often an energy efficiency design charrette is a helpful instrument to get your design team connected and the project rolling. A charrette is an intense period of study, brainstorming, and decision making for a particular project. All members of the design team should be present and equipped with any information, tools, and expertise they can bring to the table. An energy efficiency charrette should:

• Bring together all stakeholders in the project

• Establish goals for the project, including energy efficiency goals

• Brainstorm ways to meet the established goals

• Simulate building energy use for multiple combinations of measures

• Analyze cost-effectiveness of each combination of measures

• Decide on the best set of measures to achieve the energy efficiency and financial goals of the project

The Affordable Housing Energy Efficiency Alliance (AHEEA) can facilitate a design charrette for your design team or project free of charge. If you have an affordable housing project served by Southern California Edison and would like to take advantage of this service, please contact Elizabeth McCollum at (760) 436-7001 or.

The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) and HERS Raters

HERS ratings were established to measure the energy efficiency in residential buildings and to ensure compliance with Building Energy Standards addressed in Title 24 Part 6. Certain measures within the Standards require field verification to confirm proper installation of energy-efficient systems. For example, the value of insulation in any given building is automatically downgraded by 13% in Title 24 calculations. Without verification, poor installation techniques, which result in lower efficiency, are assumed. If a HERS rater verifies that the insulation has been installed properly, the full value of that insulation can be claimed in the Title 24 calculations. HERS raters are certified by CEC approved providers to offer third-party verification of system installation and quality assurance.

HERS rater inspections may be required during several stages of construction

• Pre-upgrade HERS inspections and reports allow raters to establish benchmarks from which improvements can be measured. Pre-upgrade HERS inspections and reports are often used in rehabilitating existing multi-family buildings.

• Some installments, such as blown insulation, require a HERS rater be present to witness and verify proper installation.

• Final HERS inspections and reports are completed post-construction and confirm that all proposed installations have been adequately fulfilled. Until this field inspection has been completed, all stickers and information regarding appliance data and specifications must remain on installed units. In addition, a copy of the CF-6R for each dwelling unit will be required by the HERS rater. A CF-4R must be signed by the HERS rater and submitted to the building department to approve each dwelling unit for occupancy.

Incentive and Rebate Programs
HERS inspection reports often validate eligibility and/or qualification of particular projects for incentive and rebate programs. In most cases, utility companies require field verification by a HERS rater for enrollment in these programs. The HERS rater may work in conjunction with an Energy Consultant to calculate energy savings and confirm that new construction or building improvements meet or exceed the required energy savings for program eligibility. Raters must verify that the measures needed for program eligibility have been properly installed before funds will be released to the owner/developer. This will also ensure that the building will perform as it was designed, providing quality assurance to the owner and tenant.

Finding a HERS Rater
The most efficient way to find a HERS rater is to go through one of the three California Energy Commission approved providers:

• CalCERTS - California Certified Energy Rating & Testing Services
  https://www.calcerts.com

• CBPCA - California Building Performance Contractors Association
  http://www.cbpca.org

• CHEERS - California Home Energy Efficiency Rating System
  http://www.cheers.org

For information on SCE's multifamily affordable housing incentive programs, please see programs and contact information below:

New Construction: For information on SCE's California New Homes Program, please visit www.h-m-g.com/multifamily/CANHP or contact Colin Jessop at 760-436-7005 or

Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings: For information on SCG/SCE's Designed for Comfort Program, please visit www.DesignedforComfort.com or contact Elizabeth McCollum at 760-436-7001 or

Affordable Housing Design Assistance and Charrettes: For more information on SCE's Affordable Housing Energy Efficiency Alliance, please visit www.h-m-g.com/multifamily/aheea or contact Julieann Summerford at 760-436-7002 or

Este programa es financiado por los usuarios de las compañías de servicios públicos de California y es administrado por Southern California Edison Company bajo los auspicios de la Comisión de Servicios Públicos de California mediante un contrato con Heschong Mahone Group. Los contribuyentes de California que decidan participar en este programa no están obligados a comprar ningún servicio adicional ofrecido por el contratista. Las marcas registradas usadas aquí son propiedad de sus dueños respectivos. SCE se reserva el derecho a modificar o interrumpir este programa a su criterio o a pedido de la CPUC.

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Heschong Mahone Group, Inc.

144 West D Street, Suite 24, Encinitas, CA 92024