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PODCAST

THE CONSCIOUS BUILDER SHOW 

#181 - Bill Spohn - Indoor Air Quality and Net Zero Custom Build

5/6/2022

 
Episode #181
​Bill Spohn
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Bill Spohn is President and owner of TruTechTools.com, an award-winning reseller of tools and test instruments. He holds a BS & MS in Mechanical Engineering and is a Registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Pennsylvania. Over the last 30 years, Bill has built his career on creating, designing, and marketing a wide array of test and measurement products that work for technicians in the field including 10 years each at Bacharach and Testo. Bill is all about Science – Comfort, health and energy efficiency. He has worked on BPI, RESNET, GAMA, AHRI, OMA, RSES, NATE, and ACCA Technical Committees, and holds four US patents in instrumentation design. He regularly consults, teaches and writes on product applications in HVACR, building science, healthy homes, Indoor Air Quality, and weatherization. Bill sits on the boards of the Building Performance Association (BPA), the Green Home Institute (GHI) and Solar United Neighbors of Pennsylvania (SUN-PA) He and his wife have built and live in a modular, high-performance, “Net-Zero” home near Pittsburgh, PA. Keep tabs on the details at www.SpohnHome.com


For more from Bill: 
 Tour Bill Spohn's New Modular Net Zero Home - YouTube
 www.TruTechTools.com​

To check out MazumaGo and get your free credit: MazumaGo.com/TCB


2:00 introduction Bill  
3:10 Trutech tools start up - hvac, building performance tools
4:30 types of tools for HVAC   - if you’re not testing you’re just guessing 
6:35 duct leak testing - standard test, bluetooth testing, higher end diagnostic tools
9:00 Indoor air quality -  what you can and should measure, what can you do, ventilation, filtration and humidity control solutions 
16:10 Net Zero Home
18:30 cost to go passive, phpp model completed 
19:15  US tax credit, co op program deal on solar
20:20 modular design  - eco craft homes
22:55 custom design, factory and site  constraints 
23:45 blower door test,  thermal imaging


#180 - Industry Leader Chris Magwood - Embodied Carbon and BEAM Software Launch

4/26/2022

 
Listen to podcast #180
​- Chris Magwood
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Chris Magwood is obsessed with making the best, most energy efficient and carbon-storing, beautiful and inspiring buildings without wrecking the whole darn planet in the attempt. Since 2011, Chris has been a director and teacher at The Endeavour Centre, a not-for-profit sustainable building school in Peterborough, Ontario where he enjoys sharing what he’s learned over his 25-year building career and inspiring others to take this stuff seriously and do it well.In 1996, he built his family a house. It was the first permitted straw bale house in Ontario, Canada. 


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In 2019, he helped to establish Builders for Climate Action, and has been leading development of the BEAM carbon estimator tool for low- rise construction. He is working closely with many levels of government to develop embodied carbon benchmarks and regulatory programs, and helping developers and builders figure out how to reverse climate change with their buildings. Chris has authored seven books on sustainable building and is co- editor of the Sustainable Building Essentials series from New Society Publishers. His new book, Building Beyond Zero: New Ideas for Carbon-Smart Architecture, is co-authored with Bruce King and will be available in June, 2022 from Island Press.
Chris is an active speaker and workshop instructor in Canada and internationally.

For more from Chris: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-magwood-8a8a9738/
https://www.chrismagwood.ca/

1:25 Casey Introduction 
2:33 Chris introduction  
5:30 Straw bale construction
10:00 Pre- ab considerations 
12:00 Hard property costs, development cost, services 
14:40 Don’t use brick, don’t build a basement 
18:30 Hempcrete not replacement for concrete 
24:30 Nexcam  - wood fiber ICF product  - have a cork insulation option 
26:30 BEAM  - build emissions accounting materials, release end of april, free, just materials 
38:00 Products to avoid  -  formaldehyde (glued wood particles), plastic and foam, flame retardants, voc’s, no VOC paint,

For more from The Conscious Builder and The Conscious Builder Academy:
Conscious Builder Academy: www.consciousbuilderacademy.com
 
How to Market and Sell Passive Houses PRE-SALE: https://www.consciousbuilderacademy.com/course/market-and-sell-passive-houses
 


#179 - Chelsah Thomas - Becoming a B corp, Thomas House Net Zero Project and more

4/8/2022

 
LISTEN TO PODCAST #179
​ - CHELSAH THOMAS
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Chelsah Thomas is the founder of Sol Invictus Energy Services, located in Red Deer, Alberta. With a passion for sustainable construction and renewable energy, she founded her social enterprise in 2016. Chelsah’s motivation to help others build better flowed from her own experience in constructing Central Alberta’s first Net Zero, Passive Solar Home. Chelsah’s firm now serves Western Canada for residential energy efficiency needs and recently won “Business of the Year, 2020” for Young Entrepreneur. 


​1:10 intro
4:30 - building their own net zero house, focus on consulting, getting to net zero, holistic approach 
6:50 what is a social enterprise  

12:15 What are earthships 
15:00 What is a B - Corp
19:00 What is the Thomas House Project - solar panels and credits 
23:40 Wall Assembly - windows, etc, architect? 
32:20 what would you change, aging in place



For more from Chelsah and Sol Invictus:
www.solinvictusenergyservices.com
IG - @sol_invictus_energy_services
Twitter - @sol_invictus_es
​FB - facebook.com/solinvictusenergyservices.com



For The Conscious Builder Academy: www.consciousbuilderacademy.com
How to Market and Sell Passive Houses PRE-SALE: https://www.consciousbuilderacademy.com/course/market-and-sell-passive-houses


#178 - Builder Feature: Natalie Leonard - Making Passive Houses More Accessible

3/24/2022

 
Listen to Podcast #178
​ - Natalie Leonard
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Natalie is the first Certified Passive House Consultant and Certified Passive House Builder in Canada. Her mission is to make sustainable, high-performance homes affordable for everyone. She leads the Passive Design Solutions team with a depth of experience in creating cost-effective, beautiful, and ultra-efficient homes. Natalie brings her engineering background, hands-on design and construction experience, and a practical approach to building.

Passive Design Solutions has completed over 100 Passive House projects in cold climates. They specialize in designing Net-Zero ready passive homes and the services needed to see projects through to completion, such as custom design, construction support, and energy consulting.

2:36 How Natalie got into the business 
7:45 Is it worth getting certified?
9:45 What is a passive house certification?
11:45 Mistakes on Previous Passive House Builds 
15:30 Working with more builders
19:00 Difference between PHIUS and  PHI 
23:45 Changing from ACH to leakage per sq. feet
25:00 Changes to Primary Energy Requirement to reward high density builds
31:30 Passive Solar House is not the same 
35:00 Pre-Designed Passive Homes 
40:50 Purchasing a Pre Designed Passive House Plan 
48:00 Future of Construction


For more from Natalie and Passive Design Solutions:A catalogue of pre-designed energy efficient home plans. Available Canada-wide, customized to order:  https://www.passivedesign.ca/pages/plans 
https://www.instagram.com/passive_design/ 
https://www.facebook.com/passivedesignsolutions 
https://www.linkedin.com/company/passive-design-solutions/


MORE FROM THE CONSCIOUS BUILDER: 

For Conflict Resolution Toolkit and Priming for Tough Conversations Handbook: https://www.consciousbuilderacademy.com/bundle/priming-handbook-and-conflict-resolution-toolkit-bundle 
​
Academy: https://www.consciousbuilderacademy.com
Website: https://www.theconsciousbuilder.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_conscious_builder/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconsciousbuilder
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-conscious-builder/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuildConscious

#177 - Builder Feature: Raphael Spinner of HSS Design Build - Canadian Passive House Builder

3/11/2022

 
LISTEN TO EPISODE #177
​- RAPHAEL SPINNER
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Raphael, originally from Switzerland, is a Swiss and Canadian trained certified Passive House Designer with over 19 years of construction experience building with mass timber. He started his own Design Build firm called HSS Design Build in 2016.
 
HSS Design Build is located in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. They provide quality craftsmanship and sustainable building techniques for generations to enjoy. At HSS, they create structures that resemble and respond to their natural surroundings and create comfortable living spaces which meet future efficiency standards and are the highest quality.
 
Raphael is passionate about energy efficient and innovative design. His business mission: to accelerate the transition to sustainable and energy efficient design and construction practices.

 
For more from Raphael and HSS Design Build:
website: https://www.hssdesignbuild.com/  
youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkWrI6MV1-QRB_RZkpNaZ_A
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/hss-design-build/
instagram - @hssdesignbuild
 
 
For more from The Conscious Builder:
www.theconsciousbuilder.com
 
Conscious Builder Academy:
www.consciousbuilderacademy.com
 
Priming for Tough Conversations Handbook:
https://www.consciousbuilderacademy.com/course/priming-tough-conversations
 
Conflict Resolution Toolkit: 
https://www.consciousbuilderacademy.com/course/conflict-resolution-toolkit
​
 


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