>>2015 Race to Zero Winners Announced
Source: energy.gov
The 2015 Race to Zero Student Design Competition had 33 teams from 27 U.S. and Canadian universities competing to design cost-effective, zero energy homes for mainstream builders. In its second year, the Race to Zero encouraged students to work with builders, developers, community leaders, and other industry partners to meet stringent design requirements and create marketable, affordable concepts. The winners of the annual event were announced at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., April 18-20. The Grand Winner was Opti-MN Impact House – Opti-MN, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. Follow this link for more information about the Race to Zero competition and the winners.

Better Buildings Residential Network members in the "Show-Me" State can now show homeowners the benefits of energy savings more easily through the new Missouri Home Energy Certification (MHEC) program. The initiative, recently announced by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, intends to validate residential energy efficiency improvements to help Missouri homeowners save energy, as well as recapture the value of their investments to potential buyers when they sell their homes.

EPA has released the TSCA Work Plan Chemical Problem Formulation and Initial Assessment for 1,4-Dioxane, a chemical used primarily as a solvent in the manufacture of other chemicals. A first step in the assessment of TSCA work plan chemicals, the 1,4-Dioxane Problem Formulation and Initial Assessment examined likely exposure and hazard scenarios to workers and consumers in order to identify scenarios where further risk analysis may be necessary.

1,4-Dioxane is the first chemical for which EPA is releasing a Problem Formulation and Initial Assessment document under the TSCA Work Plan Chemical Assessment Program.

>>2015 ENERGY STAR Award Winners
Each year, EPA honors a select group of organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. The 2015 ENERGY STAR Award Winners lead their industries in the production and sale of energy-efficient products and services, and in the development and adoption of world-class strategies that provide substantial energy and money savings in the buildings where we live and work. The winners have been chosen from a vast network of 16,000 ENERGY STAR partners. The awards were presented in Washington, D.C., at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on April 20. EPA Administrator McCarthy and Jim Gibbons, Goodwill Industries International President and CEO, provided keynote remarks.  Read More at energystar.gov and epa.gov.

 

Joe Ltsiburek, internationally reknown building science expert and author, will share his research, experiences, and opinions on sprayfoam insulation during an event hosted by Priority Energy. The event, "Joe Lstiburek Explains the Building Science of Spray Foam Insulation," will take place in Park Ridge, Illinois, on May 5, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (CDT). Dr. Lstiburek combines his engineering and construction knowledge into an entertaining and educational presentation on how to create a better house. Read more here.