What do we need in place to ensure a successful transition to the 2021 IECC?
Designer and plans examiner education
Architects, mechanical and structural engineers need to be taught high-performance construction techniques. An IECC compliance sheet needs to be created and submitted with Construction Documents. This will help front-load the submittal documents with a more developed mechanical system, air sealing details and specifications. Plans examiners need to learn how to recognize energy conservation issues from drawings a flag them for correction before permit issuance. Once something like a weak party wall assembly is permitted, we’re on the defense for the rest of the game.
General and subcontractor education
Contractors need to know what passing work looks like, preferably before they fail an inspection. The half-dozen raters in the valley cannot be the sole education force for thousands of contractors in the valley. GCs need to know how to interact with a rater; what to include them on, what do they need to see, when to call, etc. Subcontractors need supplemental training on ERV installations, air sealing, Radon barrier installation, etc. New technicians need to be trained on heat pump equipment. I don’t believe there are nearly enough qualified people to install all of the heat pump systems we need to install in the near future. And if it is not done perfectly, the equipment won’t live up to its potential.
Homeowner education
Homeowners need to left with a document that explains how to work the house. Most homeowners seem to be clueless about how to operate an ERV for example. If a homeowner never adjusts the ERV flow or disables it completely, or never changes the filter- we may have done more harm than good in the end. Is the filter replacement schedule being posted? Outdoor reset sensors are now required- are the reset temperature curves being programed before the occupants move in?
Product availability
Builders tend to use the products that the local suppliers carry. We need to start building with products that are not typically stocked in the valley to my knowledge. Specifically I am thinking of items like; airtight electrical boxes, drywall clips, HPWHs (heat pump water heaters), small disposable spray foam kits, liquid flashing, high-performance ERVs and ventilation controllers, vapor-retarding latex primer, etc. Somehow, we need to lobby all of the hardware stores and lumber yards to consistently stock these essential products before significant demand is here.
Enhanced inspection schedule
Rater inspections need to added to inspection checklists, far too many projects go uninspected simple because Raters are not notified of the construction schedule. Ratings only technically require two field inspections, but the reality is that two is not enough. Additional inspections should be required.
- Pre-test ducted systems at rough-in, prior to insulation, using 2021 IECC standard, even if all ductwork and equipment is in “conditioned” space.
- Blower Door & IR Camera at rough-in, post spray foam in roof and walls, but prior to installation of blown-in or batt insulation. If the home has a vented attic, do visual walk-thru with insulator to identify additional air sealing required, then use Blower Door: 1) As soon as drywall ceilings are hung and fire taped, but prior to hanging drywall on walls. Or 2) As soon as all the drywall is hung, finished, and painted; but before any cabinets or trims are installed.
- Insulation Inspection when all insulation is complete
Rater-Building Department coordination and cooperation
Raters and Building Inspectors should have a clear understanding of who is checking for what. In the course of rating a house, we check and test a multitude of things; insulation installation quality, infiltration rate, ventilation rate and watt draw, duct leakage rate, pipe insulation, etc. Typically, JHAs ask me only for a certificate and a blower door test report. Getting an infiltration report without a ventilation report, really doesn’t give you the whole story. So far, ventilation is often being done fairly poorly in the field. There is massive confusion between occupant ventilation, crawlspace ventilation, spot ventilation and make-up air supply. I’m afraid we may see an epidemic of mold erupt in our valley in the near future. And lung cancer caused by Radon.
If the JHA does not ask me for the reports, then I assume they are doing those tests and inspections themselves, or they have a departmental policy not to enforce those parts of the IECC.
Final inspection, confirmed rating certificate and CO
Raters are often unmercifully pressured to cough up a certificate immediately at final. Raters need to have a complete, finished house to do our final inspection and test out; PV on the roof, ERV commissioned, every last piece of pipe insulation installed, door handles on and trades out of our way for testing. After our inspection, it takes a day to update the model and submit all of my paperwork. The it takes a day or two for the Rater to get the final certificate from their provider and transmit it to the General Contractor. GCs need to build this time into their schedule, it is not an instantaneous process.