Katy Hollbacher's blog

On April 27th, Passive House California is hosting a High Performance Window Panel. This is a great opportunity to learn more about what makes a window "high performance" and to meet some of your local window experts. Networking and beer are included, and the meeting will kick off with an introduction to Passive House. 3pm start, $10 for non-members, $5 for supporters and free for members. Held at the Pyramid Brewery in Berkeley.

Now in Beyond Efficiency's 5th year of business, it was due time to refresh the website. As days get shorter and weather cools, the importance of the work we do to optimize building performance is magnified. So four weeks ago, just before the autumnal equinox, we went live! We're proud of our new website, and it much better reflects what we've been up to and can offer to clients. 

Tomorrow I'm off to my 3rd conference in the last 3 weeks, this one in Pittsburgh. I always am so excited to be off to a big Passive House event, but recent travel has made me exhausted and I'm glad this is the last of my traveling at least for a little while! If anyone's still on the fence, this conference is sure to be as great a Passive House event as in past years. Here's the scoop:

I returned home to California a few days ago after an incredible week in Jackson, Wyoming for the 2013 AIA Western Region Conference, which rotates between the six member states--Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico--each year. I presented on high-performance building envelope design and crammed in all that I could in two presentation slots (browse or download the presentation below).

Part II in Passive House California's Building Carbon Zero California series is scheduled for October 3rd at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center. Randy Hayes (formerly Rainforest Action Network) and Peter Busby (Perkins + Will) are keynote speakers for this event. Attend to learn how we can drastically reduce our carbon emissions today, and build a better environment for future generations.

Katy Hollbacher is delivering Part I and II presentations, Passive House and Energy Modeling: The Foundation for True High-Performance Buildings, at the upcoming AIA Western Region Conference in Jackson, Wyoming. The Western Region comprises Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming--encompassing mountains and deserts along with their harsh conditions and extreme temperature ranges.

High Performance Details For California Climates: Lessons Learned--Passive House advocates Katy Hollbacher, Bronwyn Barry and Mary James are delivering this presentation at the upcoming 2012 ACI California Home Performance Conference June 5-6 in Sacramento on Tuesday, June 5 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.

EAH Housing and the City of Turlock officially broke ground on Avena Bella, an 80 unit affordable housing property, on March 28. It is seeking both LEED for Homes (the first in Stanislaus County) and GreenPoint Rated certifications, which have been guided by green building consultant Beyond Efficiency. The project includes both innovative and tried-and-true green building measures including:

Visit Beyond Efficiency and Sunlight Design at Booth #9 April 15-16 at Snow King Center. We are Jackson’s high-performance design and consulting collaborative and offer:

Advanced framing (Optimal Value Engineering) is a collection of design and building methods that reduces lumber use, minimizes wood waste, and maximizes a structure’s energy efficiency. For every piece of unneeded lumber eliminated, a builder saves four times: once by not purchasing, once by not moving around, once by not installing, and once by not paying for waste cuts to be hauled away. And eliminating unnecessary wood allows more space for insulation—making buildings more energy efficient and saving money in the long run.