Duluth Energy Designs Concepts

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Glossary

1

Air sealing

Closing gaps and penetrations in the building envelope (rim joists, top plates, chases, window rough openings) with caulk, foam or gaskets so conditioned air stops leaking. Air sealing is usually priced and scheduled together with insulation in northern Minnesota retrofit work.

2

Blower door test

A diagnostic that depressurises a house with a calibrated fan to measure whole-building air leakage, expressed in air changes per hour at 50 pascals (ACH50). Crews use it before and after air sealing to prove the improvement, and raters use it for programme and code compliance.

3

Building envelope

The continuous boundary between conditioned and unconditioned space: walls, roof, foundation, windows and doors, plus the air, thermal and vapour control layers that must line up to work.

4

R-value

A measure of a material's resistance to heat flow. Cold-climate assemblies in northern Minnesota typically combine cavity insulation with continuous exterior insulation to raise total R-value and cut thermal bridging.

5

Thermal bridging

Heat bypassing insulation through studs, plates, shelf angles and slab edges. It is the reason above-code builders add continuous exterior insulation rather than only filling cavities.

6

Weatherization

The package of air sealing, insulation, duct sealing, ventilation and health and safety measures delivered to low-income households under federally funded and utility-funded programmes. Crews attending this conference work to those programme standards and audit rules.

7

Cold-climate heat pump

An air-source heat pump rated for low-ambient operation, with capacity and COP data published down to roughly -13 F (-25 C). Sizing, backup heat strategy and defrost behaviour are the recurring field problems discussed for Minnesota installations.

8

HSPF2

Heating Seasonal Performance Factor, version 2, the efficiency metric used for heat pumps in US ratings and incentive programmes. Higher numbers indicate better seasonal heating efficiency.

9

Manual J

The ACCA room-by-room load calculation used to size heating and cooling equipment. Cold-climate practitioners emphasise design temperatures and envelope assumptions, because oversized heat pumps short-cycle and undersized ones cannot hold setpoint on design days.

10

ERV and HRV

Energy recovery and heat recovery ventilators. As envelopes tighten, mechanical ventilation becomes mandatory to control moisture, stale air and pollutants while limiting heat loss in winter.

11

Ice damming

Snowmelt running down a warm roof deck and refreezing at the eaves, forcing water under shingles. It is a direct symptom of attic air leakage and under-insulation, and a common call-back for Duluth area contractors.

12

Vapour retarder

The membrane or coating that limits moisture diffusion through an assembly. In cold climates the placement and permeance must match the assembly so winter moisture does not condense inside the wall.

13

Combustion safety test

Testing of atmospheric combustion appliances for spillage and backdrafting after a house is tightened, often using a combustion appliance zone (CAZ) test. Required before and after air sealing in weatherization scopes.

14

HERS Index

The Home Energy Rating System score produced by a certified rater, where 100 equals a reference new home and lower is better. Raters at the conference use HERS modelling for above-code, utility and green building programmes.

15

Deep energy retrofit

A whole-house upgrade that cuts energy use dramatically rather than incrementally, typically combining exterior insulation, window replacement, air sealing, ventilation and electrification of heating and hot water.

16

Minnesota energy code

The state-adopted building energy provisions applied to new construction and major renovation in Minnesota. Sessions covering code compliance focus on envelope, duct sealing and ventilation requirements as enforced by local building officials.

17

Embodied carbon

The greenhouse gas emissions associated with extracting, manufacturing, transporting and installing materials. Upper Midwest designers increasingly compare insulation and concrete options on both operational and embodied emissions.