Event Description

Testing one's work is imperative to meeting or exceeding performance targets and ensuring a feedback loop is in place for continual process improvements. This course is designed to help participants create effective solutions for thermal and air control problems related to recessed fixtures in the ceiling air barrier. In this two-hour session, Gavin Healy of Balance Point Home Performance evaluates a wide variety of typical existing recessed fixtures, including their impact on safety and efficiency. As the type of recessed fixtures continue to evolve so do the strategies to integrate them into enclosures.

Agenda:

• What hazards are exposed in typical efficiency upgrades.
• What is the risk management plan for addressing these hazards?
• Asbestos insulation
• Electrical system faults
• Combustion appliance vents and clearance to combustible materials
• Combustion appliance vents that do not effectively remove pollutants from the building
• Non-IC rated recessed fixtures
• Vents that re-entrain gases or moisture in the building
• Biological growth on building surfaces
• Impact of realigning the air barrier or thermal boundary

The objective of this course is that at the conclusion, participants will be able to:

• Identify three or more common hazards that may be uncovered during energy upgrades
• List two or more repairs to mitigate common electrical hazards that are uncovered during energy upgrades
• Identify the difference between fixtures which can be safely sealed with conventional air sealing material, and those that require high temperature sealant or treatments
• Learn one or more key differences between combustion appliances that have single wall metal, double wall metal and plastic vent systems

Photo Credit: Efficiency Vermont: https://www.efficiencyvermont.com/products-technologies/insulation-windows-doors/air-sealing