VCA Green Attends 2°C Symposium on Climate Change
Last week, on February 7, 2020, VCA Green attended the third annual 2°C Symposium to join the conversation on the L.A. Green New Deal, transportation infrastructure, carbon neutrality, and much more. The event (hosted by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power)...
WELL Building Standard Enters Pilot Stage for Multifamily Buildings
Like LEED, the original application of the WELL Building Standard seemed best suited for office environments. In the beginning, LEED seemed tricky to apply to other building types. Along the way, LEED evolved to accommodate more building types. Now, there are over a...
2019 Energy Code – How to Comply with (or without) Balanced Ventilation
With the new California Energy Code comes new requirements, and one requirement in particular may introduce some challenges for designers, installers, and building owners when it comes to ventilation needs. Providing adequate amounts of fresh air to a conditioned...
How Lancaster, California is Becoming a Zero Net Energy, Carbon Neutral Community
Owners and developers of newly constructed single family buildings are seeing increases in construction costs related to the California Energy Code by about $7,000 to $9,000 per home. Approximately half of this added cost is related to mandatory solar photovoltaic...
VERDEXCHANGE 2020
Yesterday at the Verde Exchange Panel, a main topic of discussion was on the reality of achieving carbon neutrality in California by 2045. Currently, California's grid has 36% renewables and with Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant, about 53% of CA's grid is carbon free....
Building Green with Lifecycle Cost Assessment
Life Cycle Cost Assessments (LCA) provides benefits which increase process knowledge, lower overall environmental impact, and ultimately increase ROI for building owners striving to bring value to asset management and/or desiring to provide important environmental...
U-Factor and SHGC: Which Values Are Better For My Windows?
When developing a new building (or renovating an existing building), one of the most important aspects of the building envelope to consider is the fenestration. Some projects may enjoy large views through extensive glazing, but depending on the location, orientation,...
QII Requirements: To Insulate My Header or Not?
For high-rise residential projects, Quality Insulation Installation (QII) is not required, but if your project is low-rise and/or attempting to meet LEED for Homes prerequisites, you may not be meeting the requirements of the California Energy Code, Residential...