Two of Montana’s most highly-respected energy efficiency firms are teaming up for a program designed at assisting home and business owners to maximize their return on investment in energy conservation and alternative energy systems. The program focuses on ways to leverage available government loans, tax rebates, and utility company incentives to add significant value to your property at very low cost.

Learn more at the Sustainable Business Council’s “Sustainability Shot” on April 18th, 5pm at “The Loft”, 119 West Main Street  Missoula, MT

SBS Solar will be featured in this month’s “Sustainability Shot” at “The Loft” on April 18th and we will be using this event to launch the program. Come along and learn how you can obtain a $15,000 low-interest loan from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and use it to add up to $25,000 worth of Green Home Improvements to your home with a net cost per month of around $100 and with no money down. We can help you to apply for the loan and then show you how to leverage available utility company incentives and tax rebates to substantially improve the health, comfort, safety, and building energy efficiency of you home or small business.

Building Energy Efficiency with government and utility company money.

By collaborating with SBS Solar we are able to offer our customers the opportunity to substantially improve their building’s energy efficiency with no up-front cost and very low monthly payments. DEQ loans are available at 3.75% over 10 years with no downpayment! This, combined with a $6000 alternative energy grant from Northwestern Energy and various state and federal tax rebates, allows residential and small commercial customers to invest approximately $12,000 into a Solar Power System plus approximately $13,000 into Energy Conservation Measures. The energy conservation measures employed on each building will vary and will be determined by a Comprehensive Energy Audit of the structure. Then Energy Efficiency measures such as insulation, air sealing, heat recovery ventilation, high-efficiency heating and/or cooling systems, and replacement windows will be employed. When carefully employed these measures have the ability to substantially improve not only your building’s energy efficiency but also the health, safety, comfort, durability, and the value of your investment.

Some of the possible energy conservation measures we employ

Russ Hellem – Owner, Building Science and HVAC Expert

[Biography]

Gary Mazade – Founder and Executive Consultant

[Biography]

Tom Hellem – Energy Efficient Construction Specialist

[Biography]

Andy Lemann – Green Building and Design Specialist

[Biography]

Jeanne Rothenbuecher - Finance & Administration Manager

[Biography]

Skander Spies – Commercial Building Specialist

[Biography]

Russ Hellem

RUSS HELLEM

Owner – Building Science and HVAC Expert

Russ Hellem is an expert in energy and environmental construction practices, with a long history in the building industry. Russ grew up building energy efficient houses under the direction of his father, Tom, in Colorado and Wisconsin. His work in building continued with a custom builder in Missoula while he finished his undergraduate degree in forestry.

After completing his degree, Russ took his passion for building science and energy conservation to the next level, building and consulting on energy efficient home projects. His desire to help people create the best indoor spaces possible led him to acquire Energetechs in 2006. Energetechs provides a full menu of services for energy and environmental construction, including whole-house energy audits, complete energy upgrades, HVAC system design and installation, and training services.

Russ Hellem is an expert in energy and environmental construction practices,
with a long history in the building industry. Russ grew up building energy
efficient houses under the direction of his father Tom in Colorado and
Wisconsin. His work in building continued with a custom builder in Missoula
while he finished his undergraduate degree in forestry.

After completing his degree, Russ took his passion for building science and
energy conservation to the next level, building and consulting on energy
efficient home projects. His desire to help people create the best indoor
spaces possible led him to acquire Energetechs in 2006. Energetechs provides
a full menu of services for energy and environmental construction, including
whole-house energy audits, complete energy upgrades, HVAC system design and
installation, and training services.

Finance and Administration Manager

Jeanne Rothenbuecher is a seasoned professional in Finance & Administration. She has over 25 years experience in accounting and office management in small, mid-size and Fortune 500 companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, and Montana. She previously worked for Energetechs as a contracted full-charge bookkeeper providing accounting support for Energetechs for 1 1/2 years before joining the management team as an employee. She strives to provide a high level of service and support to our clients, which includes the goal of reducing our carbon footprint and saving energy for the future of our planet. Jeanne’s outside activities include a passion for handcrafts, camping, kayaking and gardening.

The HOME STAR program has passed the house of representatives and has strong support in the senate. This $6 billion incentive program is designed to create jobs in the construction and home energy retrofit industries as well as improving the energy efficiency of the existing housing stock in the US.

Silver Star and Gold Star.

The HOME STAR program offers two paths to getting rebate money.

The SILVER STAR program is a prescriptive approach whereby the homeowner will get rebates of up to $3,000 for specific energy improvement upgrades including: air sealing; attic, wall, and crawl space insulation; duct sealing or replacement; and replacement of existing windows and doors, furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, water heaters and appliances with high-efficiency models.

Performing a Blower Door Test during an Energy Audit

The GOLD STAR program is a performance based approach which will provide rebates of up to $8000 for verified home energy performance improvements (up to 50% over current energy usage). This will require having a comprehensive energy audit performed as a first step. The audit must be done by a Building Performance Institute (BPI) Certified Professional (or other approved accreditation) and the predicted improvements in energy performance must be verified by computer energy modeling using an approved software program. The actual improvements to the home must also be performed by a BPI Accredited Contractor.

Energetechs staff preparing for BPI certification.

For this reason Energetechs is sending two of our staff, Russ Hellem and Andy Lemann, to Helena to complete the necessary requirements to become BPI Certified Professionals. This will ensure that both Energetechs and our sister company, Montana Energy Services, will have the qualifications to perform any type of work under the HOME STAR program. We will be one of only a few performance testing companies in Missoula and Montana to carry these highly regarded qualifications. In conjunction with our combined total of well over 100 years of experience in the green and energy efficient design and construction fields this will help to keep Energetechs at the very forefront of the  Home Energy Retrofit industry in Missoula, Montana.

Home Energy Retrofit Improvements under the HOME STAR program.

HOME STAR is just one of many federal, state, and utility company incentives for Missoula’s homeowners to improve the energy performance of their homes. Contact Energetechs today for more information about these as well as the many other benefits of improving your home’s performance including reduced utility bills; improved comfort, health, safety, and indoor air quality; and improved building durability.

CONTACT US – Energetechs, Inc., 615 Oak St, Suite 101, Missoula, MT, 59801 – ph.406.721.2741

2009 IECC – How to Meet and Exceed the New Energy Code for Montana.

REGISTER NOW!

SPACE IS LIMITED – CALL THE FLATHEAD BUILDING ASSOCIATION (406) 752-2422 OR EMAIL staff@buildingflathead.com

Topics Covered:

• Residential Code Compliance
• Energy conservation.
• Green building
• Insulation
• Air-sealing
• Blower Door, Duct Tightness, and IR Camera Testing
• Heating and Cooling
• Ventilation
• Moisture control
• Comfort
• Safety
• Health
• Durability
• Affordability

WHEN: FRIDAY, May 6th, 8am – 5pm.

WHERE: Hampton Inn, 1140 US Hwy 2, Kalispell, MT

COST: $85.00 per person FBA members (lunch included)

: $95.00 per person non-FBA members (lunch included)

COURSE OUTLINE

(Continuing Education Credits available with self reporting – a certificate will be provided)

Morning Session

8:00am    – Welcome, introductions and overview of the day’s activities.

- Preview of the Jobsite Booklet with Checklist and Examples

- Overview of Performance Based Design and Energy Efficient Construction principles.

9:00am    – 2009 IECC residential requirements in detail – point by point analysis with  reference to the code, photos, Jobsite Booklet, Checklist, Examples, and Best Practices.

10:00am  – 15 minute break.

10:15am  – 2009 IECC residential requirements in detail (continued).

Lunch Break

12:00 noon      (Lunch is included in the cost of the class).

Afternoon Session

12:45pm  – Demonstrations of Blower Door, Duct Tightness, and Infrared Camera testing in action,  air-sealing details, and heat recovery ventilation system requirements.

4:00pm    – Return to conference room for Q&A.

5:00pm    – Close.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES – by the end of the day you will:

• Be familiar with the format and layout of the 2009 IECC.
• Understand the Montana amendments to the code.
• Understand the differences between the current version and the new version of the code (with amendments).
• Be familiar with the JOBSITE CHECKLIST provided and how to use it to ensure that nothing gets overlooked during the construction process.
• Understand exactly what is required to meet the requirements of the 2009 IECC and the Montana amendments.
• Know what is involved in Blower Door, Duct Tightness, and IR Camera Tests.
• Understand the fundamentals of Heat and Energy Recovery Ventilation systems and their ducting requirements.
• Have a better understanding of energy efficient building design and construction, building science, and Green Building in general.
• Understand how energy efficient construction can affect the Health, Safety, Comfort, Durability, and Affordability of homes in Montana.

TAKE-HOME MATERIAL

• Jobsite Booklet – developed exclusively for this training program. Includes a thorough checklist and relevant examples (with photos) to help Project Managers ensure that every residential job meets or exceeds the requirements of the 2009 IECC. (1 copy included in price – more available for purchase)

Optional Extras (additional price per copy)

• 2009 International Energy Conservation Code $35.00 Paperback version of the 2009 IECC – keep one on every jobsite!
• 2009 IECC Study Companion $48.00 Comprehensive study guide to help you better understand the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code®

For more information and to register call THE FLATHEAD BUILDING ASSOCIATION (406) 752-2422 OR EMAIL staff@buildingflathead.com