We are hopefully going to make the building a more comfortable warehouse. We’ll start with some theory and testing to see what we are dealing with. Along the way, the students will gain new ways of looking at buildings from an energy standpoint and learn ways to make their homes more energy-efficient, healthy, and comfortable.

The main tool we will use is a Blower Door. It is a large fan that blows air out of the building allowing us to sense the air coming in so we know where to seal the building with caulk and/or foam. We will test before and after and hopefully, we’ll see some progress. We will look at the heating systems and evaluate how to make them more efficient. We may be looking at ways to de-stratify the air bringing the heat down from the ceiling.

Agenda:

• Tools of Weatherization and their uses
• Safety in buildings
• Inspecting and Testing
• Doing the work
• Re-Testing
• What did we learn?

About the instructor, Joel: From 1990 – 2017 Joel’s career was in the energy efficiency sector as a residential energy auditor and project manager. He taught homeowners about the functions of the components in their homes as he inspected them from top to bottom. He tested for air leakage, insulation levels in floors, walls and attics, measured the airflow of their ventilation fans, and used all this information to form a work plan to make their dwelling more energy-efficient, comfortable, and healthy. For 8 years of that time, he also taught a weekly evening class at Shoreline Community College in the Clean Energy Technology program called Residential Energy Auditing. The books he used for his curriculum are at the NESTL.

Our sliding scale for classes helps to reduce barriers for participation while retaining sufficient income for Seattle REconomy, which owns and operates the NE Seattle and Shoreline tool libraries. Please choose the level that best fits your family’s income.