IAQ Radio

Robert Higgins - William Thornton - Roland Vierra - The Moisture Mob - Concrete Panel Grand Finale - Part 1

This week we welcome Robert Higgins, William Thornton and Roland Vierra the Moisture Mob – Concrete Panel Grand Finale for a discussion of concrete and moisture related issues. This is the last of our series of shows on concrete and moisture. Next week we do our wrap up show on other types of flooring and moisture related problems. Our thanks to Pete Consigli "The Restoration Industry Global Watchdog" for his help pulling these shows together.
Robert Higgins has been involved with moisture-related issues in concrete and waterproofing since 1976 and has been developing products for such use since 1980. He was a product development chemist for SINAK. Bob is equally involved in product and process development, having developed most of the products manufactured and marketed by his former company SINAK Corporation, as well as owning or co- owning patents for moisture testing. He has expertise in moisture-related concrete issues, having been involved with waterproofing, technical committees, professional groups, lecturing, teaching; and construction defect litigation. Bob lives and works in Osmond Beach, FL. He has given lectures internationally and throughout the US on concrete and coatings related topics. He also continues to work on various committees and provides expert witness services on topics related to construction, concrete and coatings.
William Thornton is North American Technical Director for Tarkett Sports and a leading floor covering industry expert. William has 4 decades of experience in all aspects of the industry from: retail sales, installation, cleaning, manufacturing, specifying, consumer complaint handling, technical training and standards writing.
Roland Vierra is the President and CEO of FLOORING FORENSICS, INC. Flooring Forensics is an independent consulting firm specializing in the science and forensic evaluation of floor covering performance failures. Flooring Forensics, Inc. is also foremost in concrete moisture testing. Flooring Forensics, Inc., supports legal, insurance, design, construction, manufacturing and installation professionals through proficient advisory and consultant services specific to the performance and behavior of all floor covering and floor coating systems. Mr. Vierra has been a third-party claims consultant for more than 35 years. During that time, he has advised numerous clients on product and installation selection, evaluated performance and installation failures and been designated as an expert in many construction defect litigation actions.
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Andre Desjarlais & Michael Lubliner - Oak Ridge National Laboratory & the Building Science Advisor Tool - Energy efficient & moisture durable; building envelope solutions

This week we welcome Andre Dejarlais and Mike Lubliner Luby for a discussion on Building Science, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the new Building Science Advisor Tool for efficient & moisture durable; building envelope solutions.
Michael Robert Lubliner is a Senior Energy Advisor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He previously worked at Washington State University Extension Energy Program as Building Science Residential Technical Lead at the Washington State Energy Office.  He is internationally recognized for his 35 years of significant contributions to residential building science R&D of emerging technology and building systems engineering.  He currently provides technical support at ORNL working with the Building Science Advisor and low-income weatherization programs.
Over the years, Lubliner worked to design, implement and evaluate utility energy efficiency incentive programs, and support; EPA Energy Star and Indoor Air Plus, DOE Zero Energy Ready and NAHB Energy Value Housing Awards. Lubliner is a subject matter expert in areas of new and existing single and multi-family site built and manufactured housing sectors.  He is a member of ASHRAE working to support energy efficiency, durability, and indoor air quality.  He provided technical support to state residential energy code from 1986-2022. He utilizes his effective and passionate communications style and wisdom from 35 years in the “school of hard knocks”, communicating with government agencies, utilities, developers, sub-contractors, supply chain manufacturers/distributors, building code officials, DIY and others.
André Desjarlais is the Program Manager for the Building Envelope and Materials Research Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has been involved in building envelope and materials research for over 45 years, first as a consultant and, for the last 30 years, at ORNL. Areas of expertise include building envelope and material energy efficiency, moisture control, and durability. Desjarlais has been a Member of ASTM since 1987 and serves on Committees C16 on Thermal Insulation, D08 on Roofing, and E60 on Sustainability. He is the past Chairman of ASTM Committee C16 and was awarded the title of Fellow in 2011. He has been a member of ASHRAE since 1991 and serves on Technical Committees TC 4.4 on Thermal Insulation and Building Systems, TC 1.8 on Mechanical Insulation Systems, and TC 1.12 on Moisture Control in Buildings, and is past Chairman of TC 4.4. André is also a founding director of the RCI Foundation.
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Brendon Burley, PhD, PE - Jennifer Isenbeck, PE - Meghan McNulty, PE - ASHRAE 62.1 Ventilation & Acceptable Indoor Air Quality - Is Acceptable, Acceptable?

This week we  welcome Dr. Brendon Burley PE, Jennifer Isenbeck PE and Meghan McNulty PE for a show we are calling ASHRAE 62.1 Is Acceptable, Acceptable? 
The ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2022, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality has been under the microscope with COVID and now RSV, Flu, etc. The standard has been the topic of many comments and critiques. This week we interview three committee members to get their perspective.
Brendon Burley, PhD, PE, LEED AP has been in the design industry since 1998 providing freelance CAD services for a number of clients in the Philadelphia area before moving on to work on his degrees and research at The Pennsylvania State University. For the past 14 years he has been focused on designing health care and higher education projects, mostly in the mid-Atlantic region. His projects range from laboratory equipment installations to medical center expansions and replacements, including projects involving advanced imaging equipment, medical and research containment facilities, and clean rooms. In addition to his work experience, he has been a member of ASHRAE since 2011 where he has served as a member of Standard 62.1 Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, Standard 170 Ventilation for Health Care Facilities, and the Environmental Health Committee. He currently serves as the chair for Standard 62.1.
Jennifer Isenbeck, PE, LEED AP is currently a staff engineer with Moffitt Cancer Center.  In the Planning, Design and Construction department, she works with various consultants on implementing best practices in healthcare design, campus infrastructure as well as providing design reviews, commissioning oversight and project implementation into operations.  Prior to this role, she was Director of Operations (Facilities) for various corporate and academic institutions.  Jennifer is currently chair of ASHRAE MTG.EBO (Effective Building Operations), past Chair of ANSI/ASHRAE Std 62.1 (2019-2022), DRC, Society Board of Directors (2013-2016).  She currently is a member of ASHRAE Standards and Publications Committees.
Meghan K. McNulty, PE, LEED AP is a Senior Project Engineer at Servidyne, in Atlanta, GA. She works with building owners and operators to reduce energy and emissions while improving indoor air quality in existing buildings. She specializes in investigating and modeling energy use, assessing ventilation systems, and compliance with local building energy policies. Meghan is a Registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Georgia and LEED Accredited Professional in Operations and Maintenance (LEED AP O+M).  She joined Servidyne in 2013 with a Master of Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University. Meghan volunteers with ASHRAE on the Government Affairs Committee; Standard Project Committee 62.1, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality; and Technical Committee 4.3, Ventilation Requirements and Infiltration, as Chair. In 2019, she received the ASHRAE Government Affairs Award for outstanding effort and achievement in state, provincial, and local government activities in connection with technical issues related to society.
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Rick Sims & Pete Consigli - Florida Hurricane Response/Recovery, HVAC Pro’s Perspective & Andy Äsk Building Science Symposium Preview

This week we welcome Rick Sims and Pete Consigli for a report on Hurricane Ian recovery, HVAC industry update and the Andy Ask Building Science Symposium aka Winter Break. It’s always great to have the Restoration Industry Global Watchdog join us and this week we also welcome his SW Florida HVAC expert and friend Rick Sims. This show will not only give us some insight into the current events in Florida but will go into some HVAC related issues that are front and center in the industry today.
Rick Sims is a Florida mechanical contractor with over forty years experience in dealing with Climate Zone One moisture levels. Rick serves on the Mechanical Technical Advisory Committee for the Florida Building Commission and teaches code related topics all over Florida. Rick has been teaching HVAC professionals since 1987. Rick has collected field data for Andrew Ask for many years and has assisted in research projects involving use of dehumidifiers with central air conditioning systems.
Pete Consigli is a Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Certified Restorer (CR) and Water Loss Specialist (WLS) and has been a member of the Restoration Industry Association since 1977. Over the years he has been an active volunteer and filled various association leadership roles. Pete is RIA’s “Resident” Historian and an archival resource to the industry. In 2008, Pete received RIA’s most prestigious honor for excellence in restoration, the Martin L. King award. In 2012 RIA made Pete the second honorary member to its association, only the third such honor in RIA’s 75 years.
The RIA recognized Pete in 2021 at their 75th Diamond Anniversary Convention in Orlando, Florida by naming its new scholarship program, “The RIA Pete Consigli Educational Scholarship Award” in his honor. RIA presents the award at its Annual Convention and Exposition. When asked, Pete advises the RIA education committee and staff on matters impacting the restoration industry and its members. In his 5th decade in the industry Pete enjoys his reoccurring role on IAQradio+ as the “Restoration Global Watchdog. He is well-known as the Building Science Summer Camp’s “Executive Chef Emeritus.” Pete and long-time friend Cliff “The Z-man” Zlotnik, CR, WLS, CIEC are Consigliere’s (advisors) to the Moisture Mob!
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Lisa White - Grid-Building Interaction, Microgrids and Passive Building

This week we welcome Lisa White, Associate Director at the Passive House Institute US. This show is a great follow up to our recent discussions about the internet of things, sensors and the electrify everything movement. Lisa did a well received presentation at Summer Camp with thoughtful insights on how changes to the grid can be coordinated with changes in buildings to take advantage of the moment.
Lisa White is the Associate Director and a technical lead for Phius (Passive House Institute US). Ms. White has been with Phius since 2012. She led the building certification review team for seven years and is an instructor for Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC®️) training and WUFI®️ Passive energy modeling software training. She holds a degree in Environmental Sustainability with a minor in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master’s in Energy Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Allison A. Bailes III, PhD - A House Needs to Breathe… Or Does It?

This week we welcome Dr. Allison Bailes of Energy Vanguard to talk about his new book A House Needs to Breathe….. or Does It?. We will talk about his thoughts on proper ways to make homes comfortable, healthy and energy efficient. Dr. Bailes is widely known for his excellent writing in the Energy Vanguard blog.
Allison A. Bailes III, PhD, is founder and owner of Energy Vanguard in Decatur, Georgia. Like many in the field of building science and green building, he is multi-faceted: His academic credentials in physics (BS, MS, MST, and PhD all in that field) give him a solid foundation in the science that underlies buildings. Having taught physics at the high school and college levels, he’s adept at explaining technical concepts in a way that people new to green building can understand. In addition, he has practical, hands-on experience. He built a high-performance home out of structural insulated panels, doing much of the work himself, and ran a home performance contracting business. Numerous homes in the Atlanta area had their ducts sealed and crawl spaces encapsulated by Dr. Bailes himself. Between his first and second businesses in this field, he gained more green building experience by working as the regional manager for the EarthCraft House program in the Southeast. What Dr. Bailes has become most known for in recent years, though, is writing the Energy Vanguard blog. In it he covers everything from building science fundamentals to HVAC particulars to big-picture topics like energy security and peak oil. The blog has gained a wide readership in a short time and is often cited and linked to from other websites.

Serene Al-Momen, PhD - CEO of Senseware - Sensors, IoT and IAQ; Putting the Pieces Together

This week on IAQ Radio+ we welcome Dr. Serene Al-Momen CEO of Senseware to discuss Sensors, IoT and IAQ; Putting the Pieces Together. We have recently had several shows about sensors and IAQ and we saw the Denver Public Schools Superintendent discussing his dashboard during the White House Summit on IAQ. This week we tie it all together with an IT specialist that has figured out a way to let any building take advantage of the sensor revolution.
Dr. Serene Al-Momen holds a Ph.D. degree in IT and is a certified PMP, SCM, ITIL, and SCJP. In building Senseware from the ground up, Dr. Al-Momen found a niche group of building owners, engineers, GC’s and energy consultants that were all at a disadvantage by not having wireless, instant access to real-time facility and site data. As co-founder and CEO of the high-growth technology company, Dr. Al-Momen worked to provide a modern IoT-enabled technological solution to an age-old issue in an industry that was previously ignored by the IoT sector—the commercial and industrial real estate industry.
Today, she continues to monitor the IoT landscape for opportunities and is known for pushing her team to stay one step ahead of the competition. During COVID-19, Senseware's real-time indoor air quality solution grew in popularity across industries including schools, commercial offices, medical, and entertainment venues. Dr. Al-Momen has helped over 200 spaces reopen safely after COVID-19. She has filed and received 43 patents for her work and has been named one of Forbes top 50 women-led startups who crush tech.
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Mark Ames - AIHA Director, Government Relations - White House Summit on IAQ Takeaways

This week we welcome Mark Ames, AIHA Director, Government Relations to discuss the recent White House Summit on IAQ. Mark was there and we will try to distill the 3.5 hour summit into this show. For the full video of the event go to: https://youtu.be/q1HCG1aXaBg
Since 2003, Mark has led the government relations activities of major national and global nonprofit associations, representing educators, school leaders, engineers, and workplace and community health and safety professionals. Mark currently serves as the head of government relations for AIHA, where he works with legislators, regulators, nonprofits, and leaders at some of the world’s largest companies to identify and solve critical problems facing businesses, workers, and communities throughout the nation.
Mark is the Vice-chair ASAE’s Government Relations and Advocacy Professionals Advisory Council, serves on the Board of Directors for the [Re]build America’s School Infrastructure Coalition, and is the author of The 30-Minute Leader: Your Guide to Influence, Power, and Transformation, available on Amazon.

Nate Adams - Electrification, Heat Pumps, IAQ & The Inflation Reduction Act

This week we welcome back one of our favorite regular guests Nate “The House Whisperer” Adams for a show called electrification, heat pumps, IAQ & The Inflation Reduction Act.
Nate “The House Whisperer” Adams is the author of The Home Comfort Book and has helped numerous clients make their homes healthier, more comfortable, and able to run on clean electricity. He and his partners have adapted that upgrade process into the HVAC 2.0 program which gives HVAC contractors a business model to deliver the same results for their clients while enjoying their work more and being more profitable.
His focus on residential electrification retrofits earned him the moniker “The Father of Electrify Everything” from Panama Bartolomy, CEO of the Building Decarbonization Coalition. He splits his time between living on the Cuyahoga River in Hiram Ohio and in a former West Virginia coal mining village with his wife and young daughter.

R Subramanian, PhD - An International IAQ Perspective & Low Cost Monitor Review

This week we welcome Dr. R. Subramanian for his international perspective on IAQ and to discuss how to evaluate and use low cost sensors. Dr. R Subramanian is a mechanical engineer who does research in atmospheric chemistry and environmental science. His PhD is in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in the IAQ Radio hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Subramanian is currently working in Qatar and joins us from there today.
Dr R Subramanian (“Subu”) is a Senior Scientist at the Environment and Sustainability Center (ESC) of the Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute (QEERI), where he leads QEERI’s research on sensors for air quality and climate, with applications in outdoor air quality monitoring and forecasting, IAQ management, and measurement of GHG emissions. He is also a research fellow at the Kigali Collaborative Research Centre (Rwanda) and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA, USA).
His recent accomplishments include leading the development of the Real-time Affordable Multi-Pollutant (RAMP) monitor, co-leading the deployment of a 50 RAMP network in and around Pittsburgh, PA, and establishing the Africa qualité de l’air (AfriqAir) monitoring network in many cities across Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, he leads the air quality checks program for the FIFA World Cup 2022.