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February 1, 2012The EPA has developed a new voluntary guidance document, Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades, that provides a set of best practices for improving indoor air quality in conjunction with energy upgrade work in homes.
The guidance was developed in collaboration with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Recovery Through Retrofit Initiative and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiative to develop Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals.
The EPA protocols and DOE guidelines are intended for voluntary adoption by weatherization assistance programs, federally funded housing programs, private sector home performance contractors(see your Hilton Head heating and cooling contractor), and others working on residential energy upgrade or remodeling efforts. Together, the complementary documents provide a robust and practical set of resources for home energy upgrade contractors, trainers, and program administrators; help improve the quality of the work performed in this expanding industry; promote occupant health and safety; and will assure consumers that high quality work is performed.
Why EPA developed Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades
Millions of American homes will be upgraded or remodeled in the coming years to improve their energy efficiency, make them more comfortable and affordable, or add features their owners want. The benefits of Hilton Head home upgrades are tremendous — improving quality of life for occupants, protecting the environment, and sustaining American jobs. Integrated healthy home and energy efficiency upgrade activities can simultaneously lower utility costs and improve indoor air quality. Leading energy efficiency upgrade programs have demonstrated the feasibility of integrating many indoor air quality and safety improvements. However, home energy upgrade activities might negatively affect indoor air quality if the appropriate home assessment is not made before work begins or if work is performed improperly. The EPA developed Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades to provide practical guidance on improving or maintaining indoor air quality and indoor environments during home energy upgrades or remodeling.
The protocols apply to existing single-family and multi-family low-rise residential buildings. They provide guidance for conducting home assessments and undertaking the responses necessary to maintain or improve indoor air quality and safety. The protocols also can help improve the quality of home weatherization projects and other energy efficiency efforts, thus reducing failures and call-backs.
Aricle Source: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/retrofits.html
