Illinois Home Efficiency: From HERS to Passive – with Isaac Elnecave

As practitioners who design and build homes to the PHIUS standard know what, in terms of efficiency, they want the typical home to be like. However, what is the typical home like at this moment? We have gathered data from RESNET on over 5,000 homes that were given HERS ratings across the state of Illinois. The data from the ratings were disaggregated to show the distribution of insulation R-values,, blower door results and mechanical equipment efficiencies. How do these homes stack up against the code? Against a PHIUS home? The aim of this presentation is to begin the process of charting a path from where we are to where we want to go (all homes meeting the PHIUS standard…think big!).

About the Presenter
Isaac Elnecave joined the PHIUS Certification Team in 2019 where he provides design review and energy modeling services to evaluate project qualifications for PHIUS+ Certification. Isaac works closely with the submitting CPHC to provide feedback on questions pertaining to energy modeling and building plans. Prior to joining PHIUS, Isaac worked as a policy manager focused on promoting the development, adoption and implementation of the latest building energy codes and appliance efficiency standards. Isaac also worked as a civil engineer in Southern California where he designed seismic retrofits for older buildings susceptible to damage from earthquakes.

Isaac has a Bachelors Degree in Engineering Mechanics from the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science as well as a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California at Los Angeles.