PORT TOWNSEND — A Green Building Symposium for those planning to build a new home or who are interested in making homes more energy-efficient is planned Saturday.
The free symposium will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.
On hand will be architects, designers, contractors who specialize in energy-efficient building design and construction, consultants who use thermal-imaging techniques to calculate building heat loss and homeowners of energy-efficient homes to provide information and talk about potential projects.
The event is sponsored by Power Trip Energy Corp., a Port Townsend solar PV contracting firm.
The presenters selected so far include:
■ Richard Berg of Terrapin Architecture, who will speak about the passive house design concept, in which a structure is so well-insulated and sealed that it uses 90 percent less energy for heating than a conventional home, being primarily heated by passive solar gain and by “passive” heat from people and electrical appliances.
■ Ann Raab of GreenPod Development, who will present the GreenPod home design, a compact, energy-efficient home utilizing modular building construction methods and structurally insulated panels.
■ Architect Kevin Coker, who will focus on techniques for making existing homes — including historic homes — more energy-efficient.
■ Tim Halpin of Pacific Inspection Services, who will cover the use of thermal imaging to assess building heat loss and who will offer strategies for sealing and insulating existing homes.
In addition to the presentations, there will be an interactive Q&A panel discussion.
Attendees are encouraged to bring questions on how to make their own homes more energy-efficient.
Architects, building designers and contractors who would like to participate in this event can phone Jeff Randall of Power Trip Energy at 360-301-9019 or email jeffr@powertripenergy.com.
There is no charge for presenters to participate.