AgCenter offers class on new home energy code Feb. 17

BATON ROUGE — The LSU AgCenter will offer a seminar on Feb. 17 in Metairie to help educate home contractors, designers, inspectors and owners about new energy efficiency requirements.
The three-hour course, titled “Intro to Duct and Envelope Tightness,” will focus on the energy-efficient building code that Louisiana adopted in 2015. The code includes upgraded provisions for windows, lighting, thermostats, fireplaces and labeling. But the most significant changes are the requirements to verify building and ductwork air tightness, said Claudette Hanks Reichel, AgCenter extension housing specialist and director of the LaHouse Resource Center.
Homes with excess air leakage waste energy, increase utility costs and can be harder to keep comfortable. Sealing air leaks not only saves money, but can also reduce outside noise, pollen, dust, humidity and pests, Reichel said.
“Those ongoing benefits to homeowners can far outweigh the cost of the new air sealing and verification measures,” she said. “Contractors also benefit from the inherent quality control that can reduce costly callbacks and liability.”
The seminar is hosted by the Southeast Louisiana Coalition of the Air Conditioning Industry and will be taught by Reichel and Paul LaGrange, AgCenter building science educator. It will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Local 60 Plumbers Hall, 3515 N. I-10 Service Road West near Severn Avenue.
Advance online registration is $20 until midnight the day before the event. Students and code officials can register for $10. Registration at the door is $30.
For more information, contact Reichel at CReichel@agcenter.lsu.edu or 225-578-2378.