334: Deep Dive Series: Applying Building Science, Episode 2: Energize Denver

This is episode 2 of 4 discussing the national organization BS + Beer and Building Science. If you hear any background noise, that's because this podcast was recorded LIVE at Tradecraft Industries before a BS + Beer meeting in December, 2023! "Their whole purpose is not to fine buildings. They don't want to levy these fines. They would like that money to go into upgrading the buildings so that they're achieving these targets...they want to really force the issue of, 'let's pay attention to this'...." Join us this week as we talk with Bryce Ballew of Tradecraft Industries about Energize Denver. Robby Schwarz from BUILDTank joins Devon as a co-host in this podcast! Bryce started out in the world of commercial construction as a project manager, but branched into multiple entrepreneurial pursuits including general contracting (Construction Incorporated LLC) construction focused flex-office space (Tradecraft Industries LLC) and most recently, building efficiency consulting (CleanTech Engineering LLC). CleanTech Engineering is a full-service consulting firm dedicated to helping real estate owners balance energy use with building performance and investment returns.  CleanTech draws experience from Commercial General Contracting, Mechanical Engineering and Property Management to work with building owners as they seek to navigate the requirements of Energize Denver ordinance. Aside from his professional pursuits, Bryce serves on the board for Combat Recovery Foundation, empowering veterans and trauma survivors to rebuild trust and community for those who have experienced the worst that life can send their way. When not working, Bryce enjoys snowboarding, trail running, scuba and free diving, hiking, boxing and international backpacking. Robby Schwarz has been a champion of home performance for over 25 years, focusing on building performance, applied building science, and system thinking.  He is committed to helping industry partners, builders, code jurisdictions, and others understand residential energy, applied building science, systems thinking, home performance and our role in the built environment. His interest started in 1995, while exploring how to incorporate green building materials into the production building environment.  Soon after, Robby founded his first company, BuiltWright, Inc.  In 2006, he cofounded EnergyLogic, now the largest energy rating firm of its kind in Colorado. In 2020 he became the principal thinker and founder of BUILDTank, Inc., a pragmatic building think tank specializing in actionable applied building science solutions. He is actively involved in energy code development, builder and trade training, and educating the next generation of residential energy experts. He has helped Colorado jurisdictions develop and implement their energy codes, presented code language that was successfully adopted at the national ICC® code hearings, and encouraged implementation of the simulated performance path for code compliance.  His ability to integrate applied building science and systems thinking with building programs such as Energy Star®, Indoor airPlus®, and DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes® has lead to thousands of certified homes in Colorado. Watch a clip of this LIVE podcast https://youtu.be/MNvRqlQei_4 Listen to Robby's podcast, BuildCAST: https://open.spotify.com/show/2M8c6vIFahbGsCBl675BAr