Local developers and builders are invited by the New Hanover County Planning and Inspections Department to attend a workshop Thursday on energy efficiency. Current building techniques used by framers, insulators and HVAC contractors will be addressed.

Raleigh-based company Advanced Energy provides training, consultation, applied research and program development to help the building industry create more efficient and affordable products. System Vision, an initiative launched in 2000, is a nationally recognized program incorporated into over 5,000 homes across the country. Workshop attendees will learn about the basic building science principles utilized in the construction of System Vision homes.

The philosophy of System Vision is that a building should be interpreted as a system with independent components—the building shell, mechanical systems and people—that must work together to achieve optimum function. Treating a building as a system can help building professionals improve the durability, energy efficiency and environmental impacts of a house while emphasizing the health, comfort and safety of the occupants.

Advanced Energy offers a “Home Built With SystemVision Guarantee,” a program for homeowners of more modest means. It assures that for two years the energy used to heat and cool the home will not exceed a specific amount, and that the temperature in the center of any conditioned room will not vary more than three degrees from the thermostat setting. If the home fails to meet these conditions, Advanced Energy will cover the energy cost overrun.

The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in Training Room B at the New Hanover County Government Center located at 230 Government Center Drive in Wilmington.  To register, call Jackie Williams-Rowland, 910-798-7624.

The workshop is in partnership with the North Carolina Energy Efficiency Alliance, North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, Advanced Energy and New Hanover County Planning and Inspections Department.