Beginning the first week of April, the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council will be presenting a series of residential construction trainings around the state. These are high quality, building science programs. But, thanks to our program partners: the Mid-Coast Builder’s Alliance, the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Maine, the American Lung Association of Maine, Efficiency Maine, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, throughout 2007 these programs will be free to anyone wishing to attend. Course descriptions and training dates are shown below, and will be updated as more courses are scheduled. Please check back at this website for updated listings and locations of these trainings. (Don't forget to refresh your browser!)

                                    

The Building Shell

A new home’s building shell, in simple terms, is comprised of the structural elements that separate the inside from the outside: walls, roofs, windows, doors. The shell’s function, however, is anything but simple. It has to protect its occupants from rain, wind and snow. It has to control the flow of energy and heat between indoors and outdoors. It has to control the flow of air and moisture. It has to provide light and a mechanism to enter and exit. It has to provide a means for pollutants and contaminants to flow out of the building. It has to create an environment that is comfortable indoors, when conditions outdoors are not. And, it significantly determines the affordability and energy consumption of a home. Proper design and construction of the residential building shell is one of the most critical components to insure both the structural integrity of a home, as well as the health and safety of the people living in it.  This half day training educates residential building professionals on the design and construction techniques to assemble a building shell that successfully maintains structural integrity and occupant health. See full flyer for topic and speaker description.

We are working to set our 2008 training schedule.  Check back for listings.

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Keeping Foundations Warm & Dry

This program was so successful in 2005, that existing and new program partners and sponsors are helping us to bring it back to Maine in 2006. This training educates residential building professionals on the construction practices that can minimize the risk of indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in new homes. The program will provide a general overview of indoor air quality issues that occur in new home construction, followed by an extensive exploration of specific construction techniques that keep foundations warm, dry, and pollutant-free. The program will include discussion of available products and product costs, as well as briefly address the relationship between IAQ construction practices and the new Maine Model Building Code (IRC) and other building resources. Attendees will have plenty of opportunity to explore and discuss the concepts presented at the program. See attached flyer for topic and trainer descriptions.

We are working to set our 2008 training schedule.  Check back for listings.

Ventilating New & Existing Homes

This program will educate residential building professionals on the reasons why efforts to control ventilation in a home are necessary to protect occupant health. It will discuss the most common sources of indoor air pollution in homes and how they get there, and what physical processes are present (air flow, pressure, moisture) that affect indoor air quality. The program will emphasize practical strategies to achieve core ventilation goals. The program will address both new and existing construction. See attached flyer for topic and trainer descriptions.

We are working to set our 2008 training schedule.  Check back for listings.