The 2012 North Carolina Residential Building Code now requires duct sealing and duct leakage to be verified and meet stringent standards. Richmond Community College is offering a course on how to test ducts and where to look for leaks that are commonly missed. Two classes will be held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 8 and 9, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Honeycutt Center in Laurinburg. Tuition is $275. Register by calling 410-1848.
“This is the biggest code change for builders in the last 50 years,” said Scott Suddreth, director of Building Performance Engineering in Boone, N.C. “We have required plumbers pass a pressure test since the beginning of the building code, but we never had requirements for ducts. Now it’s here.”
Building Performance Engineering, Inc. is a building science group that trains and consults with contractors as well as performs independent diagnostic testing. Andrew Woodruff, a graduate of the construction technologies program at Appalachian State University and a BPE employee, will be the instructor. He will provide hands-on instruction, including how to set up and perform duct testing using their equipment.
“In this country, 20 to 40 percent of all the air moving through ducts never makes it into the house. That’s 20 to 40 cents of every bill for heating or cooling going out the window. We built a business helping people build energy efficient homes. Now this code is requiring everyone to do what we’ve done ever since we’ve been in existence. We’re trying to help builders get up to speed,” said Suddreth.
Qualified businesses and residents of Richmond, Scotland, Robeson, Bladen, and Hoke counties may be eligible to have their tuition paid by the Lumber River Workforce Development Board. Contact Robert Macy at 910-272-5066 to learn more.
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