Most clients come to me seeking help with specific goals, like reducing their cost for or overdependence on nonrenewable energy and environmentally negative consequences. Many have these goals because they have had plenty experience with structures and setups which were designed or put together without much thought given to energy and environment. I often start consulting and design processes by helping them understand why so much around us is exactly like that. 1st, most homes and buildings are not likely designed for efficiency or better use of renewable resources. The "old way" of design started with a sketch or preliminary design based mostly on looks, layout or low-budget, then maybe had some energy and environmental fixes or "prescriptions" added afterward. 2nd, construction trades have not historically built with much attention to details which would produce better efficiency, sometimes even when design called for it. Often if there were energy and environmental fixes, they were not even implemented optimally. 3rd, building and home occupants have tended to become less aware and involved in the operations of their built environments while design and construction professionals have tended to increase complexity, abstraction and automation, further minimizing occupant awareness and involvement. Finally, many owners and occupants have developed expectations and behaviors which steadily increase their demands for nonrenewable resources and pollution, especially regarding electrical conveniences and technologies. In our modern world, energy and environment decisions are becoming so complicated that it's very important to understand these matters in order to make our new designs and implementations into the best solutions possible.

In my design or consulting for new structures and major remodelilng, I "integrate" energy and environment thinking into design and consulting from the beginning, not merely applying energy and environmental fixes after initial designs are proposed. I treat clients as co-designers and co-specifiers, preferring more educated and shared decisions. Here are some key points which describe how I prefer to think and work.

1) My home and small building designs all include substantial upgrades in efficiency as well as improvements in how they use renewable energy.   I’ve not only studied designs, construction methods and operation alternatives, but each of my own homes and offices has been substantially modified and upgraded to demand less nonrenewable energy and pollution. What I’ve learned is incorporated and/or offered to my clients for their projects.

2. My design and construction details consider likely limitations in education, experience and focus among available or likely contractors and material suppliers.   I offer to educate contractors as needed about the intents and reasons for any nontraditional construction details. I also incorporate “backup” construction details to compensate or correct for most probable shortcomings expected during construction, thereby helping to ensure better performance even when construction is imperfect. When contractor training is unavailable or unaccepted, I sometimes even steer clients away from products or materials which require special nontraditional implementation skills.

3. My structures are designed for the most agreed-upon amount of passive and manual operation to achieve better performance, from air movement and daylighting to heating and cooling. As part of my designs, I include education about how a design will “behave”: how temperatures will tend to rise and fall or be distributed in various rooms on typical days; which surfaces will be struck by sunbeams when; how natural ventilation is best accomplished; how daylighting and natural ventilation are best utilized; how indoor humidity is controlled; etc. Sometimes hour-by-hour thermal simulations are used to predict these matters, but often my own studies and personal experiences make simulation unnecessary, especially in less complex designs which are similar to past projects.   I predict my clients' probable energy use, pollution demand and comfort performance.   I compare predictions with those from past clients and my own household. I provide commentary and negotiation through-out any design to help clients achieve the best performance in the future.

4. My clients have access to my help before and after their design and construction, so there is available ongoing education to minimize nonrenewable energy use and pollution, to maximize reliance on renewable resources, to sustain best performance. I prefer my clients to be co-designers, so they share the challenges, decisions and responsibilities for achieving superior outcomes. I provide onsite assistance as needed, even additional reading and graphics when appropriate to document how a design should perform, what its energy costs and pollution ought to be, how most efficiently to operate what kinds of electric appliances and lights.   My energy surveys allow clients to track their performance and compare with others. Everyone doesn’t want these services, but most who achieve lowest energy bills and least pollution tend to seek at least some. And post-design client contacts assists me to become a better designer and consultant.

Which Role For Me, Designer or Consultant?

Commonly I am the primary project designer, handling all aspects of the design and documents, and sometimes project supervision.   This is typical in most of my residential projects, where scale is relatively small and laws do not require a locally registered architect or engineer. In this role, there may be other professionals and consultants who assist me with these responsibilities when they become complex or beyond my experience. On simple projects, I often work alone. Team or alone, when I am the primary designer, my fees and expenses are billed directly to the client, including expenses and fees I’ve paid to the other consultants whom I select.

Sometimes I am an energy consultant or “green building consultant”, working for other designers, building contractors or the owners. In this arrangement, my inputs and offerings are often more defined by someone else. My billing can be to the owner or another project leader. Owners are welcome to seek my input prior to selecting a designer, when energy, environmental and other performance goals are explored or set. I can assist in the selection of designers, engineers, other professionals and contractors. I can also help finetune performance after design and construction. But when I'm not the primary project designer, it's usually the client or another project leader who assigns these roles.

John F. Robbins, CEM CSDP

3519 Moffett Road

Morningview, KY 41063-8748

Phone: (859) 363-0376

E-mail: johnfrobbins@insightbb.com