What is the goal of Building Performance & Comfort? Stated briefly, it is to be your source for a full range of building science services. I devote my full attention to providing the finest building science services available to both the commercial and residential markets across the country. Building performance science uses the most up to date research based knowledge, equipment and diagnostic test protocols to provide homes and buildings that are:

• Healthy - Excellent Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), no mold or allergens
• Safe - No carbon monoxide, sustainable design and materials
• Durable - Free of decay or rot, low maintenance
• Efficient - Low utility bills, sustainable design and equipment
• Comfortable - Even temperatures, good humidity control

Building Performance & Comfort pursues these goals by providing:

• Whole building diagnostic testing utilizing established scientific test protocols and standards for evaluation and remediation
• Resolution of performance related warranty issues for builders, subs
• Design consultation for owners, architects, HVAC firms and builders
• Diagnosis and remediation of "sick" buildings and homes
• Resolution of unacceptable comfort levels or high utility bill complaints
• Investigation and resolution of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) complaints for the allergy suffer, chemically sensitive, or breathing impaired
• Training, education and public presentations before groups, TV or other media on the MEC, MAD AIR, IAQ, HVAC, and building science topics
• Model Energy Code (MEC/IECC '98) compliance reviews and training
• Home Energy Ratings for EEM's, and HERS related training seminars
• Program design, evaluation, and training for conservation programs
• The very finest testing equipment, gauges, data loggers, and software
• Professional reports written in a clear, easy to follow style
• Excellent resources for research including a complete library of reference materials and an extensive network of personal contacts at the best research centers, labs and top manufacturers across the nation
• Integrity, directness and honesty with my clients in all of my endeavors

"Houses and buildings are systems." I'm very proud to say that I helped introduce this concept to Texas over ten years ago. A majority of my effort over the past fifteen years has been focused on improving building performance. I've learned from the best building research professionals how to design, build, and test facilities to ensure that all of the components and systems work together harmoniously. This is a multi disciplinary field. My experience, training and certifications include:

• Earned the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), Certified Energy Manager (CEM-commercial) and CDSM-(residential) certifications
• Certified by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) as an Instructor for Manual J (cooling/heating equipment sizing), Manual D (duct design) and Manual S (equipment selection)
• Certified Duct Diagnostician, by the Florida Solar and Energy Center (FSEC)
• Nine years as manager of the award winning (DOE, EPA, State of Texas) City of Austin, Energy Conservation Programs (Loans, Rebates, Energy Audits)
• Six years with the Austin Green Building Program, recipient of the U. N. Ten Best Award. I focused on sustainability, IAQ, codes, moisture, energy
• Indoor Air Quality courses and seminars from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the State of Texas, and dozens of short courses and classes offered by IAQ research facilities and universities
• Served on the national Board of Directors of Affordable Comfort, Inc., the leading non-profit corporation involved with building performance training and information transfer. Sponsor of the Affordable Comfort Conference.
• Founding member of the Building Performance Contractors Association (BPCA)
• Administered, wrote amendments and trained inspectors on the CABO/IECC Model Energy Code for the City of Austin for eight years
• Appeared regularly as the Green Guru on KVUE-24 "Daybreak Show" (ABC)
• Taught hundreds of seminars on building performance topics (classroom/field)

About 90 per cent of what we now know about how our homes and facilities actually perform, and why they so often fail, has been discovered in just the last ten years of intensive research. Building science and performance testing demands that one understand the entire facility as a complex interdependent system.

A building performance scientist must bring an understanding of HVAC, moisture, airflow, heat transfer, ventilation, IAQ, pressure relationships, construction methods, materials, codes, insulation, and more to each job. I have the required mix of knowledge, skills and ability to bring a unique, scientific, multi-disciplinary approach to solving building performance and comfort problems.

You can contact me by telephone at (512) 259-2324 or by E-mail at dgarrett@texas.net. I will be happy to discuss what services you may require and then make satisfactory arrangements to meet your needs.