What if every future builder learned building science before they ever stepped onto a job site?

In this special roundtable episode of the E3 Podcast, Emily Mottram is joined by all four authors of Pretty Good House—Emily Mottram, Dan Kolbert, Mike Maines, and Chris Briley—along with educator Matt Blomquist to discuss an exciting new step for the Pretty Good House movement.

After successfully leading students through the construction of multiple Pretty Good Houses, Matt has developed a comprehensive curriculum that helps high schools, community colleges, and trade programs teach modern building science using the Pretty Good House book as its foundation.

Together, the group discusses why today's trades need more than traditional construction methods, how sequencing and simple building practices lead to better-performing homes, and why teaching future builders to think critically about air sealing, moisture management, indoor air quality, healthy materials, ventilation, and communication may be just as important as teaching them how to frame a wall.

The conversation also explores the future of the Pretty Good House movement, the responsibility of educating the next generation of builders, and why creating homes that are durable, healthy, resilient, and affordable starts long before construction begins.

Whether you're a builder, architect, educator, student, or homeowner, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the next generation of high-performance homes may be built—and who's teaching the people who will build them.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the new Pretty Good House curriculum was created

• How building science can be taught in high school and trade programs

• The biggest lessons the four Pretty Good House authors want future builders to understand

• Why sequencing is one of the most important skills on a job site

• How healthy materials, indoor air quality, and mechanical systems fit into modern home building

• The role communication plays between builders, designers, and homeowners

• Where the Pretty Good House movement is headed next

How do we create homes and communities that are affordable, energy efficient, and resilient in the face of climate change? In this episode of E3: Energy & Efficiency with Emily, Emily Mottram speaks with Charity Fain, Executive Director of the Community Energy Project in Portland, Oregon, about the critical role that energy efficiency, weatherization, electrification, heat pumps, renewable energy, and climate resilience play in creating healthier homes and stronger communities. Whether you're a homeowner, architect, builder, energy auditor, sustainability professional, policymaker, or simply interested in creating a more resilient home, this episode offers practical insights into the real-world impact of energy efficiency and climate-focused community programs.

In This Episode:

• Energy efficiency and weatherization

• Heat pumps and home electrification

• Climate resilience and extreme weather

• Building science and home performance

• Energy affordability and utility policy

• Renewable energy and community solar

• Environmental justice and energy justice

• Low-income housing improvements

• Workforce development in the clean energy sector

• Creating healthier, more comfortable homes

About E3: Energy & Efficiency with Emily

Hosted by Emily Mottram, residential designer, building science educator, and co-author of the Pretty Good House series, E3 explores the intersection of high-performance homes, building science, energy efficiency, sustainability, and resilient design through conversations with leading experts from across the construction and housing industries.

In this episode of E3: Energy & Efficiency with Emily, Emily Mottram sits down with building enclosure consultant Emily Fulton of SK Collaborative. They dive into the realities of construction; from managing moisture and humidity in challenging climates to the often overlooked importance of detailing, sequencing, and on-site training. The conversation explores how small decisions can lead to major building failures, why education and consistency matter across crews, and what the industry can learn from both successes and mistakes. It’s a candid, insightful look at building science, problem-solving in the field, and navigating the construction world as women in the industry. 

In this episode we sit down with a residential mechanical engineer, Ashley Murphree, to talk about the systems most homeowners never see, but feel every day.

From ventilation and filtration to hydronics, heat pumps, and indoor air quality, this conversation explores how mechanical design directly impacts health, comfort, and long-term building performance. We also talk about what it’s like to work as a woman in a male-dominated field, and why systems thinking, not shortcuts, is key to building better homes.

A grounded, practical conversation about engineering for real life.