Recently in Commercial Building Remodeling Category
The
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE) is working toward a building energy labeling
program -- the Buliding EQ label.For years, ASHRAE has sought ways to help move the nation's building stock toward net-zero-energy use.
The new Building Energy Quotient program seeks the answers to that question with metrics for measuring both the energy the building is designed to use and the energy actually being consumed. The ASHRAE program is being designed to close the gaps between intention and operation.
ASHRAE
http://buildingeq.com/
California Green Solutions is building a robust catalog of professional
training courses and certification programs offered by private
companies and colleges. You will find this robust catalog covers
business law, construction, human resources...as well as engineering
and green building...and more.
Visit the Green and Sustainable Job Training Catalog at: CaliforniaGreenSolutions.com
Visit the Green and Sustainable Job Training Catalog at: CaliforniaGreenSolutions.com
The McKinsey Research Report
Starting in 2007, the McKinsey research team worked with leading experts to develop a detailed fact base estimating costs and potentials of different options to reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions in the US over a 25 year period. The team analyzed more than 250 options encompassing efficiency gains, shifts to lower-carbon energy sources and expanded carbon sinks.
Central Conclusion
The US could reduce GHG emissions in 2030 by 3 - 4.5 gigatons of CO2e using tested approaches and high-potential emerging technologies. The cost would be less tan $50 per ton, with the average net cost to the economy being far lower if the nation can capture sizable gains from energy efficiency. Achievement of these reductions would require strong, coordinated, economy-wide action that begins in the near future.
One complicating factor is reaching goals is that a gradual decrease in the absorption of carbon by US forests and agricultural lands will reduce achievements, and require greater GHG reductions.
Abatement Opportunities
Five Sectors offer Clusters of Abatement Potential
1. Improve energy efficiency in buildings and appliances (710-870 megatons)
This cluster of options includes: Lighting rtrofits, Improved heating, ventialation, air conditioning systems, Building envelopes, and building control systems; Higher performance for consumer and office electronics and appliances...and other options.
2. Imcrease fuel efficiency in vehicles and reduce carbon intensity of transportation fuels (340-660 megatons)
Most of the benefit would come from fuel economy packages such as light weighting, aerodynamics, turbocharging, drive-train efficiency, reduction in rolling resistance, and increased use of diesel for light-duty vehicles. Plug-in hybrid vehicels offer longer-term potential if vehicle cost/performance improves and the nation moves to a lower-carbon electricity supply.
3. Industrial Sector pursues various options cross energy-intensive operations (620-770 megatons)
A multitude of fragmented opportunities exist within specific industries: Equipment upgrades, process changes -- and across setors: Motor efficiency, combined heat and power applications.
4. Expand and enhance carbon sinks (440-590 megatons)
Increasing forest stocks and improving soil mnagement practices are relatively low-cost options.
5. Reduce carbon intensity of electric power production (800-1370 megatons)
Shift toward renewable energy sources primarily wind and solar, additional nuclear capacity, mproved efficiency of power plants and eventual use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies on coal-fired electricity generation.
"The theme of greater energy productivity pervades these clusters."
Improving energy efficiency in buildings and appliances and industrial sectors, for example, could offset some 85% of the projected incremental demand for electricity in 2030, largely negating the need for the incremental coal-fired power plants assumed in the government reference case.
Improved vehicle efficiency could roughly offset the added mobility-related emissions of a growing population, while providing net economic gains.
SOURCE: Download the full report at Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 11.21.07
Starting in 2007, the McKinsey research team worked with leading experts to develop a detailed fact base estimating costs and potentials of different options to reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions in the US over a 25 year period. The team analyzed more than 250 options encompassing efficiency gains, shifts to lower-carbon energy sources and expanded carbon sinks.
Central Conclusion
The US could reduce GHG emissions in 2030 by 3 - 4.5 gigatons of CO2e using tested approaches and high-potential emerging technologies. The cost would be less tan $50 per ton, with the average net cost to the economy being far lower if the nation can capture sizable gains from energy efficiency. Achievement of these reductions would require strong, coordinated, economy-wide action that begins in the near future.
One complicating factor is reaching goals is that a gradual decrease in the absorption of carbon by US forests and agricultural lands will reduce achievements, and require greater GHG reductions.
Abatement Opportunities
- The largest option -- coal-fired power plants -- offers less than 11 percent of total abatement potential. The largest sector (power generation) only accounts for approximately 1/3 of the total potential.
- Almost 40% of abatement could be achieved with options that would generate positive economic returns over their lifecycle.
- Abatement potentials, costs and mix vary by geographic region.
Five Sectors offer Clusters of Abatement Potential
1. Improve energy efficiency in buildings and appliances (710-870 megatons)
This cluster of options includes: Lighting rtrofits, Improved heating, ventialation, air conditioning systems, Building envelopes, and building control systems; Higher performance for consumer and office electronics and appliances...and other options.
2. Imcrease fuel efficiency in vehicles and reduce carbon intensity of transportation fuels (340-660 megatons)
Most of the benefit would come from fuel economy packages such as light weighting, aerodynamics, turbocharging, drive-train efficiency, reduction in rolling resistance, and increased use of diesel for light-duty vehicles. Plug-in hybrid vehicels offer longer-term potential if vehicle cost/performance improves and the nation moves to a lower-carbon electricity supply.
3. Industrial Sector pursues various options cross energy-intensive operations (620-770 megatons)
A multitude of fragmented opportunities exist within specific industries: Equipment upgrades, process changes -- and across setors: Motor efficiency, combined heat and power applications.
4. Expand and enhance carbon sinks (440-590 megatons)
Increasing forest stocks and improving soil mnagement practices are relatively low-cost options.
5. Reduce carbon intensity of electric power production (800-1370 megatons)
Shift toward renewable energy sources primarily wind and solar, additional nuclear capacity, mproved efficiency of power plants and eventual use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies on coal-fired electricity generation.
"The theme of greater energy productivity pervades these clusters."
Improving energy efficiency in buildings and appliances and industrial sectors, for example, could offset some 85% of the projected incremental demand for electricity in 2030, largely negating the need for the incremental coal-fired power plants assumed in the government reference case.
Improved vehicle efficiency could roughly offset the added mobility-related emissions of a growing population, while providing net economic gains.
SOURCE: Download the full report at Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 11.21.07
"Over the past couple years I've been developing a public seating
program with the City of Manhattan Beach, as a result of winning an
artists' competition initiated by their Cultural Arts Committee. Their
objective was to find designs for a series of beach/strand furnishings
that are to be site-specific, recyclable, and suited for long-term
use," explains the designer, Stacy Dukes of Santa Ana, CA.
Stacy Dukes Design, SDD, is a highly creative, full service design and production company specializing in architectural graphics and signage systems, visual communication and product development.
During the design process Dukes discovered a recently introduced ceramic-based composite (85% recycled industrial ceramic waste) that is fully recyclable. After testing, this material proved to be highly resistant to any damage from scratching, staining, oxidation, etc. Being cold-formed it eliminates production of greenhouse gasses, while UV has little or no effect and graffiti can be easily removed as it is non-absorbent.
The first benches that have been installed in alcoves along the boardwalk. Upon evaluation Dukes' team found that, unlike concrete or wood, the material dissipates heat and that the benches are virtually maintenance free. In terms of both design and material, we expect unsurpassed longevity.
Stacy Dukes Design, SDD, is a highly creative, full service design and production company specializing in architectural graphics and signage systems, visual communication and product development.
What makes Stacy Dukes Design unique is not only the capability to handle a project from start to finish -- from planning, concept and design development to in-house production and coordination with outside services -- but also the commitment to "break the barriers" in design and materials. With all aspects of a project under one umbrella, the complete process is expedited and the quality maintained at no extra cost.
Stacy Dukes Design
3201 W Warner Ave
Santa Ana CA 92704
Tel: 714 241 9144
www.StacyDukesDesign.com
In July of 2007 HUD introduced its Green Initiative, a nationwide pilot initiative
to encourage owners and purchasers of affordable, multifamily properties to rehabilitate
and operate their properties using sustainable Green Building principles.
Green Building and Healthy Housing Concepts
These principles comprise sustainability, energy efficiency, recycling, and indoor air quality, and incorporate the "Healthy Housing" approach pioneered by HUD.
Green Building and Healthy Housing Concepts
These principles comprise sustainability, energy efficiency, recycling, and indoor air quality, and incorporate the "Healthy Housing" approach pioneered by HUD.
The Green Initiative will focus on properties within HUD's Section 8 portfolio, specifically properties in the Mark to Market (M2M) Program administered by the Office of Affordable Housing Preservation (OAHP).
What is Green Building?
The real estate industry, including the
housing industry (and more particularly the affordable housing industry), is undergoing
a fundamental shift toward Green Building principles.
Green Building is designed to result in a property that reduces its impact on the environment, costs less to operate, and improves the residents' quality of life.
Green building considerations start with site selection and include building placement and design, materials and techniques used in construction, and all the systems, appliances, and fixtures within the building. Wikipedia provides a good working definition for the OAHP Green Initiative:
- Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use and harvest energy, water, and materials, and reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal - the complete building life cycle.
To
date, the focus of green initiatives has been on new construction
rather than on rehab, particularly moderate rehab that is
associated with M2M properties.
There are fewer opportunities to Go Green in rehab,
but the opportunities are significant, particularly
when viewed in the context of the M2M standard 20-year schedule of property repairs
and replacements.
Green Rehab Benefits
Green rehab practices should result in lower utility
costs that benefit HUD as well as residents and lower environmental impact. When rehab is performed
in a manner that meets both Green and Healthy Housing principles, residents will
benefit from
- lower utility costs
- improved indoor air quality
- lower risk of pest infestations
- lower levels of allergens
- reduced risk of mold-related illness
Why
apply Green principles in the M2M Program?
The M2M Program offers a unique
platform for establishing a Green Initiative in the HUD affordable housing portfolio
because it can be implemented within existing statutes, regulations, and authorities.
M2M provides opportunities to implement Green Building principles in a representative
sample of M2M restructurings involving properties that are already undergoing
rehabilitation.
As HUD's primary housing
preservation tool since its creation in 1997, OAHP has restructured more than
1,600 projects nationwide through the M2M program. These projects are privately
owned, HUD-subsidized (through Section 8), multifamily properties, with approx
100 units each, on average.
In addition to rehabilitating properties, M2M also resizes and restructures property debt to account for market rent levels, to pay for rehabilitation and 20 years' of estimated repairs and replacements, and to establish a financially viable project for the long term.
M2M provides an opportunity to test the impact of Green and Healthy Housing principles in the existing HUD-subsidized multifamily inventory by providing modest incentives to owners and purchasers to perform needed rehab and maintenance using Green alternatives, and to collect ongoing data to validate impacts on utility consumption and indoor air quality.
In developing the Green Initiative, OAHP has consulted with several industry experts, and their participation has been invaluable in the development of this outline. By launching the Green Initiative through M2M, HUD has the opportunity to continue to work with industry leaders to shape both the future of HUD's efforts and of the Greening of affordable housing in this country.
MORE INFO: http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/omhar/paes/greenini.cfm
On May 6, the secretaries of HUD and the Department of Energy (DOE) signed an MOU to
facilitate use of DOE Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) funding
in public housing and privately owned, federally assisted housing
properties.
HUD-Qualified Housing
Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
these properties, which are designated as "HUD-Qualified Housing," as well as those funded with the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) have sufficient income verification and rent controls to essentially prequalify them for the income and rent restrictions of the DOE's WAP program.
HUD-Qualified Housing
Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
these properties, which are designated as "HUD-Qualified Housing," as well as those funded with the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) have sufficient income verification and rent controls to essentially prequalify them for the income and rent restrictions of the DOE's WAP program.
The WAP program requires that the households assisted have incomes no greater than two times the federal poverty level. In addition, when the funds are used in multifamily buildings, there must be sufficient controls to assure that WAP funded improvements are not used by owners to unduly raise rents and burden the low income people the program is intended to benefit.
Specifically, the MOU states that DOE will accept HUD's and the LIHTC program's beneficiary income eligibility determination and ongoing verification for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).
To facilitate this, HUD will give DOE a list of "HUD-Qualified Housing" and LIHTC projects, and within 60 days HUD and DOE will provide joint guidance to states for evaluating income eligibility in order to implement the MOU. The agencies will also organize joint forums to educate stakeholders.
The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) provided $16 billion to DOE and HUD to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes. The Weatherization Assistance Program, which has been funded in recent years at roughly $250 million, received an additional $5 billion in ARRA. Similarly, HUD received $4.5 billion in new funding to renovate and upgrade public housing and $250 million to retrofit the privately owned, federally assisted housing.
The MOU is at www.hud.gov/recovery/doemoucombined.pdf
Construction debris (C&D) is one of the largest contributors to landfills. And landfills are the largest contributor to methane gas emissions to the atmosphere -- which is the greatest contributor to climate change. So...when you are remodeling, think about reducing your waste, and sending the rest of it out for recycling...not feeding the landfill system. And don't forget to request "RECYCLED CONTENT" in your new installations. Let's put demand in the right place!
Recycling is nothing new, but few among us have seen what happens to our plastic, paper, metal, and glass once it departs from our blue, curbside bins.
Recycling is nothing new, but few among us have seen what happens to our plastic, paper, metal, and glass once it departs from our blue, curbside bins.
The photographer Mathieu Young takes us on an enlightening tour of the Waste Management Materials Recovery Facility in Pico Rivera, California.
This recycling operation in Southern California is a single facility that sorts nearly 6,000 tons of material per month, and it's quite a load to take in.
The Waste Management Pico Rivera MRF is a privately owned and
operated 39,000 square foot recycling facility that sorts 5,800 tons of
material per month.
Even though we spend as much as 95% of our time indoors... humans still respond positively to daylight. We awake in the morning light and we get sleepy in the dark. That genetic reality can be used effectively at work and at home by maximizing the use of natural light.
When used in conjunction with photosensor or light-dimming controls, skylights such as Carlisle's DryLight can provide significant energy savings by reducing the use of artificial lighting, minimizing peak electrical loads and reducing overall operating costs. Because of its eco-friendly characteristics, natural light skylights such as Carlisle's DryLight can significantly contribute toward LEED® credit requirements in three categories.
Studies have shown that daylighting increases productivity in the workplace, improves learning in schools and increases purchasing by 5-8% in retail stores.
Carlisle SynTec
http://carlisle-syntec.com
When used in conjunction with photosensor or light-dimming controls, skylights such as Carlisle's DryLight can provide significant energy savings by reducing the use of artificial lighting, minimizing peak electrical loads and reducing overall operating costs. Because of its eco-friendly characteristics, natural light skylights such as Carlisle's DryLight can significantly contribute toward LEED® credit requirements in three categories.
Studies have shown that daylighting increases productivity in the workplace, improves learning in schools and increases purchasing by 5-8% in retail stores.
Carlisle SynTec
http://carlisle-syntec.com