Andrew Burns and John Downie, The Burns Companies, presented to the REBA Massachusetts chapter on the challenges of Building Green and the Building Energy Codes inherent in states. July 11, 2011
1. Building Green Building Energy CodesJuly 12, 2011 Andy Burns, LEED-AP, President John Downie, AIA, LEED-AP, Consulting Architect
2. Agenda What is ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’? Building Energy Codes Energy Consumption Comparisons Case in Point: Silver LEED-EB v2.0 Beyond Code Challenges to ‘sustainable’ standards
3. What is Green or Sustainable? “Green” Building is: Kermit the Frog’s House? Any building painted with Benjamin Moore #2034-40 Cedar Green ? Any ivy covered building at Harvard?? Also known as Green Construction or Sustainable Building, Green Building refers to building processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from site selection to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. ✔
4. “Sustainable architecture seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space.” -Wikipedia What is Green or Sustainable? Buildings account for 40% of U.S. energy use* *Source: International Energy Agency, www.iea.org
5. Energy Codes Today Building codes start as life safety/construction Energy codes in U.S. have been standardized through IECC Massachusetts has adopted IECC MA jurisdictions have the option of using the ‘stretch’ code Stretch code dictates 35-40% reduction in building energy usage over base code.
6. Actual Energy Consumption Comparison For single family houses in Denmark Relative to energy efficiency requirements in building codes *Source: International Energy Agency, www.iea.org
8. Beyond Code - LEED USGBC LEED Program: Not-for-profit trade organization The largest ‘sustainable’ rating program in the U.S. Energy savings debatable Rates issues beyond energy 6 criteria for measurement
9. Case in Point: LEED-EB v2.0 Silver Certification Challenges: Existing building vs. new Occupant and Owner Green awareness Tight budget High traffic area, needed to minimize disruption Needed to identify areas of opportunity Required a team approach Conducted a retro-commissioning energy study
10. Case Results Achieved ENERGY STAR score of 72 NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) provided 50% cost sharing Operational gains: Reduced potable water by 10% over EPA 1992 standards Implemented extensive ozone protection through active management of refrigerants Powered by Green-e energy for electricity Diverted over 70% of building waste from landfill 85% efficiency (MERV 14) air filters to provide proper indoor air quality Office efficiencies: Sustainable purchasing of office materials, green cleaning paper products, and light bulbs 50% of office spaces have lighting controllability High performance green cleaning featuring Green Seal certified cleaning products, equipment and pest management Delivered Green Education to Occupants: Shared green building exterior management practices and preventive maintenance program Noted for exemplary performance in public transportation, development density, and occupant recycling
11. Beyond Code: Passive House U.S. Energy Information Administration shows buildings are responsible for: 48% of greenhouse gas emissions annually 76% of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to supply the Building Sector
13. Beyond Code - Zero-Net CREATE USE “…a popular term to describe a buildings use with zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually.” - Wikipedia By 2016, UK set the goal that all new buildings will have Zero-Net carbon footprint
14. Challenges Challenges to ‘sustainable’ building standards beyond the code: Potential suits against USGBC “Shadow Government” Lack of data on actual results Construction issues
15. Questions? Thank you! Contacts: Andy Burns aburns@theburnscompanies.com http://www.theburnscompanies.com Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/theburnsco John Downie jdownie@theburnscompanies.com http://www.theburnscompanies.com Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jovidownie