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Launch of New International Green Building Code Welcomed in Growing Industry

EarthandIndustry — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:11:00 -0800

By Timothy B. Hurst

As the average U.S. home size shrinks and buyers look greater efficiency and use of green building products, the likelihood for fraud or misleading claims about the green-ness of those homes rises. While there are some green building codes on the books, The International Code Council yesterday took the codification of green construction a step further and announced the release of Public Version 1.0 of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) to regulate construction of new and existing commercial buildings.

The purpose of the IGCC code is to significantly reduce energy usage and greenhouse gasses by addressing site development and land use, including preservation of natural and material resources. Enforcement of the code will improve indoor air quality and support the use of energy-efficient appliances, renewable energy systems, water resource conservation, rainwater collection and distribution systems, and the recovery of graywater. "We talked to communities who indicate that their voluntary green building programs reach only, but an important, 30 percent of the built environment," Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland said in a statement. "This means that there is a clear need for a regulatory tool to establish a baseline to help jurisdictions meet their sustainability goals."

With governments across the U.S. and around the globe clamoring for a green code to complement voluntary rating systems, the IGCC code, if adopted, can immediately to reduce energy usage as well as the resulting carbon footprint of thousands of commercial building projects. The IGCC initiative was launched in 2009 with Cooperating Sponsors the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International.

The work of the ICC/AIA/ASTM team in developing the new International Green Construction Code is now combined with the Standard developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

"Green building codes and standards working complementary to one another is a critical step towards advancing green building," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC. "This collaboration will accelerate the adoption of green building codes and standards developed jointly by ICC, ASHRAE, USGBC and IES, across the country and around the globe as we work collectively towards transforming building design, construction and operations to green practices."

The International Green Construction Code Public Version 1.0 is free and available for download at the IGCC website.

Reprinted with permission from Earth and Industry

Rural Coops Could Lend a Hand on Retrofits

Cleantechnica — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:37:00 -0800

By Susan Kraemer

A new type of utility-financed energy efficiency subsidy was introduced by Senator Merkley of Oregon to some surprisingly bipartisan support, gaining two Republican co-sponsors, in an indication of where a few Republican votes might be found in energy and climate legislation.

The Rural Energy Savings Program would provide Federal funding to rural electric co-ops so they could offer "on-bill" financing to their customers, allowing families and businesses to repay an energy efficiency retrofit loan off slowly over time through the savings on their monthly energy bill that the energy retrofit creates.

Like Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) funding it allows an entity to float bonds to provide the upfront cash, like Berkeley First and the subsequent municipal financing programs for putting in residential renewable energy.

The difference is, instead of a city or county, a rural electric coop would be fronting the money. Current PACE programs have used municipalities and cities, like Berkeley, or counties like Sonoma to float a bond and provide the funding and to be paid back over time through a corresponding increase in the homeowner's property tax bill.

Since the homeowner was no longer paying for electricity the tax assessment amounted to a substitute "utility bill", making the solar installation free in the sense that it is no more expensive than what homeowners were already paying. The lack of upfront expense is the draw.

Whether the money is fronted by a city or by a electric coop; the repayments should work just as effectively. Both cities and utilities are already in payment plans with the homeowner, a utility for electricity, a city for property taxes. Adding to that payment - while reducing the electricity payment correspondingly - is thus relatively straightforward.

And whether the money goes to produce energy - as in Berkeley and Sonoma County, funding solar panels - or to reduce energy use; as in this one for energy efficiency, should make little difference.

With enough efficiency measures like heat recovery, ground heat exchange, radiant cooling and heating, much better insulation, much higher R-value windows and walls - energy use can be reduced by efficiency up to 85% or so.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association supports the legislation. The USDA would administer it.

Republicans Lindsay Graham of new wind powerhouse South Carolina and Richard Lugar (of 90% coal powered Indiana) were the surprise cosponsors.

When the Senate finally takes up climate legislation, and with a few Republicans actually cosponsoring ideas like this one; it just might - I'm betting that this new electric utility version of municipal funding will be part of it.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

Union Organizer Targets Green Industry

CleanTechies — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:26:00 -0800

by Bruce Haring

Micah Mitrosky is an Environmental Organizer with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 569 in San Diego. She is focused on the renewables sector and talked with CleanTechies about unionization plans for the green industry.

CleanTechies: What is the mission of IBEW Local 569?

Micah Mitrosky: Our mission is to make sure that as our economy shifts to a low-carbon, sustainable economy, that we're creating middle-class jobs with health care benefits, skilled career opportunities. A lot of what you think of as the fossil fuel sector are middle-class, union jobs. We want to make sure that, as we're bringing in these new greener technologies and new green ways of doing things, that we're replacing those with better middle-class career opportunities.

CleanTechies: What's your biggest challenge in doing that?

Mitrosky: We're running into the same things with industry that we've always run into. They're working hard to keep wages low, off-shore jobs, cut corners on safety if it means a few cents more in profits. It's the same old story that unions have faced for a century.

CleanTechies: What is the educational level of the people you're trying to recruit?

Mitrosky: What we're finding is that a lot of the building blocks of the green economy are really the same skills that union craftspeople have had through their apprenticeship training. So, for example, when you talk about green building, you don't necessarily need new skills. It's just buildings are going to be built in a different way, more efficiently. But fundamentally, the building blocks of how to work with these technologies and to install them and use them are the same.

CleanTechies: Renewable energy projects take a lot of money upfront and a lot of them never make it to the finish line. What are companies saying about their reluctance to pay these middle-class wages you're seeking?

Mitrosky: I think that they're giving the same excuses that we've heard in every industry. But the reality is, as I mentioned before, that companies are always going to look for ways to cut corners on safety and middle class wages. And it's up to us to hold them accountable and require that these are good middle-class jobs with skilled career training opportunities.

CleanTechies: What's your typical day like?

Mitrosky: I'm working on everything from policy to media work to organizing, talking with non-union workers, planning events.

CleanTechies: What are your current projects?

Mitrosky: We're looking at the electric car. I know that's going to require a lot of skilled electrical work. Houses are going to need to be upgraded. Charging stations will need to be built. In this case, a lot of this work will require the skills that IBEW electricians have in order for it to be done in a quality way and make sure everything is working properly and safety is the highest priority.

I'm looking at some energy efficiency retrofit possibilities. Are there some ways to partner with municipalities here in our region? Energy efficiency is the low-hanging fruit. It's a way to create jobs quickly, save electricity right away, reduce your greenhouse gases and there's a lot of public funds and utility funds available for that. And also this spring, looking at ways that we can partner more closely with environmental allies and work more closely with them.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechies

On Rooftops Worldwide, a Solar Water Heating Revolution

Sustainablog — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:09:00 -0800

by Lester R. Brown

The harnessing of solar energy is expanding on every front as concerns about climate change and energy security escalate, as government incentives for harnessing solar energy expand, and as these costs decline while those of fossil fuels rise. One solar technology that is really beginning to take off is the use of solar thermal collectors to convert sunlight into heat that can be used to warm both water and space.

China, for example, is now home to 27 million rooftop solar water heaters. With nearly 4,000 Chinese companies manufacturing these devices, this relatively simple low-cost technology has leapfrogged into villages that do not yet have electricity. For as little as $200, villagers can have a rooftop solar collector installed and take their first hot shower. This technology is sweeping China like wildfire, already approaching market saturation in some communities. Beijing plans to boost the current 114 million square meters of rooftop solar collectors for heating water to 300 million by 2020.

The energy harnessed by these installations in China is equal to the electricity generated by 49 coal-fired power plants. Other developing countries such as India and Brazil may also soon see millions of households turning to this inexpensive water heating technology. This leapfrogging into rural areas without an electricity grid is similar to the way cell phones bypassed the traditional fixed-line grid, providing services to millions of people who would still be on waiting lists if they had relied on traditional phone lines. Once the initial installment cost of rooftop solar water heaters is paid, the hot water is essentially free.

In Europe, where energy costs are relatively high, rooftop solar water heaters are also spreading fast. In Austria, 15 percent of all households now rely on them for hot water. And, as in China, in some Austrian villages nearly all homes have rooftop collectors. Germany is also forging ahead. Janet Sawin of the Worldwatch Institute notes that some 2 million Germans are now living in homes where water and space are both heated by rooftop solar systems.

Inspired by the rapid adoption of rooftop water and space heaters in Europe in recent years, the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) has established an ambitious goal of 500 million square meters, or 1 square meter of rooftop collector for every European by 2020-a goal slightly greater than the 0.93 square meters per person found today in Cyprus, the world leader. Most installations are projected to be Solar-Combi systems that are engineered to heat both water and space.

Europe's solar collectors are concentrated in Germany, Austria, and Greece, with France and Spain also beginning to mobilize. Spain's initiative was boosted by a March 2006 mandate requiring installation of collectors on all new or renovated buildings. Portugal followed quickly with its own mandate. ESTIF estimates that the European Union has a long-term potential of developing 1,200 thermal gigawatts of solar water and space heating, which means that the sun could meet most of Europe's low-temperature heating needs.

The U.S. rooftop solar water heating industry has historically concentrated on a niche market-selling and marketing 10 million square meters of solar water heaters for swimming pools between 1995 and 2005. Given this base, however, the industry was poised to mass-market residential solar water and space heating systems when federal tax credits were introduced in 2006. Led by Hawaii, California, and Florida, U.S. installation of these systems tripled in 2006 and has continued at a rapid pace since then.

Solar Hot Water: Global Projections We now have the data to make some global projections. With China setting a goal of 300 million square meters of solar water heating capacity by 2020, and ESTIF's goal of 500 million square meters for Europe by 2020, a U.S. installation of 300 million square meters by 2020 is certainly within reach given the recently adopted tax incentives. Japan, which now has 7 million square meters of rooftop solar collectors heating water but which imports virtually all its fossil fuels, could easily reach 80 million square meters by 2020.

If China and the European Union achieve their goals and Japan and the United States reach the projected adoptions, they will have a combined total of 1,180 million square meters of water and space heating capacity by 2020. With appropriate assumptions for developing countries other than China, the global total in 2020 could exceed 1.5 billion square meters. This would give the world a solar thermal capacity by 2020 of 1,100 thermal gigawatts, the equivalent of 690 coal-fired power plants. This would account for more than half of the Earth Policy Institute's renewable energy heating goal for 2020, part of a massive effort to stabilize our rapidly changing climate by slashing global net carbon emissions 80 percent within the next decade. (For more information, see Chapters 4 and 5 of Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.)

The huge projected expansion in solar water and space heating in industrial countries could close some existing coal-fired power plants and reduce natural gas use, as solar water heaters replace electric and gas water heaters. In countries such as China and India, however, solar water heaters will simply reduce the need for new coal-fired power plants.

Solar water and space heaters in Europe and China have a strong economic appeal. On average, in industrial countries these systems pay for themselves from electricity savings in fewer than 10 years. They are also responsive to energy security and climate change concerns.

With the cost of rooftop heating systems declining, particularly in China, many other countries will likely join Israel, Spain, and Portugal in mandating that all new buildings incorporate rooftop solar water heaters. No longer a passing fad, these rooftop appliances are fast entering the mainstream.

Adapted from Chapter 5, "Stabilizing Climate: Shifting to Renewable Energy," in Lester R. Brown, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009), available on-line at www.earthpolicy.org/index.php?/books/pb4

Reprinted with permission from Sustainablog

Make Your Own Energy-Saving Thermal Curtains

Sustainablog — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:01:00 -0800

Windows are very frequently a source of lost heat in your home. Older homes may suffer from only having single-paned windows, which lose a large amount of heat, and even newer double-paned insulated windows lack enough insulation against cold winter temperatures and wind. However, you can save home heating costs and easily bulk up the insulation around your windows by making your own inexpensive thermal curtains.

Thermal curtains are energy-efficient window shades that insulate against the cold around your windows. They are a thick and heavy buffer and can significantly decrease the money you spend on energy to heat your house. If you are handy with a sewing machine or know someone who is, there's not much more you need than some old blankets or comforters, fabric, and a fair amount of time.

How to make thermal curtains

Old comforters make for a great filling in thermal curtains, especially since they can be had for very cheap ($5-10) at your local thrift store. Get a few of them. Doubling the comforter will increase the insulative value and add weight to keep your curtains pressed tightly against the wall.

Measure your window and find something strong and solid (imagine a rigid dowel or heavy stick) to span the bottom of the window to give your curtain some structure (and to make it easy to roll up and down).

You can use just the comforter itself for the curtain if you are looking for a very quick and dirty solution, or you can pick out some fabric to be sewn over the material for a more pleasing aesthetic.

Cut your fabric a couple inches larger than the actual window measurements. To make cutting your fabric easier, place the two pieces of fabric with the fronts facing each other and your comforter layer(s) all in one pile and cut them simultaneously. Be sure to pin them together to keep them from shifting while you cut and then sew the fabric together.

Next, sew the materials together on three sides. On the final fourth side, sew about 1/3 of the length from each corner, leaving an unsewn portion in the center. Use the hole that you left unsewn to flip the curtain right side out. Then place your dowel or heavy stick between the layer of fabric and comforter at the bottom of the curtain. Finish the curtain by sewing your hole shut.

You can use a variety of methods to actually hang your new thermal curtains. You can sew velcro to the top back side, or sew small fabric loops on the top and hang the curtain from hooks mounted on the window frame. Be creative.

Thermal curtains are a cheap and easy way to save energy costs in your home. They can largely be made with reused and recycled materials.

Roll them down on cold winter nights, or even during a hot summer day to block the sun's rays and save energy costs!

Reprinted with permission from Sustainablog

Vancouver's Convention Center First to Achieve LEED Platinum Rating

Green Building Elements — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:09:00 -0800

by Keith Rockmael

No doubt the Vancouver Olympics dazzled people with the drama (some outside of the venues) but somehow lost amongst the sports accomplishments remains the fact that Vancouver touted this Olympics as the greenest ever. It seems that China also made that claim a couple years ago. Instead of getting into a comparison of this green aspect versus that sustainable item, we took a look at the Vancouver Convention Center West, which marks the World's First Convention Center to Achieve LEED Platinum Rating.

Yes, we've discussed our feeling about the LEED label and how we would like seeing more money going toward sustainable aspects versus a LEED plaque but nonetheless they built an impressive structure, which hosted the international media for the Olympic games. With the Olympics packed up, Vancouver will still have the dazzling sustainable structure.

What we like most is the six-acre living roof (Canada's largest) which contains 400,000 native plants and grasses, and the green roof acts as an insulator to mediate the exterior air temperature, as well as reduces the building's storm water runoff and integrates with the waterfront landscape ecosystem. With Vancouver being such a water friendly city, we also applaud the on-site black water treatment and desalinization systems that are projected to reduce potable water use 60 to 70 percent over typical convention centers. On the energy side, the center includes a heat pump system that takes advantage of the constant temperature of the adjacent seawater to produce heating and cooling. Very cool. The people of Sochi have their work cut out for them if they hope to continue the green trend of Olympics venues and buildings. Reprinted with permission from Green Building Elements

U.S. EPA Unearths Green Jobs in Brownfields

Cleantechnica — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:30:00 -0800

by Tina Casey

The U.S. EPA has launched a program to push to recover brownfields for renewable energy generation. The initiative, called RE-PAL for RE-Powering America's Land, is focusing on solar energy, wind and biomass projects that provide local economic benefits in the form of new jobs. In doing so, RE-PAL pulls together five powerful trends: the use of low cost "green remediation," the repurposing of brownfields to revitalize blighted communities, the generation of energy locally instead of building expensive new power plants, the promotion of green jobs, and the development of genuinely clean, renewable energy options for communities that refuse to tolerate new fossil fuel energy facilities.

Surely RE-PAL can't be an accidental an acronym for a program like this, so let's give our new best friend a shout-out. The program is kicking off with a study of twelve sites spread across the U.S. including one in Puerto Rico, but in fact it's been flying under the radar on an ad hoc basis for a while now, racking up some impressive brownfields-to-energy credits along the way.

RE-Powering America's Land and Clean Energy

RE-PAL has teamed up with NREL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to look for innovative, community based alternatives to fossil fuels. They've targeted brownfields, which are typically former industrial sites that may (or may not, as is often the case) contain contaminants. Many of these are ideal for renewable energy projects because they are already zoned appropriately and they include critical infrastructre such as transmission lines, roads, and water. Certain Superfund sites may be usable, though that would depend on the cleanup potential. Former mines and landfills are also potential candidates. Though apparently not included in the program, EPA will provide the site assessment and remediation expertise, and the twelve sites included in RE-PAL's study include a mix of properties in various stages of the cleanup. They'll be assessing and screening the sites to determine which would make a cost-effective home for renewable energy projects.

Brownfields and Renewable Energy

If the RE-PAL approach seems like a common sense solution, that's because it's already happening. Renewable energy installations are popping up in some unlikely places, including solar installations at sewage treatment plants. In the case of brownfields, one thing pushing the trend along is the development of new low cost remediation methods that use pollutant sucking plants or specialized bacteria that destroy contaminants on site, instead of digging the soil out and trucking it to a landfill. In some cases, the renewable energy installation even powers equipment needed for site cleanup. Four examples cited by the EPA are the eight wind turbines built on a slag heap in New York State that produce enough electricity for 7,000 homes; the two megawatt thin film solar array on a former landfill at Fort Carson; the low cost rooftop solar panels at a Superfund site in California that power a groundwater treatment system; and the 2.3 megawatt solar array in Colorado that produces electricity for water reclamation. The Colorado site also a new clean energy innovation center focusing on solar, biomass and geothermal.

Communities and Clean Energy

Conservation is a good thing but it can only slow, not reverse, the increasing demand for electricity that comes with population growth, the gadget explosion, and wild cards like a mass switch to electric vehicles. According to the EPA, the U.S. will need to build the equivalent of more than 320 coal fired power plants to meet the demand by 2030. The coal plants themsevles are clearly out because nobody wants those things in their backyard, so-called "clean coal" or not. That puts the ball in the renewable energy court, which puts us in a spot because right now coal supplies about half the nation's electricity and renewables provide less than 3%. The growing force of private investment in clean energy along with federal incentives is rapidly bringing that number up, but a deciding factor is going to be the willingness of local communities to host new solar arrays and other renewable energy plants.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

Green Building Bubbles Up from the Cities

American Institute of Architects — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:04:00 -0800

By Christine McEntee

Despite an extended global economic slump and the paralyzing credit freeze that has put the brakes on many important construction projects over the last 14 months, a recent report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) shows that one sector of building continues to thrive - green building.

The recent study entitled Green Building Policy in a Changing Economic Environment revealed that 138 cities across the U.S. have green building programs in place - a 50 percent increase from 2007. According to the report, more than one in five U.S. cities with populations greater than 50,000 currently have a policy to promote green buildings - meaning 53 million Americans now live in cities with green building programs.

For those of us who have long-advocated for the improved quality-of-life, cost benefits and environmental advantages of green building, these findings are encouraging. Cities both large and small are moving beyond the economic benefits of energy-efficient buildings to actually implement programs to build a broader green infrastructure. This speaks to the widespread traction sustainability and green efforts have finally achieved.

The report details additional, positive findings, including:

- 24 of the 25 most populated metropolitan regions in the U.S. are built around cities with a green building policy.

- The Western region of the nation has the highest number of green building programs, spread across 56 cities in just six states - California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska.

- The Mountain region has the second highest percentage of cities with green building programs, with 24 percent of residents living in those cities.

- The Eastern region has experienced a 75 percent increase in green building programs since 2007, while the Central region currently has 21 cities with green building programs.

For those interested in lobbying for, or enacting policy in, their own towns, the AIA offers a number of recommendations on how to begin. If your community has the funds, hiring a director of sustainability - usually within the mayor's office - is one of the most direct paths. This official will be able to coordinate the multiple departments that are generally involved in developing a well-rounded green program. Additionally, training and accrediting municipal employees can help kickstart a program. These officials should get to know the rating systems that your community plans to use. Together, these groups ensure points of contact between the city, architects, planners, contractors and developers - creating a more congenial green community that can keep plan delays at a minimum.

If this type of hiring or training is not possible, cities can at least work to remove the legal or political barriers that might slow down a project or its ability to attain green status. Enacting laws to promote green buildings and sustainable development is encouraged - but removing old laws is also necessary. Many restrictive and outdated zoning laws and building codes prevent mixed-use development, greywater systems, and high or moderate density construction. Efforts should be examined holistically, to set the best policy for an individual city.

City officials might also want to consider partnering with other municipalities to start regional programs. This allows varying groups to share best practices and lessons learned which can help speed up the process of future building. It also provides a dose of healthy competition as cities try to be the de facto leader in their region.

Finally, when it doubt, keep it simple. Small steps, such as a tree planting program or the creation of a sustainable community garden, promoted locally, can generate a ripple effect that might lead to larger-scale projects.

Moving forward, the continued inclusion of strong green building provisions in energy and climate legislation before Congress - such as the provisions from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Energy Efficient and Conservation Block Grant - should help continue this positive growth trajectory. Imagine what the report, issued again 2011, could look like if we continue at, or exceed, this pace?

Christine McEntee is the Executive Vice President / CEO of the American Institute of Architects.

Golf Club Recycles Water to Irrigate Greens

Cleantechnica — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:59:00 -0800

by Tina Casey

The tradition-bound, somewhat chemical-heavy sport of golf isn't exactly the first place you'd look for evidence that we really have launched into a more sustainable future, but there you have it: golf is going green, and the ferociously upscale St. Andrews Country Club of Boca Raton is part of the revolution. The club has just announced completion of a new system that will irrigate its two golf courses with reclaimed water (aka wastewater), along with tennis courts and landscaping, too.

The news comes on the heels of an announcement by the PGA Tour and FedEx that Tiger Woods - wait, scratch that - that golf courses in several cities hosting the tour will get sustainability makeovers that include habitat and waterway restoration.

St. Andrews Country Club and Sustainable Golf

The golf club's new water recycling system will pipe in reclaimed water from the Palm Beach County Utilities Department, which has the capability to treat wastewater up to federal standards for irrigation use. The utility's operations include 50 acres of constructed wetlands that provide a level of natural wastewater treatment, and in an interesting twist the country club grounds will provide yet another layer of filtration. A club spokesman points out that in addition to conserving potable water and maintaining healthy water levels in the club's lakes and ponds, the new system uses the highly absorbent nature of turf to remove additional nitrogen and other nutrients from the reclaimed water - which in turn should help cut down on the need for chemical fertilizers. It's a pretty neat example of the green synergy that's bubbling up between sports and sustainability.

The Race for Sustainable Sports

For obvious reasons the skiing industry has become a sustainability leader, but golf is starting to run a close second. The PGA Tour's partnership with sustainability conscious FedEx is called The FedExCup Fore!Ever and it includes company-sponsored grants for improvements at the six courses. Working with Audubon International, the campaign also gets golf's First Tee youth program involved by having the young golfers lend a hand with some of the restoration projects. A sustainability curriculum is also in the works, and the campaign is getting the word out to golfers about course etiquette that helps cut down on chemical-dependant greens maintenance. But golf better hurry up, because sustainable baseball is right around the corner followed closely by a freshly greened NFL.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

In the Energy Efficient Future, Our Buildings Will Wear Sunglasses

Cleantechnica — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:41:00 -0800

by Tina Casey

"Sunglasses" for windows could be the key to cutting energy consumption in homes, offices, and any other type of building. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been working on energy efficient windows that work like self-adjusting sunglasses, and they could shave about 1/8 off the total energy used by buildings. With buildings accounting for about 40% of U.S. energy consumption, that's a huge chunk of savings.

NREL has been working on the project under the Electrochromic Initiative and Windows Technology program since the 1980's, using lessons learned from photovoltaics, particularly thin film solar cell technology. There are still some kinks to work out, but the research is progressing and NREL's research partner Sage Electrochromics is predicting that the cost of the windows will drop with improved performance.

Energy Efficient "Dynamic Windows"

Electrochromatic windows can help maintain an even temperature indoors by changing color to block out more sun on warm days, and to retain more heat on cold days. According to NREL, the "dynamic windows" contain two layers of electrodes separated by an ion conductor layer. The three layers are only one micron thick, about the same as thin film solar cells, and they are manufactured by a similar process. The window changes color when an electric field is applied, which can be done automatically through sensors integrated into a building's electrical field. The electricity it takes to power about 1500 square feet of dynamic window is only about the same as a light bulb, and computer simulations show that the difference would mean a big drop in electricity consumption - up to 49% for air conditioning and 51% for lighting.

NREL Aiming for High Performance, Low Cost Dynamic Windows

One of NREL's goals is to develop a dynamic window performs at more than double the conventional manufacturer's warranty, to twenty years or more. To that end the agency is working with electrode layers made of nickel and tungsten oxides, which do not degrade under light. NREL is also developing a way to manufacture the dynamic layers through low-cost methods, similar to the method NREL is already developing for "printable" thin film solar cells. Another cost savings could be achieved by printing the electrochromatic film on plastic instead of glass, which in turn could make dynamic windows easier to apply as a retrofit on existing windows.

Windows that Make Energy Instead of Taking It

Because of the dynamic window's close connection to photovoltaic technology, NREL researchers foresee the development of windows that actually produce excess energy. It's another key step in transforming buildings from power consumers into mini-generators by integrating solar components into building elements including solar roof tiles and solar walls.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

A Guide To Becoming A LEED Green Associate

Green Economy Post — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:11:00 -0800

Looking for a way to transition your career into the new green economy? Need to boost your resume in a tough job market? Achieving the LEED Green Associate (LEED GA) credential allows you to market your knowledge of green building to potential employers. This first level of LEED professional credentialing is designed for professionals who want to demonstrate green building expertise in non-technical fields of practice, and to demonstrate basic knowledge of green design, construction, and operations.

by Jessalyn Dingwell

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, is the most widely-accepted environmental design and green building certification in the United States. The LEED GA credential demonstrates to potential employers your understanding of the LEED system, your dedication to environmental issues, and your desire to go the extra mile and continue your education. This guide will walk you through the necessary steps to achieve your LEED GA credential.

What are the tiers of LEED Professional Credentials?

In 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) updated both the professional credentialing and green building certification requirements. The new credentialing system includes three levels of credentials.

LEED GA: This is the first tier of LEED Professional Credentialing. This credential attests to basic knowledge and skill in understanding and supporting green design, construction, and operations. Under the new USGBC guidelines (sometimes referred to as v3) you are required to pass the LEED GA exam before achieving the LEED AP + Specialty designation. However, if you are eligible, you can take the LEED GA exam at the same time as the LEED specialty exam.

LEED AP + Specialty: This second-tier credential, LEED Accredited Professional or LEED AP, signifies an advanced depth of knowledge in green building practices and specialization in a particular LEED Rating System: Building Design & Construction, Operations & Maintenance, Interior Design & Construction, Homes, and Neighborhood Development. (Professionals certified prior to 2009 were not required to specialize in a particular rating system. More information about transitioning to the new requirements is available on the GBCI’s website.)

LEED Fellow: This highest level credential is still under development, but will require a high level of knowledge and expertise in green building. The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) will likely award the LEED Fellow credential to professionals with many years of experience and outstanding contributions to the practice of green building.

Am I eligible to take the LEED GA exam?

You must meet one of the following three requirements to be eligible to take the LEED GA exam and achieve the LEED GA credential:

1. Work on a LEED Project: This path requires documented involvement on a LEED-registered project. The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) states that the level of involvement need not be technical. Specifically, the necessary level of involvement may be achieved by aiding or assisting on a project by providing administrative or research tasks, managing templates, coordinating meetings, tracking consultants and/or contractors, or compiling documentation for review. This involvement must be documented in a letter from your employer, the project leader, or through LEED Online.

2. Employment: This path requires employment (or previous employment) in a sustainable field of work. GBCI broadly defines this as, “employment in a profession or at a company that relates to environmentalism or the green building industry.”

3. Education: This path requires completing an education program that addresses green building principles. If you are relatively new to the green building industry, and don’t meet the above two requirements, your best bet is to take one of the USGBC’s classes which satisfy the requirement and require less paperwork than other options. I took the LEED Core Concepts & Strategies course, which offers an overview of the LEED system and basic requirements for building certification. Almost everyone in the class was taking it specifically to become eligible to take the LEED GA exam and the instructors spent some time discussing exactly what would be covered on the exam.

Also, you will be required to agree to the Disciplinary and Exam Appeals Process, the Credential Maintenance Program and a possible audit. More detailed eligibility information is available on the GBCI website.

What are the steps to take the LEED GA exam?

First, it is important to understand the relationship between the GBCI, USGBC, and Prometric. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) provides the research and education supporting both the professional credentialing and the LEED building certification program. The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) recently split off from the USGBC in order to provide an unbiased organization to review the applications for credentials and maintain rigor in the testing process. Much of the information you need to study for the exam is housed on the USGBC website, but you will need to access GBCI in order to register for the exam. Prometric is a third party that administers the test directly to test takers through testing centers located throughout the country.

Step One: Apply for the exam on www.gbci.org. Log in to your account and under “My Credentials” click on “Apply For Exam.” You must upload your documentation proving eligibility and pay a $50 application fee. Within seven days, you will receive an email indicating if your documentation is accepted. At that time, you may proceed to the next step and register for the exam.

Step Two: Register for the exam at www.prometric.com/gbci. You will pay the registration fee of $150 for USGBC members/full time students or $200 for everyone else. You will be able to choose the time and location of your test from a wide range of choices in your area.

Step Three: Take the Exam at the Prometric testing center you selected. You have two hours to complete the test, and plan an extra 20 minutes for the tutorial and survey. Arrive early at the testing site. The other people at the testing center may be taking many different tests, some issued by the GBCI and some from other, unrelated professional organizations. You will be assigned a seat with a computer and the computer will prompt you through the set up and exam process. Staff are available to help should you encounter any problems. The testing software is easy to use, but spend a few minutes at the start of the exam using the tutorial to increase your confidence and allow your mind to focus on the content of the questions. I found, and most people that I spoke with agree, that if you are prepared, two hours is more than enough time so you do not need to rush. At the completion of the test, the computer will provide your results and let you know if you received a passing score.

How should I prepare for the exam?

The LEED GA exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions which you must complete in two hours. Plan to spend at least several weeks studying for the exam if you are unfamiliar with the concepts. The exam tests your knowledge of basic concepts, but you will be required to know some of the technical requirements, such as basic ASHRAE standards that appear in multiple rating systems (e.g., 62.1, 90.1).

LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook: This is the number one most important document for you to review when preparing for the exam. It provides the nitty-gritty details of registration, an outline of the topics on the exam, sample questions, and links to free resources covering each topic area in detail. I recommend reading all of the Primary References listed on page 12 carefully. Don’t ignore, The Treatment by LEED of the Environmental Impact of HVAC Refrigerants, to learn the different types of refrigerants and the pros and cons of each type. The Ancillary References I found most useful were: Guide to Purchasing Green Power and Foundations of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Environmental Rating System: A Tool for Market Transformation. The other Ancillary References warrant a look, but some are they are quite lengthy, and it’s not necessary to read each of them in detail to pass the exam.

Study Guides: USGBG sells the LEED Green Associate Study Guide. This is the only study guide approved by the USGBC so you can expect its information to be accurate and relevant to the test. Currently, it is only available in hard copy. There are many commercial preparation programs and guides available in a wide variety of formats, including, webinars, in-person classes, flashcards, and iPhone games. Your level of understanding of the material and the amount of time you have to allocate to studying will determine whether you need to invest in additional study guides or classes. Clean Edison, PPI, GreenStep, and Everblue are a few of the big players in Green Associate exam preparation.

Do you absolutely have to buy a study guide to pass? Probably not. Strictly speaking, all of the information you need is contained within the USGBC’s many free guides and studies. The problem is that it might take a long time to collect the information and determine which information is relevant to the exam. I purchased PPI’s hard-copy study guide since the USGBC’s study guide was not yet available when I took the exam. I found that studying the Green Associate Candidate Handbook’s listed resources, the information contained in the Core Concepts and Strategies course, and PPI’s study guide was sufficient to pass the exam on my first try.

Scoring: The exam is scored using a scaled process with scores ranging from 125 (minimum score) to 200 (maximum score). You must achieve a minimum score of 170 to pass the exam. Unfortunately, this means you won’t know exactly how many questions you need to get right to pass the set of questions you will be asked. Some suggest that aiming for 70% correct on practice tests is a close approximation.

Retaking: You may make three attempts to pass the exam during your application period, which lasts for one year after the date you were approved to take the test. After an application expires, candidates are required to wait 90 days before submitting a new application to GBCI.

What should I do after I pass the exam?

Celebrate! Also, update your resume, LinkedIn profile, and business cards to reflect your new credential. Your educational requirements do not end after passing the exam as you must meet certain ongoing maintenance requirements.

Credential Maintenance Requirement: Green Associates must attend 15 hours of continuing education every 2 years. You also must pay a $50 biennial maintenance fee and agree to abide by the GBCI disciplinary policy.

Reprinted with permission from Green Economy Post

Interview: Will Kirksey on Sustainable Water Recycling

Green Economy Post — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:16:00 -0800

Will Kirksey, SVP of Worrell Water Technologies, is passionate about finding practical, ecological solutions to the increasingly urgent water issues in the U.S. I spoke with him at the New Green Economy Conference in Washington, D.C., just before he facilitated a session targeted at forming policy recommendations on sustainable water reuse. Worrell Water's water reuse system, the Living Machine, was picked as one of the 'coolest green products' at Greenbuild 2009. Will recently authored the white paper, Sustainable Water Infrastructure for the 21st Century.

by Jessalyn Dingwell

JD: What is your background in water and water reuse?

WK: I've been involved in environmental work for my entire career. I started off, interestingly enough, as a transportation engineer. When I moved to Florida after graduating from college, I found that water is the big environmental issue there, especially for transportation. You are always crossing a waterway and you have to worry about everything from water flow to species migration. When I was with the Civil Engineering Research Foundation {now part of the American Society of Engineers} working on evaluating sustainable technologies, water, especially wastewater and drinking water, became the most pressing issues for my work.

JD: What do you believe to be the biggest or most pressing issue for the US in terms of water?

WK: I think that it's the long-term supply issues and the imbalances we have between the growing areas and the water supplies in those areas. And the way that water is not appreciated - it's used once and flushed down the drain so the polluted water goes directly to the centralized plant and then into the waterways. We need to think about reusing that water locally and being efficient in its use and conserving its supply.

JD: As consumers we hear a lot about the aging infrastructure as far as roads and bridges and the energy grid - why don't we hear as much about water infrastructure?

WK: That is somewhat puzzling to me as well, but I think it's partly because water has always been there for us. Especially in urban areas, we've really taken it for granted unless there is some disruption, which is very rare in this country. One example was when Atlanta had a drought a few years back and it seemed to take people by surprise. The areas in the West where water gets to be a problem in terms of scarcity are coming to terms with water issues. There is much more awareness of water and how we use it in those areas.

JD: What is a water grid and how does it compare to an energy grid?

WK: There are some similarities for sure, but the key difference in dealing with water is that it is really expensive in energy terms to move it long distances. This fact makes a really good argument for decentralized systems and for reusing water locally rather than moving it into central plants and then trying to move it back.

The other thing that I think we can do with water that is a little different than electricity, which I discuss in my paper I wrote at the Sustainable Silicon Valley, is moving from smart grids to smart ecosystems. Thinking of setting up water infrastructure such that it really supports and enhances natural ecosystems. What we've done in the past is used technology to just offset ecosystems. We take the water out of natural ecosystems and run it through the human economy and then just dump it back into nature. We need to start building infrastructure that will enhance natural processes. Then, we can more effectively integrate them with the human economy. I think that's where we can really make a difference in water as opposed to electricity.

JD: How critical is it that we have a decentralized water system in the US?

WK: I envision it as an evolutionary process. It doesn't make sense to just forget the infrastructure we have because in lots of places, it's still good, it's working well, and it's producing really good water. In the areas where water systems are failing and need to be rebuilt, or expanded such as in fast growing areas like Silicon Valley or in developing countries, that's where we need to think about decentralizing first. So, for the foreseeable future we're gong to be integrating the centralized and the decentralized.

JD: Why is it so important to reuse or recycle water? Why not just use water once and send it back into the natural ecosystems?

WK: There are significant advantages both in terms of reusing water onsite and also advantages in terms of putting clean, unpolluted water back into nature. It certainly depends on where you are in the country or the world, but in dry climates you can really put a big dollar value on these systems if you are able to reuse water onsite. If you can use water four or five times, or more, you are not only reducing your water bill, but in some cases, you are actually restricted in how much you can draw from a system. So there are really direct benefits of reusing the same water onsite in that regard.

In terms of the downstream applications, there are huge advantages to treating water to avoid very serious pollution issues. Here's an example. We have a situation where there is an old, old sewer system that the developer has access to, but the maintenance is so bad on it that the city is losing about 40% of the untreated wastewater to leaks that go directly into the ground. For this reason, the city is encouraging the developer to do an onsite treatment to reduce the amount of wastewater that goes into the city's system. Our system takes the water from the primary septic tank and treats the water to a level where it's safe to go into the ground.

JD: Worrell Water's water recycling product, the Living Machine, purifies water through a process similar to that of a natural wetland, is that accurate?

WK: Yes, that's a good comparison, especially to a tidal wetland. What we've done is taken the ecosystem processes that go on in a tidal wetland and captured that into a containment that can be built and operated onsite in the area where the wastewater is produced; whether it is at a campus, housing development or resort. Of course the difference is that we aren't dealing with salt water - we're treating blackwater sewage.

Specifically, we're naturally alternating aerobic and anaerobic conditions. So the Living Machine uses oxygen and ecosystems that naturally treat wastewater. It accelerates the process by introducing more oxygen, and by alternating those conditions, it allows a more diverse community of microorganisms to work on the waste. Driving all this is information technology controlling the hydraulics and pumping systems that turbo-charge the natural process. We remotely monitor and operate these systems over the Internet.

JD: What makes the Living Machine unique as compared to other commercial reuse systems?

WK: The Living Machine takes a very low-energy approach to the system as compared to the. mechanical systems. These mechanical systems such as activated sludge and membrane systems, have a very small footprint but very high energy costs and maintenance costs. Then, on the other end of the spectrum, you have the natural constructed wetlands that have few mechanical parts or controls at all, making them very low energy, but requiring a lot of space.

The Living Machine is in the middle. We've developed a high rate process that uses a lot less energy than the mechanical systems and also has a lot smaller footprint than the ecological system. It fits very well in a number of places where the ecological systems won't fit, but it's far more ecological than the mechanical treatment systems.

JD: Is the Living Machine incorporated into any LEED projects?

WK: Yes. In fact, it's a very common question when someone us calls up to ask right off the bat, "is this eligible for LEED credits?" A great example is a project at the Portland, Oregon airport where the new office building is expecting to be certified LEED Gold. They have a Living Machine right in the lobby. It's indoors and right across from the reception desk, demonstrating that you can do onsite wastewater treatment with a system that is aesthetically pleasing, doesn't have odors, and can work inside with close human contact.

JD: That's one of the surprising things about the Living Machine. When you start taking about recycling wastewater, I think people start to get nervous, believing it's going to be smelly or an eyesore. Appearance must be a selling point for the Living Machine?

WK: It really is. And it just surprises people when they see it because it's not the concept of a wastewater treatment plant that most people have. Even other wetland systems many times have a methane odor because they use an anaerobic system, creating conditions that are not very pleasant to be around sometimes. The efficient tidal process in our system and the use of packed gravel in the containment ensures no odor or visible wastewater.

JD: Can you describe a favorite project?

WK: We have a Living Machine at the Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina. In addition to integrating the system into their educational curriculum, they saved about 4.5 million dollars by putting in one of our systems rather than hooking up to the sewer system. They were in a situation where they were building a new school on a location seven miles from the sewer line. Building a seven-mile sewer pipe would have been prohibitively expensive. Now, they are running two whole schools on this system as the main wastewater treatment and there's no sewer back up to that. Schools are great to work with and we're hoping to announce another school in the next few weeks.

JD: From a water policy perspective, what do you believe the U.S. should be focusing on?

WK: I would be looking at water as part of the basis of an ecosystem approach to rebuilding the economy. Energy and water are so closely related, when you look at those two together, and start planning them together, and thinking about them together, it really gives you a lot of leverage in design of good infrastructure, design of local economies and creation of jobs. I would look at water as it ripples out into the bigger picture - water is extremely important in and of itself - but it is also the basis of the economy and of human ecosystems.

Reprinted with permission from Green Economy Post

San Franciscans Get $19 Million Windfall for Better Appliances, Lightbulbs

Cleantechnica — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 -0800

by Zachary Shahan

Energy efficiency may not have the glamor of solar power or wind power, but it's also a critical and immediate solution to cutting pollution.

Today, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced $19.2 million in funding for energy efficiency programs through the San Francisco Energy Watch program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

In the announcement, Newsom highlighted the creation of new local jobs through the programs and outlined the total energy and financial savings from the San Francisco's energy efficiency work on city buildings during the last 6 years.

"San Francisco's energy-efficiency programs demonstrate how protecting the environment creates jobs and helps businesses and property owners save money," said Mayor Newsom. "To dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we have to be responsible stewards of our buildings and facilities. That's why we are leveraging all these funds to create green jobs and further our environmental goals."

Of the $19.2 million, $11.5 million is new funding for free on-site assessments of energy savings as well as the installation of energy-efficient lighting, refrigeration, heating, air conditioning, and food service equipment at greatly reduced costs. This program, in its first phase, has already delivered over 2,000 energy efficiency retrofits to mid and small-sized businesses and multi-family housing in San Francisco.

From the $7.7 million San Francisco was awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for energy efficiency programs that conserve energy in municipal buildings (including health centers, county jail buildings, and cultural centers), $3.1 million will now be used to conduct energy efficiency upgrades to an array of facilities in the city (including the Ella Hill Hutch Center and Southeast Health Center). These upgrades will result in nearly $3 million dollars in savings each year.

JobsNow

The recent expansion of the city's energy efficiency programs have been aided by JobsNow employees that have been trained to introduce the Energy Watch program to San Francisco businesses. JobsNow is a stimulus-funded jobs program created by the City to put unemployed citizens to work. The program has already put nearly 1,700 San Franciscans back to work.

"We go to local businesses and tell them how they can save money by working with our program, installing new light bulbs and the like," said Lee Williams of the JobsNow program. "Our team has learned so much by working with this program. We are all so happy to have this job. But to have a job where we also learn so much and do something we can feel good about, now that's exciting."

SF Environment's combined energy efficiency programs dating back to 2001 have reduced the city's overall energy use by 29 MW. The city expects to gain an additional 6 MW savings from these initiatives-totaling 35 MW - enough to power over 30,000 San Francisco residences.

More great news from the great city of San Francisco!

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

Push Toward Green Building Carries Automation Along With It

SustainableBusiness.com — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:00:00 -0800

Despite being a traditionally slow growth area and one that was impacted by the latest economic downturn, the market for Building Automation Systems will grow 3% globally from 2009 to 2015, according to a new market analysis.

At that point, the total market will reach a value of more than $36 billion, ABI Research says.

Recession and conflict always bring a re-evaluation of energy management and calls for new ways to ensure organizations and nations use energy more efficiently. The same is true in the latest downturn and it is driving significant interest and activity in the market for building automation systems (BAS).

Energy use within commercial buildings has been growing year-on-year for decades and by now accounts for up to 20% of national energy consumption in some developed countries. This makes it a prime target for energy efficiency and environmental measures.

Although low single digit BAS market growth may not look significant, it actually is, given the current economic climate and the performance of the building industry in general. It also masks the shifts that will take place between revenue streams within the BAS market, as contract values will increasingly skew toward software and services and away from hardware--another result of the emerging trend for improved communication and connectivity with BASs.

"Government financial incentives and regulations as well as organizations' own financial and environmental goals are coinciding with a drive to open up building automation systems to wider network management and integration, drawing companies such as IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) into a market traditionally dominated by more specialist global companies such as Johnson Controls, Honeywell and others," says principal analyst Jonathan Collins.

ABI Research's new study, "Energy Management and Commercial Building Automation" examines the potential impact key factors upon the BAS market and provides market forecasts for equipment, software and services as well as wired and wireless connectivity out to 2015.

Website: www.abiresearch.com

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

New Seattle Ordinance Will Identify Energy-Wasting Buildings

SustainableBusiness.com — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:58:00 -0800

Seattle, Washington passed a new city ordinance requiring large commercial and multi-family property owners to annually measure energy use to allow comparison across different buildings. Building owners will also be required to share energy usage and ratings with prospective buyers, tenants and lenders during the sale, lease or financing of properties.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn approved the Energy Disclosure Ordinance Monday in an attempt to publicly identify energy-wasting buildings. It was unanimously approved by the Seattle City Council on January 25, 2010.

City officials say the new ordinance is critical to meeting the City's energy goals, and some commercial property owners and energy efficiency contractors point to the economic and business benefits of the new policy.

Energy disclosure is one of several measures recommended by the City's Green Building Task Force aimed at reducing energy consumption in existing buildings throughout the city by 20%.

"You can't manage what you don't measure," said Seattle City Council Chair Richard Conlin. "Energy disclosure is a key first step to tap into the gold mine of opportunities to save energy and money while improving the City's existing building stock."

Commercial property managers already benchmarking buildings say measuring energy use is critical to keeping costs down and staying competitive in the tight real estate market.

"Energy costs are one of the largest expenses facing property owners and tenants. Energy spending is also an expense that can be actively managed and controlled," said Christian Gunter, Vice President of Responsible Property Investing at Kennedy Associates, a Seattle-based institutional real estate investment advisor. "Energy-efficient buildings cost less to operate, attract top tenants, and create value for building ownership. With this new ordinance, prospective buyers and tenants will gain new information needed to factor energy use into their decisions about where to invest, live and work. If you are not monitoring, benchmarking and managing energy use, you will simply be less competitive in the market-place."

As more building owners and managers realize the market benefits of measuring and managing energy use, more are seeking ways to improve building energy performance, from no-and low-cost measures such as retro-commissioning, to deep building retrofits--all of which are contributing to growth in green building and energy services industries in Seattle and across the U.S.

"We believe that as more building owners work to bring energy use down and make their properties more attractive places to live and work, job opportunities will flourish for companies and contractors in the energy efficiency business" said Ash Awad, with McKinstry, a leading performance contracting company based in the Northwest.

Seattle's Energy Disclosure Ordinance builds on a state law passed last year to include multi-family dwellings and require annual reporting of building energy performance to the City.

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business