Video via The New Yorker
Image via Cook+Fox

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International Green Construction Code to combine work of existing green building codes

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.

Follow Tim Hurst on twitter @ecopolitologist
Photo: Wanderlane via flickr/Creative Commons

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A 600,000-square-foot Fontana, Calif., distribution warehouse roof fitted with 33,700 panels. (Photo courtesy of Edison International)

As part of its 500 megawatt solar PV program, Southern California Edison has awarded a 200 megawatt contract to SunPower for rooftop solar installations

On a recent flight into Los Angeles International Airport, I was struck by what appeared to be a region being virtually consumed by giant warehouses. In fact, if you have flown into any of southern California's major airports, one thing you may have noticed is that there is no shortage of prime rooftop real estate. And one of the largest utilities in the U.S., Southern California Edison (SCE), is taking advantage of that available real estate with an ambitious project to bring 500 megawatts of new solar capacity onto the grid over a five year period.

In a partnership with San Jose-based solar panel maker SunPower inked just last week, SCE will lease rooftop acreage for 200 MW of new solar PV generating capacity -- most of which will come in the form of 1-2 million watt rooftop installations.

Under California law, investor-owned utilities are required to secure 20 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2010 and 33% by 2020.

The payouts to the property owners for their otherwise unused roof space will be nothing to sneeze at either. SCE will lease each roof for about $40,000 per year.

The project is part of SCE's larger 5-year, 500-megawatt solar PV plan just approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in January. In that amended plan, 250 megawatts of solar PV will be owned and operated by SCE with at least 80% coming via this warehouse roof leasing program. The other half in the plan will com from solar installations that are owned and operated by independent power producers.

Eventually, the two installation tracks will add a total of 500 megawatts to the solar generating capacity of Southern California’s power resources – making it the largest U.S. photovoltaic program ever undertaken.

"The SunPower cost structure will allow us to meet our commitment to increasing our customers’ supply of renewable energy while reducing the cost of installed solar photovoltaic power in California," said SCE communications manager Gil Alexander in a phone interview on Friday.

"In other words," said Alexander, "we have estimated a final cost of $3.50 per installed watt vs. the state average of $7. The SunPower agreement means we are on target to fulfill that commitment."

SunPower T5 Solar Roof Tiles chosen for light weight, efficiency

For eighty percent of Southern California Edison's 250MW commitment, the utility opted to purchase the SunPower T5 Solar Roof Tile product. The T5 is one of the lightest products and considering the load bearing characteristics of the roofs are not designed for massive solar installations, overall weight is important.

The T5 was also selected, because its design is ideal for flat or low-slope rooftops. The T5 is made from an engineered glass-filled polymer that is non-reactive, integrating solar panel, frame and roof mounting system into a single unit and eliminating the need for electrical grounding of the array.

In essence, the solar tiles require no framing or rack to fasten to the roof, they are the rack. And when you're talking about installations of 1 million to 2 million watts, efficiency in the installation process is paramount. (Continued...)

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via FORA.tv

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The average American home size shrunk in 2009 as buyers look for energy efficiency. (Photo: visulogik/flickr)

The average size of a new American house shrank 100 square feet last year to roughly 2,400 square feet

Homebuyers preferences are undergoing a green shift, including growing demand for smaller homes and energy-efficient features and appliances, according to new research from the National Association of Home Builders and Better Homes and Gardens.

Driven largely by the huge bubble in the housing market, the slumping economy has ended the long upward trend in the size of new homes in the United States, at least for now.

"The average new home size actually declined in 2009," said NAHB economics researcher, Rose Quint, at the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas last week. "There has been almost 30 years of growth in the size of homes."

Houses started in 2009 but not yet finished by the end of the year were even smaller, according to the research. The median size of these homes fell further, to 2,094 square feet.

"This year is going to be a big change in the production [building] environment," said consultant Steve Bertasso, who helps builders develop green building and energy efficiency measures.

Up to a quarter of all new homes built last year received an Energy Star rating, which means they met the guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, up from 11 percent in 2007.

Said consultant Bertasso, "Consumers are asking questions they didn’t ask two and a half years ago and contractors are making better decisions."

Follow Tim Hurst on twitter @ecopolitologist
Image adapted from visulogik at flickr under Creative Commons 2.0

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Reclaimed natural gas pipelines being repurposed at new NREL building in Colorado. (Photo: Pat Corkery/Dept. of Energy)

When the folks at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado were tasked with designing a new building, they couldn't help but take their name and mission quite literally.

Early in the design process, the team at NREL, along with a team of architects and contractors chose to use reclaimed natural gas pipe to hold the floors and walls of the new LEED-platinum Research Support Facilities, slated for completion in Summer of 2010.

The steel natural gas pipe used in the building was purchased from a company that specializes in salvaging gas piping that has been taken out of service. Typically, pipes sold by these salvage retailers come from depleted fields in Texas or Louisiana, but in this case, the gas pipe was never used and was sold by the owners to the reclamation yard. But that doesn't mean they couldn't have used old pipe.

"Recycled steel doesn't go bad," said Philip Macey, project manager for RNL, the design firm for the Research Support Facilities. "You simply can clear the rust off and it's a big resource worldwide."

Not only were architects able to utilize materials that added no new carbon to the atmosphere, the effort to make the new LEED-platinum building created aesthetic benefits that are hard to come by. "Getting round columns in a building is a bit of a dream. Out of 100 buildings, only one other would have honest round steel columns," said Macey.

Repurposed natural gas pipelines erected as structural framing. (Photo: Carl Cox/Dept. of Energy)

The building will also use another resource which is abundant right now in Colorado, wood paneling made from mountain pine beetle kill. Beetle-killed wood that also provides 75% of NRELs heat via their new $3.3 million wood-fired boiler.

"There are a lot of recycled and regionally available materials for use in buildings," Macey said. "Once people understand this, they will be surprised at how easy it is to make these choices."

Photos: Pat Corkery/U.S. Department of Energy
NREL

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Converted from an 80 year-old office building, Hotel Palomar Philadelphia is Kimpton’s first LEED certified hotel.

More evidence to the adage that the greenest buildings are the ones that are already standing, the recently opened Kimpton Palomar in Philadelphia is a LEED-certified adaptive re-use of The Architects Building, originally designed by a consortium of prominent Philadelphia architects in the late 1920’s.

The Hotel Palomar Philadelphia will be Kimpton’s 11th adaptive reuse development but its fist that is LEED-certified. LEED features will include daylight in 90 percent of all hotel spaces, a water reduction of 20 percent, an energy efficient HVAC system, and has at least 10 percent recycled content in the materials and resources used in the design. Hotel Palomar Philadelphia is also working to support green power, by purchasing enough renewable energy credits equivalent to two years’ power demand.

“We are also working on the concept of an educational display and tour, which would highlight a number of the sustainable elements in the hotel,” said Matt Wolfe, LEED Coordinator of Gensler. “The tour will take you through the building’s public spaces, showing guests the materials with recycled content, reclaimed floor finishes, FSC certified wood products, and other green elements.”

One of the leaders in the hotel industry for adaptive reuse of historic buildings, Kimpton called on Gensler to help with the renovation and refurbishment of the distinctive 26-story Art Deco structure.

Located near Rittenhouse Square, the Palomar is Kimpton's first hotel in the city. The building has functioned as an office building with ground floor retail and as home to the local chapter of the AIA since opening in 1930.

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Starbucks at a shopping center in Shanghai. (photo: d'n'c/flickr)

LED lights in 8,000 existing stores and LEED-certification for all new company-owned stores, Starbucks announced today.

As part of a broader effort to reduce the company's energy use 25 percent by the end of 2010, coffee giant Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) today announced two major energy-saving initiatives. First, they will be replacing traditional incandescent and halogen bulbs with more efficient light emitting diodes, or LEDs, in 8,000 of its stores worldwide. A move that Starbucks projects will cut energy 7 percent per-store in energy use and reduce maintenance costs. Second, the company announced it is moving forward with a plan to obtain LEED certification for 100% of new company-owned stores.

The LED program was made in an alliance with GE Consumer & Industrial because Starbucks needed an LED lighting solution they could not find currently available on the market. “Our team jumped at the chance to create a GE-quality LED solution that could meet Starbucks stringent efficiency and color-quality requirements,” said Michael Petras, president and CEO of GE Consumer & Industrial’s lighting and electrical business, in a statement.

Like Walmart, whose substantial efforts to green their supply chain, Starbucks has the purchasing power to demand real changes in the products available on the market. And as a result, the moves pay dividends beyond the columns of their own profit and loss sheet. As GE's Petras said today, “Starbucks aggressive moves on the conservation front will have far-reaching environmental and financial impacts. Other GE customers will benefit from these achievements.”

The LED conversion program was announced today alongside another initiative from Starbucks and the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC) for the coffee company's entry into the construction phase of the LEED Volume Certification Program. The program incorporates LEED development principles in the early stages of planning and building for companies with higher volumes of new stores.

Once the LEED-certified pilot stores are built and the energy and environmental strategies audited, companies like Starbucks work to replicate the process in other stores around the world. The plan will ensure that 100% of new Starbucks company-owned stores would be LEED certified -- a laudable accomplishment regardless of whether or not you drink tall skinny mochas at the world's largest coffee retailer.

Watch a short video about Starbucks' LEED initiative and the strategy behind it:

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Combined heat and power turbine used for cogeneration. (Photo: GE/Jenbacher)

Bulk of DoE funding goes to cogeneration, waste heat, and district energy systems.

File this one under "low hanging fruit". Energy Secretary Steven Chu Tuesday announced the 41 recipients of $155 million in funding for industrial energy efficiency projects (PDF). The bulk of the project money will go to combined heat and power (CHP) and district energy systems. The remainder of the money will be going to research, development and technical assistance at universities and state and federal agencies across the country.

"To remain globally competitive, American industry needs to be energy efficient. The funding for industrial energy efficiency technologies announced today will support a robust American industrial sector and help to usher in a clean energy economy," said Secretary Chu.

The funds were allocated as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and are part of a recent string of federal funding announcements for energy research and demonstration projects from the DoE.

"These projects will make energy efficiency technologies more widely available, cutting energy use and reducing carbon pollution across the country," Chu said.

Industrial and district heating efficiency projects

The DoE has established a goal of doubling the amount of electricity produced by cogeneration – from 9% to 18% - by 2010. The European Commission has established a similar target. In Switzerland, cogeneration accounts for 77% of the country's electricity; in Denmark 40% of the country's electricity is produced via CHP.

Nine of the projects announced Tuesday will promote the use of combined heat and power, district energy systems, waste energy recovery systems, and energy efficiency initiatives in hospitals, utilities, and industrial sites. Combined Heat and Power, also known as cogeneration, and District Energy Systems generate both the heat and power needed for industrial processes on-site, instead of using electricity from the grid, and can be nearly twice as efficient as conventional heat and power production.

* Texas Medical Center Central Heating and Cooling Services Company
* Seattle Steam Company
* Rhode Island LFG Genco, LLC
* Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
* Ridgewood Renewable Power, LLC
* ArcelorMittal USA
* Verso Paper Corporation
* The Dow Chemical Company
* Clean Tech Partners

These industrial efficiency projects will result in almost 14 trillion Btu in estimated energy savings, which is equivalent to over 112 million gallons of gasoline per year.

Research and technical assistance

The remaining 32 awards will provide local technical support for the industrial sector through university-based Industrial Assessment Centers, state agencies, regional partnerships, and a national technical assistance provider.

The projects are an extension of DOE's successful Save Energy Now initiative, which provides plant energy assessments and technical assistance to energy intensive industrial facilities. Since the program's inception in 2006, more than 2,300 assessments have been completed and 1,500 industrial facilities have implemented the identified energy measures, saving $218 million, 35 trillion Btu and 2.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.

The industrial sector uses more than 30% of U.S. energy and is responsible for nearly 30% of U.S. CO2 emissions.

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