The "green" wall is projected to capture over 8 tpy ofcarbon, produce 6 tpy of oxygen, lower the local temperature by three to five degrees Celsius, and significantly improve local air quality by trapping approximately 500 kg per year of particulate matter.
Citicape House, designed by architecture firm Sheppard Robson, will feature a five-star hotel, 40,000 square-feet of workspace, a sky bar, meeting and events space, a spa, a restaurant, and various other spaces.
(Source: Shepard Robson Architects, electrek, 20 Nov., 2019)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Green Wall, Building Energy Efficiency,
The building's green facade
will be wrapped with 400,000 plants for low ultraviolet values and to capture over eight tonnes of carbon and produce six tonnes of oxygen annually. Other energy efficiency related features include a "green roof" garden, efficient window glazing to minimize heat gain, a rainwater collection system, external air heat pumps and a focus on incorporating renewable energy.
(Source: Sheppard Robson, dezeen, 11 Mov., 2019) Contact: Sheppard Robson, Dan Burr, Partner, www.sheppardrobson.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Green Wall, Building Energy Efficiency,
CARP objectives include building energy efficiency requirements, making the city of roughly 75,000 residents zero-waste by 2050 through recycling and composting programs and urging the federal government to impose a national carbon tax.
(Source: Evanston City Council, The Daily Northwestern, 7 Nov., 2019) Contact: City of Evanston, Kumar Jensen, Sustainability and Resiliency Officer, www,cityofevanston.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change,
"In this context, it is important to consider the role that market-based instruments can play in improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Market-based instruments have gained attention in the past few years as effective tools in the policy portfolio to deliver energy efficiency. The most prevalent market-based instrument, energy company obligations, has become particularly widespread. In 2017, 47 obligation programmes were in operation in 21 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America."
Download the IPEEC Energy Company Obligations: Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Future Trends report
HERE. (Source: International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC) Building Energy Efficiency Task Group, Nov., 2019) Contact: IPEEC, www.ipeec.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency,
The index analyzed green-certified office space across America's 30 largest office markets and found the highest in the index's history at 42.2 pct -- up from 41.9 pct from 2018. According to the report, 71.1 pct of Chicago's office buildings are market-certified green and hold either an EPA ENERGY STAR® label, USGBC LEED certification, or both.
(Source: CBRE, Lawndale News, 7 Nov., 2019) Contact: CBRE, National Green Building Adoption Index www.cbre.com/about/corporate-responsibility/pillars/environmental-sustainability/green building adoption index; CBRE, Corpcomm@cbre.com, www.cbre.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency, Energy Benchmarking, CGRE,
The new code will help both consumers and municipalities interested in voluntarily adopting higher efficiency standards for new and renovated building construction projects.
NYStretch is expected to deliver roughly 11 pct in energy savings over the model energy codes that will be the basis for the 2020 Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State (2020 ECCC-NYS), with ROI ranging from 6to 12 years.
(Source: NYSERDA, 11 Oct., 2019)Contact: NYSERDA, Alicia Barton, Pres., CEO, (518) 862-1090, www.nyserda.ny.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News NYSERDA, Energy Efficiency, Building Energy Efficiency,
The data includes programs offered by U.S. territories, local governments, and electric and gas utilities. Incentives can include tax incentives, grants, loans, rebates, industry recruitment/support, performance-based incentives, technical resources, feed-in tariffs, renewable energy credits, solar renewable energy credits and green building incentives.
DSIRE also includes information on rules, regulations and policies related to the incentives, including public benefit funds, building energy codes, appliance/equipment efficiency standards and energy standards for public buildings.
The database is limited to incentives and policies from only investor-owned utilities in the U.S., and electric cooperatives and municipal utilities with more than 30,000 customers. (Source: DSIRE, Arizona Business Daily Reports, Oct., 2019) Contact: Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, www.dsireusa.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency,
The policy targets 50 pct renewable electricity for government operations by 2022 and 100 pct by 2025, rising to 100 pct renewable electricity by 2035.
The energy plan has specific targets for reducing the amount of per capita carbon produced each decade through 2050. The County also will produce a plan to transition away from internal combustion engines and increase the use of alternative and public transportation.
(Source: Arlington Connection, 25 Sept., 2019)Contact: Arlington County, www.arlingtonva.us
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Management, Energy Efficiency,
According to the Ministry, the building sector is "one of the major energy-consuming areas in Morocco, it represents 33 pct of the final energy consumption and records a strong growth of the annual energy consumption."
Morocco's energy efficiency strategy aims to achieve energy savings of around 20 pct. (Source: Morocco World News, 19 Sept., 2019) Contact: NAMA Facility, www.nama-facility.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,
More than 45 cities and counties are considering adopting reach codes that require building and transportation electrification. Nineteen cities in the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont, have adopted similar ordinances.
(Source: City of San Jose, San Jose Spotlight, 16 Sept., 2019) Contact: City of San Jose, www.sanjoseca.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency, Building Energy Efficiency,
The government's plans are expected to include a broad range of issues such as extending grants for electric car buyers, expanding a network of charging stations, raising road taxes for polluting vehicles, improving building energy efficiency, raising a green surcharge on air travel and a possible carbon tax.
As previously reported, Germany is expected to miss its own emissions goals for 2020. (Source: DW, 15 Sept., 2019)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change, German Climate Change,
The BEA Initiative was launched by The World Resources Institute (WRI) and Johnson Controls (JCI) to increase awareness and adoption of building energy efficiency programs.
The Initiative aims to build market awareness and action on local government leadership by example, particularly in the developing world, local benchmarking and sustainable building certification and labeling approaches, innovative financing to support efficiency investments and distributed energy systems at the building and community scale. (Source: Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, DEWA, Aug., 2019) Contact: Dubai Supreme Council of Energy , Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman, DEWA CEO, www.dubaisce.gov.ae
; World Resources Institute, www.wri.org; Johnson Controls, Clay Nesler, (855) 324-3650, www.johnsoncontrols.com;
Building Efficiency Accelerator Initiative, www.buildingefficiencyaccelerator.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Johnson Controls, World Resources Institute , Energy Efficiency, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, DEWA,
The report findings include:
TEAM ZERO is working to unify stakeholders involved in promoting different 'paths to zero' with a common agenda and collaborative efforts that accelerate market adoption of zero energy and zero carbon homes, commercial buildings, developments, communities, and retrofits across North America. The goal is to build awareness about the value of zero energy and ensure zero harm homes and buildings are accessible and affordable to home buyers, renters and businesses in all communities.
Download the Zero Energy Residential Buildings Study 2018 Inventory of residential projects on the path to zero in the U.S. and Canada HERE.
(Source: TEAM ZERO, PR, Aug., 2019) Contact: TEAM ZERO, Richard Willingham, (416) 524-2380, 219371@email4pr.com, www.teamzero.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Net Zero Energy, Energy Efficiency, Building Energy Efficiency, Net Zero Energy Coalition,
One expert who has been working at the heart of this topic is Gonzalo Pinto Quijano, an architect specializing in sustainable buildings at Acciona. As part of the EU project BRESAER, he has helped design and test a pioneering lightweight structural mesh to boost the energy-performance building facades.
The BRESAER building mesh system is modular and flexible, allowing it to adapt to different climatic conditions and architectural constraints. The lightweight structural mesh allows other components to be easily integrated into an energy efficient building facade .
Download BRESAER system details HERE. (Source: UN Cordis, Aug., 2019) Contact: UN Cordis, www.cordis.europa.eu; BRESAER, www.bresaer,eu
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency, Building Energy Efficiency, Energy Management, Bresaer,
Cynthia Cruickshank, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Director of the Solar Energy Systems Lab will lead the CU-CABER project to develop and evaluate new building envelope technologies. The six-year project has $3 million support from Natural Resources Canada's Energy Innovation Program and $2.1 million from the Ontario Research Fund.
Prof. Burak Gunay is working to develop an open source software platform that will help building managers identify energy efficiency issues. Gunay and his team received $510,000 through Natural Resources Canada's Green Infrastructure Fund for his Next Generation: Actionable Building Energy Performance Metrics, Data Analytics and Visualization research effort.
The researchers are partnering with CopperTree Analytics, Delta Controls, and Sensible Building Science, and BentallGreenOak will develop a suite of diagnostic algorithms and methods to help facility managers pinpoint problems, and solve them.
(Source: Carlton University, July, 2019)Contact: Carlton University Building Performance Research Centre, 613-520-7838, vpri@carleton.ca,
www.carleton.ca/bprc
More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency, ,
To avoid this greenhouse effect, air conditioning has been the standard solution, but, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy used on air condition has doubled since 2000 and presently accounts for about 14 pct of all energy consumed.
In obvious agreement with the IEA, in April NYC mayor Bill de Blasio said he would ban all-glass buildings and force developers to retrofit existing buildings to make them more energy-efficient, although the "ban" was later clarified to mean "excessive use of glass and steel."
In the UK, London's mayor Sadiq Khan ruled out a similar plan but released regulations requiring construction firms to assess a building's energy use across its whole life-cycle and to use special types of glass that can block sunshine in hot weather, or even generate electricity themselves, such as the Edge building in Amsterdam. (Source: Various Media, Guardian, July, 2019)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency, Energy Consumption, Building Energy Efficiency,
Launched in 2017, inteGRIDy is running 10 pilot schemes in 8 European countries focused on electricity demand response, enhancing the operation of the distribution grid and energy storage.
Download one of the 10 projects -- A Demonstration of an Integrated Battery Energy Storage System in Residential and Commercial Buildings --
HERE. (Source: Cordis News, July, 2019) Contact: inteGRIDy, www.integridy.eu
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Storage, Building Energy Efficiency, Energy Consumption,
Under the city's proposed standard,
real estate agents and landlords will be required to inform potential purchasers and renters how the property they're interested in compares with other similar properties in terms of energy consumption and energy related operating costs.
(Source: City of Montpelier, mychamplainvalley.com, 10 July, 2019)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency, Energy Consumption,
In 2018, Better Buildings Initiative partners and allies saved 1.38 quadrillion BTUs and $8.4 billion in total energy costs. These organizations are leading the U.S. in energy efficiency by adopting emerging technologies, advancing the American workforce, and sharing their innovative approaches to energy and water efficiency.
The Better Buildings, Better Plants Waste Reduction Pilot was launched to address the 2.7 billion tons of industrial solid waste and more than 260 million tons of municipal solid waste the U.S. generates annually. By reducing waste, organizations also save energy. Manufacturers, companies, schools, and governments across the country can strengthen their competitiveness and sustainability by setting and realizing robust waste reduction goals. DOE will work with organizations who have signed up for the pilot to determine the appropriate metrics, goals and opportunities for different sectors.
Through the Better Buildings Initiative, DOE aims to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings 20 pct more energy efficient over the next decade. Greater energy efficiency saves billions of dollars, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and creates U.S. jobs.
Download the Better Buildings Progress Report HERE. (Source: US DOE, PR, 10 July, 2019) Contact: Better Buildings Solution Center., betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News US DOE, Building Energy Efficiency, Better Buildings Challenge,
BCIA is seeking to encourage initiatives that increase energy efficiency;
bring building performance in line the UK government's recent commitments to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050; and cut building energy waste.
To that end, BCIA is calling on the buildings control industry to share knowledge on different means of saving energy in buildings.
(Source: Building Controls Industry Association, PR, 24 June, 2019) Contact: Building Controls Industry Association, Jon Belfield, CEO, +44 0 118 940 3416
www.bcia.co.uk
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency, Building Energy Efficiency, Energy Management,
The western German city of Arnsberg was paired up with Warren, Minn., three years ago as part of the Climate-Smart Municipalities program. It was using planes equipped with thermal imaging cameras to see which buildings were losing the most energy.
Related Minnesota programs and initiatives include the use of drones to measure building emissions and heat loss, solar energy installations, energy-efficient lighting, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and others. The program is directed through the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment in St.Paul.
(Source: MPR News Update, June, 2019) Contact: University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, Jessica Hellman, Dir., (612) 624-6973Fax: (612) 626-5555 -- fax, ione@umn.edu, www.environment.umn.edu
Climate-Smart Municipalities, environment.umn.edu/grant/climate-smart-municipalities
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency, Climate Change,
Section 179D of the tax code offers a tax deduction to building owners and businesses for energy efficiency improvements such as lighting, heating and cooling, hot water systems, ventilation, or the building envelope like insulation or windows. It offers incentives for upgrades at new or existing buildings that cut the total energy and power cost by at least 50 percent compared to a building meeting the ASHRAE codes baseline for energy efficiency.
Jason Hartke, CEO, Alliance to Save Energy states, "This is a key tax incentive for encouraging energy efficiency in commercial buildings, which account for about 20 percent of U.S. energy consumption. It is important that Congress extend this incentive to give building owners and designers the certainty they need to make these investments." (Source: Office of Rep. Jeff Van Drew, PR, Cap May Herald, 31 May, 2019)
Contact: Office of Rep. Jeff Van Drew, www.vandrew.house.gov; Rep Mike Kelly, https://kelly.house.gov;
Alliance to Save Energy, (202) 857-0666, www.ase.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency, Alliance to Save Energy,
The HQ building design incorporates smart technologies by EDGE that record data and automate the building's features and functions, including Internet of Things (IoT) systems enabling the building to learn from occupants' behaviors and remember their preferences.
(Source: Unilever, PR May, 2019) Contact: Unilever, Catherine Reynolds
MediaRelations.USA@unilever.com,
(201) 894-7760, www.unileverusa.com; USGBC, Mahesh Ramanujam, Pres., CEO, (202) 552-1500, www.usgbc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News USGBC, LEED Certification, Building Energy Efficiency,
The Act, if passed into law, would remove the present ban on the use of fossil fuels in federal buildings while implementing energy efficiency targets.
Under the legislation, federal facility managers could choose the energy mix that best meets their efficiency goals and saves on a building's operating costs as well as ensure significant renovations to existing facilities achieving 30 pct less energy use than the current requirements.
(Source: Various Media, Energy Insider, 15 May, 2019)
Contact: Rep. Earl L. Carter, (202) 225-5831, www.congress.gov/member/earl-carter/C001103; Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), (202) 225-9897, https://veasey.house.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,
According to the BEIS release,
around 60 pct of the built sector is rented, creating barriers to improve energy efficiency due to complex contracts between landlords and commercial tenants which often clash with the ownership, maintenance and long lifetimes of technological improvements.
Roughly 40 pct of the UK's carbon emissions come from energy consumed in buildings, according to the release.
BEIS estimates a 20 pct cut in building emissions will reduce energy costs for businesses by £6 billion, £2.7 billion of which will be saved by SMEs, with a new energy efficiency targeting scheme set to be introduced to assist smaller businesses.
The government's Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) came into effect on 1st April 2018, imposing new rules on both domestic and commercial properties within the private rental sector. The new rules prohibit landlords from granting a tenancy to new or existing tenants if the property has an inefficient Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating.
(Source: UK BEIS, edie News, 25 April 2019, Contact: BEIS, Ben Golding, Director of Energy Efficiency, +44 0 20 7215 5000, enquiries@beis.gov.uk,www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy
More Low-Carbon Energy News Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Energy Efficiency ,
Approximately 60 pct of the sector is rented, creating barriers to improve energy efficiency due to complex contracts between landlords and commercial tenants which often clash with the ownership, maintenance and long lifetimes of technological improvements.
The Ministry notes its Clean Growth Strategy includes a "package of measures" to support business to improve energy efficiency and productivity by at least 20 pct by 2030 and lead to the establishment of an Industrial Energy Efficiency scheme to help large companies cut energy use and bills in commercial properties.
BEIS estimates that the 20 pct target will significantly cut energy costs for businesses and, to that end, has also launched a £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to support high energy consumption businesses with the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Elsewhere, the UK Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) came into effect in April 2018, imposing new rules on both domestic and commercial properties within the private rental sector. The rules prohibit landlords from granting a tenancy to new or existing tenants if the property has a sub-standard Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating.
(Source: BEIS, edie Newsroom, 25 April, 2019) Contact: BEIS, Ben Golding, Director of Energy Efficiency and Local Department, +44 0 20 7215 5000, enquiries@beis.gov.uk,
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy
More Low-Carbon Energy News Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ,
According to the DOE, residential and commercial buildings account for approximately 40 pct of the Nation's total energy demand and about 75 pct of all electric power consumption. In addition, growing peak electricity demands are challenging the electrical grid, exacerbated by stresses from transmission and distribution infrastructure constraints and the increasing number of variable renewable electricity power generation sources. However, integration of more flexible and even dispatchable loads through building automation can optimize energy use leading to decreased energy costs while maintaining occupant preferences. Even greater optimization of energy supply, storage, and demand results in a more resilient and reliable grid that simultaneously improves energy affordability.
The DOE Building Technologies Office (BTO) designed the 2019 BENEFIT FOA to increase energy productivity -- both within and beyond a building's walls -- by supporting the R&D and performance verification of flexible and energy-efficient technologies for residential and commercial buildings across the following topic areas:
The BTO's demand flexibility strategy, called Grid-interactive Efficient Building, is a unique addition to this funding opportunity which has traditionally focused on R&D for the next-generation of energy efficient building technologies. The DOE's vision integrates advanced sensing, controls, and communication with flexible, energy efficiency technologies to advance the role buildings can play in modernizing the power grid.
Buildings have historically been passive consumers of energy, but next-generation flexible technologies give buildings and equipment the potential to provide a host of grid services that utilities currently receive from other, more traditional grid assets. Further research will help achieve this vision at-scale.
Download FOA details and application materials HERE. Information on the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Building Technologies Office is HERE.
(Source: USA DOE, BLOG, 23 April, 2019) Contact: US DOE, www.energy.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News US DOE, Building Energy Efficiency,
The BOMA BC Building Tune-Up Program provides a free detailed assessment of operational energy conservation measures, a fixed value amount to implement the identified measures, along with the full cost to verify the measures after implementation.
The program is geared towards Class B and C buildings that are older than five years, a market segment with significant opportunities for energy savings. ESC Automation, a long-time BOMA BC member, was selected to conduct the assessments after a competitive bidding process. (Source: BOMA BC, REMI Networks, 15 April, 2019) Contact: BOMA, BOMA Green Buildings Program, www.boma.bc.ca/green-buildings/building-tune-up-program
More Low-Carbon Energy News Green Building news, Building Energy Efficiency news,
The analysis finds that a $500 billion investment over 15 years in improving building energy efficiency would net: $1.3 trillion in savings on consumer utility bills; 1.3 million jobs created annually -- 20 pct more than current job creation rates; a 36 pct decline in building energy consumption from current projected demand; 300 million metric ton reduction in CO2 emissions from current projections; and completely eliminate the need to build new fossil fuel power plants.
Download the Building Climate Justice: Investing in Energy Efficiency for a Fair and Just Transition report HERE. (Source: Food & Water Watch, Mar., 2019) Contact: Food & Water Watch, www.foodandwaterwatch.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,
The loan is intended for "on-lending" by Mikrofin for building and building energy efficiency improvements, equipment upgrades for micro agri-businesses, the development of energy efficiency lending products, and related initiatives and projects, according to the GGF release.
The GGF invests in measures which lead to reduced energy use and CO2 emissions and improvement of resource efficiency in Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Moldova, the Middle East and North Africa. It provides financing to local partners that on-lend to enterprises and private households, and it invests directly in renewable energy projects.
Mikrofin, a microfinance market leader in Bosnia, financially supports more than 57,000 clients, mostly low-income micro and small entrepreneurs. (Source: GGF, PR, SeeNews, 15 Mar., 2019) Contact: Green for Growth Fund, +49 (0) 69 271 035,
www.ggf.lu
More Low-Carbon Energy News Green for Growth Fund, Energy Efficiency ,
Green roofs absorb heavy rains, give buildings an extra layer of insulation, increase building energy efficiency, lower carbon footprints, combat urban heat island effect and improve air quality . About 730 buildings covering roughly 40 acres in the Big Apple presently have green roofs.
Download Green Roofs in NYC data HERE.
(Source: Nature Conservancy, Mar., 2019) Contact: Nature Conservancy, www.nature.org;
Green Roof Researchers Alliance, www.greenroofalliance.com, www.greenfoofs.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Nature Conservancy , Green Roof, Energy Efficiency, Green Building,
Universal mCloud's AssetCare solution offers an innovative zero-upfront subscription model that creates operational savings for the customer by analyzing numerous data sources such as space temperatures, outdoor weather, expected occupancy, and HVAC unit efficiency to pinpoint where a building's energy is being wasted. The data is integrated into a real-time intelligence model that enables AssetCare to make decisions on how to best respond moment-to-moment to changing comfort conditions in a building while simultaneously curbing unnecessary energy use.
These new AI-powered features are expected to go live to all current and new AssetCare for Smart Buildings customers later this year.
(Source: Universal-mCloud Corp., PR, 12 Mar., 2019) Contact: Universal mCloud Corp, Russ McMeekin, CEO, (415) 635-3500, www.mcloudcorp.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Management, Universal mCloud , Building Energy Efficiency,
EYP offers services in the areas of utility programs, energy design assistance, benchmarking, building performance, energy software and energy analysis data to help clients optimize their building energy efficiency investments.
Within its energy practice, Willdan helps utilities clients upgrade their grids and supports facility owners with the development of energy efficient buildings and other offerings.
The acquisition is slated to close later this month.
(Source: Wildan, consulting.us, 6 Mar., 2019) Contact: The Weidt Group, Jim Douglas, Pres., (877) 938-1588, info@twgi.com,www.theweidtgroup.com;
WildanGroup Inc., Stacy McLaughlin, CFO, (714) 940-6300, smclaughlin@willdan.com, www.wildan.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Willdan, Energy Efficiency,
The program is being tagged GreenWorks after a similar program called MassWorks which funds local infrastructure projects. Under the GreenWorks program, cities and towns would apply for competitive grants for specific projects related to energy efficiency, clean energy and climate change resiliency -- ie school building energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy and energy storage projects.
(Source: Mass. Representative, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, MassLive, 22 Feb., 2019) Contact: Mass. Speaker Robert DeLeo , malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/RAD1
More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change,
According to the report, improved energy efficiency and performance of buildings presents a win-win-win opportunity, reducing stress on the electricity network, offering bill savings, supporting a least-cost pathway to a zero carbon built environment, and improving health and resilience outcomes for households and businesses.
The National Construction Code is a ready-made policy instrument to influence the operational energy use of new buildings and major renovations. The Code regulates the building envelope and fixed equipment, including heating and cooling equipment, lighting and hot water. Built to Perform shows that setting strong energy standards for new buildings in the Code could, between now and 2050, reduce energy bills by up to $27 billion, cut energy network costs by up to $12.6 billion and deliver at least 78 million tonnes of cumulative emissions savings.
The ASBEC report was produced with the support of the Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living, the RACV and dozens of building industry and government partners. The project has been delivered in partnership with CSIRO, Energy Action (EA), Strategy. Policy. Research. (SPR) and the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre at the University of Wollongong (UOW). (Source: ASBEC, PR, Jan., 2019) Contact: ASBEC, Suzanne Toumbourou, Exec. Dir., (02) 8006 0828, admin@asbec.asn.au, www.asbec.asn.au; ClimateWorks Australia, www.climateworksaustralia.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,
According to the D.C. Green Building Advisory Council 50 pct of the city's buildings will need to improve their energy performance to meet as yet undermined standards. The bill gives the D.C. Department of Energy & Environment until 2021 to establish a standard Energy Star score that buildings must meet, and it requires that standard to be at least at the level of D.C.'s current median score. The new law will also establish a task force of commercial real estate industry representatives to help with the implementation.
Building Owners needing to make upgrades will be able to utilize multiple financing methods, including low-interest PACE bonds and the D.C. Green Bank, a new fund that allows owners to borrow money for building upgrades and pay it back out of their future energy savings. (Source: Bisnow Washington, 14 Jan., 2019)
Contact: DC Green Bank, www.doee.dc.gov/greenbank
More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change, Building Energy Efficiency, Building Sustainability,
VTA instigated a Sustainability Program and established a goal to incorporate green building principles into VTA projects in 2008. The program included new or renovated buildings or other facilities such as parking garages or bus rapid transit stations. VTA has since constructed and renovated several buildings with renewable energy, water and energy efficient fixtures, drought-tolerant landscaping, and other green building features.
The new VTA Green Building Policy is intended to help reduce energy consumption and costs and to formalize green building principles into all aspects of its infrastructure for greater environmental, social and economic responsibility.
To date, the Santa Clara County VTA has implemented sustainability features such as solar panels at bus terminals, EV charging stations, low-flow plumbing equipment, solar-powered trash and recycling containers, transit platforms lit by natural light and water recycling as well as repurposing cut trees into retaining walls and mulch.
(Source: Santa Clara County VTA, Silicon Valley Voice, 12 Jan., 2019)Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, www.vta.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Green Building, Energy Efficiency, Building Energy Efficiency,
Specifically, the ordinance would require all new and significantly renovated city buildings of more than 5,000 square feet to be U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold certified.
(Source: City of St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay Times, Jan., 2019) Contact: USGBC, Mahesh Ramanujam, Pres., CEO, (202) 552-1500, www.usgbc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News USGBC, US Green Building Council, Energy Efficiency,
With the addition of the state's recently enacted new building energy efficiency code, UAB expects to achieve an additional 9.1 pct energy cost savings above the savings anticipated with the LEED certification. The state's new construction energy efficiency code is considered one of the nation's most stringent, according to the UAB release.
(Source: UAB, PR, Bham Now, 5 Jan., 2019) Contact: UAB, Melody Gillezeau, Sustainable Development Project Manager , (205) 348-6010, www.ua.edu; USGBC, Mahesh Ramanujam, Pres., CEO, (202) 552-1500, www.usgbc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News LEED Certification, USGBC, Energy Efficiency,
As part of the program, the school board is assessing its boilers campus-wide and is working with Columbus, Ohio-based utility American Electric Power (AEP)to improve overall campus-wide energy efficiency, energy efficient lighting, HVAC controls and trimming general energy related costs.
The board' aims to save $650,000 in total by June 30, of this year.
(Source: New Albany-Plain Local School District, This Week Community News, 30 Dec., 2018) Contact: New Albany-Plain Local School District, Superintendent Michael Sawyers, www.napls.us
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,
The plan calls for aggressive and technology-based energy conservation, building energy efficiency, an increased reliance on renewable energy, increase transportation electrification, energy storage and other related measures. The plan also recognizes climate and energy achievements to date, but suggests more work to meet mandated emissions reduction goals and prevent winter price spikes in the power sector.
Access Massachusetts Comprehensive Energy Plan
details HERE. (Source: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, MassLive, Dec., 2018)Contact: Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, www.mass.gov/doer
More Low-Carbon Energy News Mass DOER, Clean Energy,
The codes also incentivize "demand responsive technologies" including battery storage and heat pump water heaters. Combined with a host of other energy efficiency upgrades, the revised building codes are expected to slash energy use in new homes by more than 50 pct.
(Source: Calif. Energy Commission, 5 Dec., 2018) Contact: California Energy Commission, (916) 465-4500, www.energy.ca.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News California Energy Commission, Rooftop Solar, Solar,
The standards are expressed as annual limits on carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, based on different emissions intensity limits applicable to different categories of buildings. The limits would first be effective in 2022, with increasingly stringent limits over time. There are variance provisions, including one related to economic hardship. (Source: Foley & Loag LLP. Pr, Dec., 2018)
More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency news, Energy Efficiency news, NYC Energy Efficiency news,
The advanced course is intended to instruct and train construction and energy industry professionals on the key elements of retrofiting existing buildings and to support their technical capacity for more effective post-retrofit maintenance and preventive care, according to the EmiratesGBC release.
The course covers the limitations, financial implications and risks and benefits of the retrofit measures. The training programme is based on the EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings and serves as a handbook for all industry stakeholders to achieve higher levels of energy and water efficiency by retrofitting existing buildings.
Course graduates are qualified as
EmiratesGBC-certified Building Retrofit Specialists.
(Source: EmiratesGBC, PR, TradeArabia News Service, Nov., 2018) Contact: Emirates Green Building Council, +971 4 346 8244, www.emiratesgbc.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Emirates Green Building Council, Energy Efficiency,
Of the total €8 million Cohesion Fund investment, €4 is earmarked to finance replacement of inefficient manufacturing equipment. The balance will be applied to building energy efficiency upgrades, LED lighting systems, and other related initiatives.
(Source: Latvia Central Finance and Contracting Agency, BNN, 10 Oct., 2018)
Contact: Latvia Central Finance and Contracting Agency , +371 22 306 116, www.cfla.gov.lv/en; EU Cohesion Fund, http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/cohesion-fund
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,
The proposed "Clean Energy D.C." Act would require D.C. to source 100 pct of its electricity from renewable sources by 2032; increase fees for oil and gas; set new building energy efficiency standards, and authorize programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 pct by 2050.
(Source: ThinkProgress. D.C., Pacific Standard, 24 Sept., 2018) Contact: Clean Energy DC, http://lims.dccouncil.us/Legislation/B22-0904; ThinkProgress. D.C., https://thinkprogress.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Renewable Energy, Clean Energy, Carbon Emissions,
Oneonta is partnering with SUNY Polytechnic Institute and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to establish goals and best practices for the program, which is supported by a two-year grant of $900,000, part of nearly $6 million awarded to SUNY campuses by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to train more workers in the state's clean-energy sector.
The initiative will also develop an in-house capacity of LEED associated professionals to certify new and existing campus buildings across the State University system. After the three-year pilot program, a SUNY Green Building Technology Learning Center will be developed to expand training SUNY-wide.
The specialized courses will lead to a new Sustainable Building Design certificate offered through the Geography and Environmental Sustainability department.
As previously reported, SUNY College at Brockport, New York, offers a similar program.
(Source: State University of New York College at Oneonta , Daily Star, 25 Sept., 2018) Contact: State University of New York College at Oneonta, (607) 436-3500, https://suny.oneonta.edu
More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency, LEED Certification,
LLNL's work seeks to establish metrics of peak energy usage and energy shaving capabilities that can be used by grid operators to lower the cost of their services. To that end, LLNL will work with the Contra Costa County Public Works Department in California, which will provide energy consumption data on more than 50 buildings which they manage. They will also work with New York University, which will provide similar data on about 20 buildings.
The project is scheduled to begin in October. (Source: LLNL, Sept., 2018) Contact: LLNL, Jhi-Young Joo Joo, Research Project Leader, www.llnl.gov;
DOE Building Technologies Office, www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/building-technologies-office
More Low-Carbon Energy News Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Energy Efficiency, DOE Building Technologies Office ,