Cast your Ballot for LEEDV4 by June 30th!

By Jim Newman

 
 
Are you a member of the consensus body for LEED Version 4? Have you cast your ballot yet? What am I talking about? Remember, voting ends June 30th.
 
 
 
The process of affirming the next version of the LEED rating systems, known as LEED V4 for each of the current rating systems, is coming to it's conclusion. There have been 6 public comment periods, where USGBC members who joined the Consensus Body (as the group that was empowered to post comments was called) could comment directly on proposed credits and changes. Interested individuals could also post comments on special forums on LEEDuser.com which were shared with USGBC staff and the volunteer Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) working on the new versions.
 
Now, the new rating systems are up for a vote; including the specialty systems in each of the following categories:
  • Building Design & Construction,
  • Interior Design & Construction,
  • Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance,
  • Neighborhood Development,  
  • Homes
In order to cast a vote, you need to work for a USGBC member organization, and have opted in to the voting consensus body for this ballot. If you have done this, then you can proceed to vote. Voting ends on June 30th, so NOW is the time.
 
Several great reviews of the important changes in the new rating systems are available. As usual, LEEDuser.com has some of the best information, including a review of key changes in BD&C and a review of LEED V4 EB: O+M.  LEEDuser also has a number of good discussions of the big issues in the new credits and language, such as Chemical Industry Attacks LEED.
 
USGBC also has some great resources for understanding the new rating systems under ballot. There are clearly written summaries of changes between LEED 2009 and LEED V4 rating systems on USGBC's website, webinars explaining each system, and new resource guides coming soon. So there is no reason to wait to learn about V4. 
 
And remember to vote by June 30th. 
 

Say Goodbye to the Incandescent Lamp – and perhaps the CFL?

By Grey Lee

by Chris Liston
 
Say goodbye to the incandescent lamp – and perhaps the CFL? As the federal government continues to phase-out A-type incandescent light bulbs, a price war between Cree Lighting and Philips Lighting has pushed the life-cycle cost of A-type LEDs below the life-cycle cost of A-type CFLs. 
                                            greensavingsco.com
 
The A-type light bulb is the most common type of lamp uses in Massachusetts homes. Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), the 100-watt incandescent was phased-out in 2012, the 75-watt incandescent will be phased out in 2013 and the 40-watt and 60-watt incandescent will be phased out in 2014. Since EISA was announced, LED manufacturers have been scrambling to develop cost-effective alternatives. 
 
In March 2013, Cree Lighting shattered LED price points with a 9.5-watt A-type LED at a cost just under $15 and Philips responded by lowering the price point of its own A-type LED. As of June 2013 Home Depot locations in Massachusetts are carrying the Cree 9.5-watt LED (60-watt equivalent) for $12.97 and the Philips 12.5-watt LED (60-watt equivalent) for $10.97. Analysts expect these prices to fall below the $10 mark sometime before the end of the year. 
 
How is a $13 LED less expensive than a $5 CFL? The answer is in the life-cycle cost. Over a 25,000 hour period a 9.5-watt LED will cost approximately $51 in lamp costs and energy costs. Over the same period a 13-watt CFL will cost approximately $61 in lamp costs and energy costs. When Philips and Cree dropped below the $15 price point, LEDs became a better financial investment than CFLs. 
 
Life-cycle cost analysis remains a difficult sell for budget conscious consumers. When CFLs hit the market in the mid-1990s they retailed for $20-$30 and claimed a $40 savings over the life of the lamp, but by 1999 incandescent lamps still outsold CFLs 25-to-1. In a similar trend, analysts expect LED sales to surpass CFL sales sometime between 2018 and 2020.
 

Fun Networking at Knoll!

By Grey Lee

Last night we had the first in our new series of Networking Nights for the USGBC MA Chapter in Boston.

 
Knoll – furniture provisioner extraordinaire – provided their LEED Platinum showroom space and a full array of beverages and food for our community. It was a great night for making new connections – I came across the EDF, Spaulding Rehab, a neighbor from an office just upstairs from mine, and met a recent arrival who's only been in Boston two weeks but was part of another Chapter in the midwest and is ready to help out with our crew! Thanks!
 
And major thank you to Knoll, in particular Jamie Stuono, the Showroom Manager, for making everything come together, and to Andrea Coan, Arch. & Design Manager, for organizing the event and presenting about Knoll. It was great to learn about the features of the space and how the points all came together to earn the highest rating from the USGBC. 
 
I enjoyed speaking with Andrea about Knoll – how it started with a German refugee in 1939 – Hans Knoll – who brought the Bauhaus design approach to furniture, making a great impression in the US. He was part of a community of forward-thinking designers including the Eames and Eliel Saarinen. The firm started with furniture but expanded into interior design and now full office systems. They innovated in the business by not having designers in-house but rather contracting with the “creatives” to always have new ideas coming from outside the organization. 
 
She highlighted a favorite piece of hers: a table in the “antennae” product line. The design team had previously worked on subway systems – trains, gate-access systems (I would call them turnstiles but I know that's not really what they are anymore), but who Knoll pursued to work on a line of furniture. The table is classy and clean, but does not look anything like a subway train!
 
Below is our Green Schools Program Manager, Steve Muzzy, using his hands to explain how wonderful the Green Apple Day of Service is going to be, this September, and how everyone could get involved.

 
 

Thanks Knoll and everyone for coming out last night! We look forward to the next time – which will be our “Summer Social” on July 16th, again a Tuesday night at Knoll. 

 
See you there! More Green Buildings!
 
-Grey Lee
 

Platinum Tour of the UTEC in Lowell

By Grey Lee

In June 12th, the Emerging Professionals (EPMA) hosted a green building tour and networking night in Lowell.

United Teen Equality Center (UTEC) was the venue and provided a great opportunity to see a LEED Platinum facility. It is actually the oldest building to go through to LEED Platinum.

[more commentary is coming, but here are some pictures:]
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fraunhofer hosted the

By Grey Lee

Fraunhofer hosted the Climate, Mind & Behavior Program June gathering of the Garrison Institute's Boston Hub. We had about 25 people come out to their new facility at 5 Channel Center Street in the Innovation District. Fraunhofer performs a lot of research on buildings and building systems.
 

 
 
Kurt Roth, Fraunhofer's Director of Building Energy Systems Research Group, presented on the “moral licensing” effect of water conservation efforts on electricity use. In their study, an apartment complex where an outreach effort to reduce water was successful, unfortunately, electricity use increased. 
 
 
Dallase Scott, Sustainability Programs Manager at GreenerU, showed us research they have done at a university to show that comprehensive outreach efforts do indeed help students embrace new behavior patterns. She described the opportunity in the first semester, to engage with students who are in the process of redefining themselves. The new habits, esp. around energy conservation, they can create then will last a lifetime. 
 
 
The group discussed the science of behavior change and outreach and had a lot of good things to share with each other. Thank you to Fraunhofer for hosting us and to the Garrison Institute for providing refreshments.
 
 
 
The Climate, Mind & Behavior Boston Hub will continue: we are hosting our next program on September 25th – hold the date! We welcome suggestions of future presentations. We want to hear from researchers who can answer the following questions –
 
o   What is the thesis statement?
o   How did you test it?
o   What were the outcomes?
§  What worked
§  What didn’t
o   What are your disclaimers ?
o   What would you have added/what is still missing?
o   How would results from this study be integrated into the field?
 
Below: Local organizers: Kurt Roth, Bonnie Bentzin, Dallase Scott, Grey Lee and Ed Connelly
 
Please contact Adam Meier (program coordinator) at adamm@garrisoninstitute.org if you are interested in presenting. Thank you!
 
From Kurt Roth:
“For better or for worse? Empirical evidence of moral licensing in a behavioral energy conservation campaign”
 
Environmental campaigns focusing on target behaviors are rolled out to millions of households. Yet it is not clear if these programs lead to adoption of additional environment-friendly behaviors (positive spillover) or reduced engagement in other environmental domains. We conducted a controlled field study to determine if positive or unintended contrary side effects dominate by evaluating the impact of a water conservation campaign on electricity consumption. We use daily water and weekly electricity consumption data of 154 apartments in a multifamily residential building. The results show that residents who received weekly feedback on their water consumption lowered their water use, but increased their electricity consumption by 5.6% relative to the control group. Our findings are consistent with moral licensing behavior. In the future, we recommend taking a more comprehensive view in environmental program design/evaluation to attempt to mitigate such unintended effects.
 
 
From Dallase Scott:
“Knowing the Full Story: The Process for Effective Program Evaluation”
 
This presentation will provide participants with an overview of a year-long study that evaluated the effectiveness of a behavior campaign to reduce energy use in dorms. In this study  four dorms at Brown University received dorm efficiency and control upgrades. Only students in two of the dorms received a targeted behavior campaign  along with the new upgrades. Building energy use, window opening behaviors and awareness and attitudes were examined  between the control and targeted dorms.  During this presentation, we will review the process of 1-Choosing a short term objective to be examined. 2-Choosing an appropriate research design, given constraints and capacities. 3- Determining measurable indicators of success for project objectives. 4-Collecting and analyzing information to identify program impacts.

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

Networking Nights are Back!

By Grey Lee

It's time to connect. Join your fellow Green Building professionals and enthusiasts for an informal evening of networking on June 18th. Don't miss this chance to re-launch our energizing series of monthly gatherings designed to bring you together with others who are as passionate about sustainability as you are.

Chapter Silver Partner Knoll has generously agreed to sponsor our networking sessions and host us at their showroom space in the Innovation District of Boston. This month, Andrea Coan will speak briefly at 6:00 to give us highlights of the LEED Platinum space. Appetizers and drinks will be provided.
 

The Knoll Offices and Showroom at 281 Summer Street, Boston, MA was awarded LEED Platinum certification in 2012

Doors open at 5:30 and stay open until 7:00. This is an informal gathering so please come and go as you please. No worries if you are late or have to leave early.

Register now through the Chapter web site. We look forward to seeing you there!

Congratulations to Nitsch Engineering on Their LEED Gold Space!

By Grey Lee

 

On Friday May 31st, representatives from the USGBC MA Chapter stopped by Nitsch Engineering’s new office at 2 Center Plaza to celebrate the office achieving LEED-CI Gold Certification. USGBC MA Chapter Executive Director Grey Lee, MSc, LEED AP BD+C; USGBC MA Chapter Chair Gregory Sampson and USGBC MA Chapter Vice Chair Neil Angus, AICP, joined Nitsch Engineering President & CEO Lisa A. Brothers, PE, LEED AP BD+C, and Chief Engineer Sandra A. Brock, PE, CFM, LEED AP BD+C (who is also a Board Member of the USGBC MA Chapter) for a tour of the office, which was designed by Margulies Perruzzi Architects.
 
Lisa and Sandy shared information on the sustainable office elements, which include refurbished office furniture, optimized energy performance, comingled recycling, sustainable building materials, and a green cleaning plan. For more details on Nitsch Engineering’s green office, visit www.nitscheng.com.
 
 
Photo Courtesy of Nitsch Engineering. Left to Right: Neil Angus, AICP, Staff Planner at Devens Enterprise Commission and Vice Chair of USGBC MA Chapter; Gregory Sampson, Associate at Robinson & Cole LLP and Chair of USGBC MA Chapter; Lisa A. Brothers, PE, LEED AP BD+C, President and CEO of Nitsch Engineering; Sandra A. Brock, PE, CFM, LEED AP BD+C, Chief Engineer of Nitsch Engineering and Board Member of USGBC MA Chapter; and Grey Lee, MSc, LEED AP BD+C, Executive Director of USGBC MA Chapter.
 
 
 

The USGBC Annual Report is Out!

By Grey Lee

If you really want to geek out about the USGBC!
 
Each year, the national organization collects information from the many chapters across the country to get a sense of how much advocacy, education, and professional development work is happening.
 
Caution:  this is a 379-page pdf  but it's worth scrolling through if you're interested in knowing more about how we compare to our peers and how similar our efforts are across the country. Quite inspirational to think about how many volunteer hours are being contributed to this cause and how we are succeeding at making more and more components of the built environment better for the, well, the environment!

Project Spotlight: Harvard Graduate School of Education Gutman Library (1st and 2nd Floor)

By Grey Lee

Harvard Graduate School of Education recently celebrated the LEED Platinum certification of the 1st and 2nd floors of the Gutman Library. With three certified buildings already under their belts, HGSE now leads the University for the number of certified projects per square foot.
 
The 1st and 2nd Floors of the Gutman Library, which are approximately 36,000 square feet each, are certified under the LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI v2009) rating system and earned a total of 83 points out of 110 possible points.  The goal of the renovation was to create a meeting place for the students and faculty of the School of Education while still prioritizing sustainability. The renovations included the addition of a café, indoor and outdoor seating, new reading and lounge areas (including a working fireplace), and the rearrangement of book stacks, periodicals, and microfiche collection. The project team also addressed outstanding renewal issues with the mechanical, heating, and plumbing systems.
 
 
To achieve their goal of sustainability, the Gutman Library project team:
 
  • Installed demand control ventilation. The volume of outside air supplied to multi-occupant spaces is controlled by a C02 sensor. C02 increases as more people enter the room and more outside air is provided
  • Reused waste heat in the kitchen. Air handling units in the kitchen hood captures and uses the waste heat from the refrigeration equipment to pre-heat the supply air      
  •  Diverted 96% of construction waste from the landfill

 

 

 
For more information on this facility and its sustainability features: