See Who is Going to the Building Tech Forum This Thursday

By Alexander Landa


The 2017 Building Tech Forum is just three days away! We're incredibly excited for one of our biggest nights of the year to finally come, and we hope many of you will join us as well. This event will feature both fun networking sessions as well as a panel discussion.and other guest speakers. 

 

 

Panel Discussion: 

  • Gretchen Sweeney, VP of LEED Implementation at the USGBC
  • Jennie Stephens,  Dean's Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy at Northeastern University's School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. 
  • Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Chief Information Officer of the City of Boston.

Other speakers include Kurt Roth of Fraunhofer who will discuss how Fraunhofer is advancing building science, Union Point will cover Smart City they're building south of Boston, and get the latest from Siemens on how people can maximize technology in Smart City settings.

Thanks to Boston Properties for also being a sponsor!

Many high-profile organization will be in attendance too. Display sponsors include:

The Green Engineer
Engie
EYP
ReVision Energy
BuildingIQ
OpenDateSoft
New England Solar Hot Water
Recover Green Roofs
Renova
CrowdComfort
Greenovate Boston
Mass Energy Consumers Alliance

We hope that you'll join us at the Building Tech Forum this Thursday! Use the code BTF30 for 30% off any tickets.

Sponsoring Partner Announcement – Excel Dryer

By USGBC MA


The USGBC MA is proud to announce that Excel Dryer has become a sponsoring partner of our organization! We're incredibly excited to be working with this renowned company that we're sure you've seen in public before. Excel Dryer, Inc. is a family-owned and operated small business that has been manufacturing the finest American-made hand dryers for over 50 years and the only ones that are Made In USA Certified®, featuring the original, patented, high-speed, energy-efficient XLERATOR® Hand Dryers.

Excel is incredibly devoted to their mission of going green in their products. In their products, they factor in an entire Life Cycle Assessment, meaning they need to know the entire environmental impact that their products will have on the environment. You may not expect this one, but their XLERATOR product is more energy efficient than paper towels! That's right – it takes more energy to dispose of paper towels than to use a hand dryer.

The XLERATOR qualifies buildings for LEED credits in two categories:

  • EA (Energy & Atmosphere) Prerequisite 2 – Minimum Energy Performance
  • EA Credit 1 – Optimize Energy Performance (now a mandatory credit for all LEED-certified facilities)

How many hand dryers and paper towels can say they're a part of the LEED rating system? Hint – not many.

Thanks for partnering with us, and we look forward to working with you!

What is the Internet of Things?

By Alexander Landa


As we discuss the Building Tech Forum coming up next Thursday, 2/16, you've likely seen the term Internet of Things thrown around frequently. IoT as it's abbreviated means the interconnectedness between all of a person's technological devices and their immediate environment – or in the case of our event, an entire city.

What seemed like only science fiction has begun to become a reality. We're already seeing our phones control the lights in our homes, and a building's energy usage reporting directly to the city. Smart cars, smart devices, smart products, smart buildings – all becoming a reality already. These devices aren't even exclusive to the 1% or researchers only, as many of these products are readily available for the average person.

It's easy to be skeptical, as a major concern over smart products is that a person's privacy may be invaded, but that's far from the case. Yes, these devices talk to each other and even the city, but only specific facts are shared, such as energy usage or to only control certain other smart appliances from your phone.

What can the IoT do for a city? Well, Smart Cities are slow to start, but many groups are pushing for it now. Little things like MIT creating smart benches and smart signs are already transforming how individuals engage with the city. These changes won't happen overnight, but can easily happen one building or one apartment at a time.

We hope to see you at the Building Tech Forum next week where you can learn more about this emerging topic! Use the code BTF20 for 20% off any ticket type.

Building Tech Forum 2017 Speakers – Kurt Roth of Fraunhofer

By USGBC MA


The Building Tech Forum on February 16th is going to feature some amazing speakers that will surely prove to provide an engaging, informative discussion surrounding a unique and innovative topic. One of the attending speakers is Kurt Roth, the Director of Building Energy Management at Fraunhofer.

Dr. Kurt Roth has been Director of Fraunhofer CSE’s Building Energy Management Group since January 2009. Under his leadership, the team develops, analyzes, tests, evaluates, and demonstrates energy-saving building technologies. Prior to this, he was a Principal Engineer at TIAX LLC, where he led several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded studies to assess the energy savings and commercialization potentials of HVAC, building controls and diagnostics, toplighting, and IT technologies.

He has also lead several studies to characterize building energy consumption by major end uses. Kurt has presented at numerous conferences and meetings, and authored more than sixty “Emerging Technology” ASHRAE Journal articles. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Architectural Engineering program.

Sustainable Building: Interrelationships Between Building Components and Systems

By USGBC Communications

Keith Construction is a service business that focuses their expertise in housing reconstruction and new development, through a collaborative building effort. The firm's projects fall inside four market segments defined as:

  • historic preservation;
  • sustainable building;
  • rental housing; and
  • new development. 

The firm takes pride in construction that is 'built to last' and endeavors to understand the interrelationships different building components and systems have on the whole building. More than building green or using the most environmental friendly products, this concept works to create the most value from construction through design collaboration, product availability and cost, and understanding owner needs. This results in a more efficient, cost-effective building, with lower operating costs and significantly less impact on the surrounding environment. 


One example is Olympia Oaks in Amherst, MA that is a newly constructed, affordable, energy efficient neighborhood. The project includes 2- and 3-bedroom townhouses, common green, gardening area and playground. The neighborhood was designed to include energy efficiency, affordability, accessibility, and create a sense of community connection. The community is surrounded by beautiful town conservation woodlands and nature trails.

 

Republican Leaders Meet to Discuss Carbon Tax

By Derek Newberry, Advocacy Fellow


A group of senior GOP officials led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III introduced a carbon tax to senior White House officials Wednesday. The group, which includes former Secretary of State George Shultz, former Walmart chairman Rob Walton, and a host of other presidential advisors and business leaders stretching back to the Reagan era, argues that this conservative climate proposition follows both the GOP’s laissez-faire and small government ideals while also promoting true progress towards lowered emissions and reducing the risks of climate change.

Their plan involves placing a carbon tax (also known as carbon price) on fossil fuels that starts at $40 per ton of carbon dioxide produced and slowly increases over time. Fossil fuels would be taxed at their point of entry into the economy and likely raise between $200 and $300 billion annually. These funds would be repaid to consumers at an annual estimate of $2,000 per family of four. The plan would also increase the costs of fossil fuel imports from nations that do not have a similar carbon tax system to prevent them from gaining an unfair advantage. 

The group has stated that this plan would have been supported by former President Ronald Reagan and should replace the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. Regardless of the acceptance or strength of the plan, this initiative marks a significant movement towards climate change mitigation, planning, and political acceptance of the issue and will an important factor in the future of federal climate change policy. To read the full report click here. To read more on the issue click here

 

Building Tech Forum Speaker Profile – Gretchen Sweeney of the USGBC

By USGBC MA


The Building Tech Forum on February 16th is going to feature a panel of incredible speakers that will surely prove to provide an engaging, informative discussion surrounding a unique and innovative topic. One of the attending speakers is Gretchen Sweeney, the VP of LEED Implementation at the USGBC, and is one of the leaders behind the new, up-and-coming arc program.

Gretchen Sweeney manages the development of new LEED rating systems and their implementation across different verticals and geographies. She serves on the LEED Steering Committee and guides LEED team collaborations with several hundred LEED stakeholders on LEED committees and the LEED International Roundtable – industry experts who volunteer to develop the best practices in LEED that guide better design, construction, and operations of the built environment. 

Gretchen is integral to product development and market deployment of the LEED Dynamic Plaque, a powerful technology platform that scores building performance globally. She has previous experience supporting federal entities to green their building portfolios, developing a voluntary sustainability certification for Maryland municipalities at the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center (EFC), one of ten centers in the U.S. EPA Environmental Finance Center Network, and in capital markets at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey, Inc., an investment bank in Arlington, VA. 

USGBC MA More Green Buildings Podcasts: Meet Our Newest Staff Member and Let's Talk Building Tech Forum

By Alexander Landa

It's a busy week for us here in Boston. We have the Building Tech Forum coming up next week, so Grey and Celis sat down to discuss why you should care about the big day. We have some amazing sponsors attending, innovative displayers on the floor, and a who's-who of attendees from all walks of life, both professional and academic. We're also thrilled that Emily Kingston has joined the team as the latest staff member as Corporate Relations Manager, so she'll be working with sponsors being our point of contact for Greenbuld 2017.

Building Tech Forum Podcast:

Introducing Emily Kingston:

Bernie Sanders LIVE Climate Action Webinar: Wednesday, February 8 at 7 p.m.

By Derek Newberry


Join Senator Bernie Sanders, REV Renewable Energy Champion awardee, State Senator Christopher Bray, and other leading Vermont environmental advocates for a LIVE webinar Wednesday, February 8 at 7 p.m. Learn about the 2017 state and federal legislative outlook, what is being done now, and how you as a concerned citizen can help!

Click here to complete the registration form. Climate Change is now one of, if not the most critical issue of our time and the coming social and environmental issues require a new degree of outreach, coordination, and cooperation. From advocacy to promoting net zero energy policy come learn what you can do and get involved in the discussion!

The New Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART)

By Derek Newberry


After months of working group meetings and sorting through and reviewing hundreds of stakeholder comments, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources has announced the state’s new solar incentive program called the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target or “SMART” plan. Department officials publicized the plan on Jan 31, 2017, and emphasized its goals to expand installed solar energy capacity by 1600 MW in Massachusetts in improved locations while also strengthening the stability and certainty of the solar financial market. 

The SMART program will replace the current SREC-II program (Solar Renewable Energy Certificate) and encompass current net metering programs to create a staggered subsidy system where the government sets a price for each 200 MW “block” of installed capacity and compensates installers in dollars per kWh produced depending on size and location of the solar generation. Compensation or subsidy rates per installed block of 200 MW will decline by 4% each after the first installed 200 MW block and will be distributed through net metering benefits, an on-bill crediting mechanism, or a buy-all/sell-all rate for certain standalone facilities. Developers will receive a 10- to 20-year fixed compensation/incentive rate regardless of changes in future energy values. Additional subsidy options exist for installing solar in certain ideal locations such as low-income areas, brownfields, and landfills, and for low income, community, and built up areas. The program also includes certain land use requirements that limit environmental impact and compensation for energy storage development.  


While the program will likely not be approved until at least next year, depending on the Department of Utilities review and feedback, the plan provides a more efficient and secure long-term solar subsidy plan. It also provides an effective option to further develop net-zero buildings and policy throughout the state to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate. USGBC Massachusetts will continue to closely watch the state’s SMART plan and advocate for its implementation. If interested in the exact details and calculations of the SMART plan’s subsidies, check out DOER’s full presentation on the final SMART program design.

Graph retrieved from DOER presentation on SMART.