Historical Renovation Creates Residential Housing for Working Families

By USGBC Communications

What do you get when you combine a mill complex, the need for affordable housing, and Keith Construction? Development of a 45-unit affordable housing complex for working individuals and families in the Pittsfield's Morningside neighborhood. Rice Silk Mill involved a historic conversion of the mill complex known as the A.H. Rice Company. Originally built in 1874, the complex played a major role in Pittsfield’s rise as a textile manufacturing center during the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century.

The historically sensitive renovation resulted in various unit types, including one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, featuring modern amenities (exercise facility, community room, and wireless internet access) in a loft-type setting. Completed on a 13 month project schedule, the project challenges included re-use of existing physical resources, preservation of historic buildings, use of existing infrastructure and energy-efficient design, in a dense urban setting.

The effort has been well worth it, as the new community has contributed to the ongoing revitalization of Morningside neighborhood.


Due date coming up – Dept of Energy 11th Annual Leading by Example Awards

By James Robe, Outreach and Communication Manager

The application forms for the Department of Energy Resource's 11th Annual Leading by Example Awards are now available online. The LBE Awards recognize state agencies, public colleges and universities, and municipalities, plus public sector staff or volunteers, for outstanding efforts in implementing policies and programs that result in measureable environmental and energy benefits.

Public Entity and Individual applications are now available online. Applications are due by Tuesday, September 26 at 5:00PM. Recipients will be recognized at a ceremony at the State House later this year. If you have any questions contact Trey Gowdy, the Sustainability Project Coordinator at Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources via trey.gowdy@state.ma.us and 617-626-7328.


 

Solar for Business

By USGBC MA Communications

Bayside Bowl’s rooftop bar solar array produces nearly 100% of their power.

Increasingly, business owners are finding that going solar is not just a good move for the environment, but also a good move for their bottom line. Solar power can be installed in a variety of configurations to meet your business’s needs, and using the solar energy that is generated will save you money.

Solar Means Business

Making use of solar energy is a smart strategy for any business. By installing PV you can essentially lock in a low electricity rate for years to come, with a very favorable return on your investment. Commercial PV installation is not limited to corporate giants; installation prices have dropped by over 50% since 2012, and small businesses can easily attain PV installations that create significant savings.

Furthermore, it is a great opportunity, here at the beginning of our country’s transition to renewable energy, to distinguish your business from others by leading in sustainability. By investing well for your company, you will also be investing in the well-being of future generations, and many Americans today are interested supporting businesses that give back. Going solar makes a powerful statement that your business’s success is in harmony with our environment.

How Solar Works For You

Solar PV allows your business to generate clean electricity on its rooftop (or land) at a very predictable cost-per-kilowatt-hour that is generally less than currently paid to the utility. When the sun is out, the panels make power. When the sun goes down, your business consumes electricity from the grid. Grid consumption versus production is reconciled monthly and credits carry forward up to a year.

Available Incentives

Net Metering

The cornerstone of grid-tied solar photovoltaic systems is the policy of net metering, where the utility is mandated by state law to purchase electricity generated by the business and to offer compensation (in the form of a credit) on future electric bills. There are limits to the size of a system which is net-metered, which varies state-by-state, though practical considerations (like how much solar fits on your roof) usually come up before state limits are reached.

30% Investment Tax Credit

The 30% ITC is the most significant tax credit available for solar energy systems, both solar hot water and solar photovoltaic. A business may take a credit (not deduction) of 30% of the purchase price of a solar energy system against an existing income or AMT tax liability.

More information: http://programs.dsireusa.org/system/program/detail/1837

MACRS (5 Year Accelerated Depreciation)

Solar energy systems may be eligible for five year accelerated depreciation if claimed as business property under the federal Modified Accelerated Cost-Recovery System (MACRS). Businesses eligible to use this deduction typically see an additional savings of 20-26%.

More information: http://programs.dsireusa.org/system/program/detail/676

USDA REAP Grants

The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides financial assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses in rural America to purchase, install, and construct renewable energy systems, make energy efficiency improvements to non-residential buildings and facilities, use renewable technologies that reduce energy consumption, and participate in energy audits and renewable energy development assistance.

These competitive grants are offered as much as twice per year and are available to businesses that meet the USDA’s definition of rural (under 50,000 inhabitants), while agricultural producers may be in rural or non-rural areas. ReVision Energy is able to offer some support in the grant-writing process on a case-by-case basis. A USDA REAP grant may provide up to 25% of a project’s cost, with a cap of $500,000.

More information: http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-energy-america-program-re…

Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs)

Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) or Solar Renewable Energy Credits are a form of Renewable Energy Certificate that are specifically met by solar generation assets. Every 1MWh of solar generation generates 1 credit, which has a market value which fluctuates based on demand. These credits can be sold to utilities so that they can meet their requirements under an individual states’ Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) legislation. SREC value varies widely state-by-state based on size of the solar market and aggressiveness of solar goals under the state’s RPS.

 

Neil deGrasse Tyson Announced as Greenbuild Closing Plenary Speaker

By Rebecca Collins

 


We are extremely excited to announce that acclaimed astrophysicist and cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson will be the Closing Plenary speaker for Greenbuild 2017 in Boston! 

While most popularly known as the host of the television series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and the podcast/television series StarTalk, Tyson is an accomplished scientist whose professional research interests are broad, but include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of our Milky Way. He was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in public schools through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. Tyson went on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia. He is the recipient of 19 honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. Tyson is also the fifth head of the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City and the first occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship and he is a research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.

The Closing Plenary will take place 11:00am – 12:30pm on Friday, Nov. 10, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. The Closing Plenary is included in the 3-day and 4-day conference passes and the Friday day pass. To learn more and register for Greenbuild, visit greenbuildexpo.com

There are lots of exciting Greenbuild announcements being made. In case you missed it, The Revivalists were announced last week as the Greenbuild Celebration performers. Stay tuned for the announcement of the Opening Plenary speaker! And be sure to come to our Greenbuild Mixer with JLL on September 21 for networking and exclusive Greenbuild updates!

QEPrize Recognises ‘tiny’ Innovation

By USGBC MA Communications

A team of four people recently received the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) from Princess Anne – the third time the prize has been awarded since 2013. Between them, the team has embarked on a remarkable voyage of discovery, innovation and engineering. This journey has led to almost every one of us having a high quality camera in our pocket, in the form of a mobile phone.

Did you know the first digital image was taken way back in 1973? The ‘camera’ was about the size of a projector. The team of four that created it had invented the first working digital image sensor.

Huge steps forward

Over subsequent years they worked on improving and reducing the size of the image sensors. It is a technology that has revolutionised modern digital photography, transformed medical treatments, enhanced personal communication and expanded our knowledge of the universe.

So, who were the lucky winners of the £1 million QEPrize? The team was made up of Eric Fossum, George Smith, Nobukazu Teranishi and Michael Tompsett; representing a truly global effort, covering the UK, USA and Japan. Diversity of thought and experience was a vital part of developing this technology.

Proud of engineering

David Wright, Director, Electricity Transmission Owner (ETO) and Chief Electricity Engineer, who attended the QEPrize awards on behalf of National Grid, said: “Awards for achievements like this make me really proud to be an engineer. Engineering done well is about changing people’s lives and making the solutions they may not even know they need possible.

“In London we are currently commissioning 32km of power tunnels up to 60 metres below the surface and big enough to drive a van through. This new infrastructure will support the electricity needs of the capital and help support economic growth in the region. This is a £1 billion project, which is coming in on time and on budget.

“In the US, we recently completed the $110 million sea2shore project, connecting the nation’s first offshore wind farm to the grid. This new interconnector is a great example of the future energy solutions we’re putting in place; delivering clean, renewable energy to our customers in Rhode Island.”

National Grid is one of the 12 founding members of the QEPrize, which is the ‘Nobel Prize’ for engineering. Awarded once every two years it celebrates ground-breaking innovation in engineering. The prize rewards an individual or team whose work has had a major impact on humanity.

 

The Science of Lab Design

By Bob Laurence, Manager of Energy Efficiency, Eversource


Northeastern University’s new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) features 234,000 square feet of space that houses a vibrant interdisciplinary research community. The six-story complex is mixed with labs and classrooms organized around one central atrium.

It’s also a really cool building. And, you don’t need a microscope to see the state-of-the-art design and energy-efficient technologies. 

The university worked collaboratively with Eversource and the design team to identify energy-saving measures and technical expertise to jump start the project. Then, they explored financial resources available through the Mass Save program. Armed with energy-efficient recommendations, architecture firm Payette, engineering firm Arup, and general contractor Suffolk Construction then worked together to bring this stunning building to life.

In fact, ISEC is designed to use 75 percent less energy than a typical intensive research building. Let’s uncover the science of this innovative lab design and its technologies.


• Climate responsive building envelope – The complex is equipped with triple-glazed windows, which reduce glass condensation and prevent heat loss. ISEC also features sun-shading aluminum “fins” to maximize daylight penetration while minimizing heat gain. This basically means a huge comfort boost for students and faculty inside the building—while the university saves on energy costs.

• Variable Air Volume (VAV) fume hoods – While a fume hood may be the most important safety feature in a lab, it’s also a big energy user. Labs use tremendous volumes of exhaust to flush out potentially hazardous fumes. Northeastern added high-performance VAV hoods, which exhaust the amount of air required to maintain a safe velocity setpoint. They also reduce the hood’s supply fan speed and maintain the desired temperature and humidity. Simply put, VAVs maximize safety while minimizing energy consumption.

• Enhanced airside systems – Many labs have a dedicated HVAC system, which can often be expensive to operate. ISEC boasts a cascade system that recovers conditioned air from its offices and atrium, then transfers the air to the labs to save energy and costs. In fact, an approximate 50 percent reduction in energy use over baseline building standards is expected, thanks to this highefficiency cascade approach to recirculating warm and cooled air.  


• Occupancy-based airflow controls – Many older labs with low fume-hood counts operate at 10 air changes per hour (ACH) or above, 24 hours a day. Northeastern’s new VAV fume hoods and added airflow controls will reduce its lab ventilation rates from 6 ACH to 4 ACH whenever labs and equipment room spaces are detected to be unoccupied.  

As an added bonus, ISEC is also on track for LEED Gold Certification. Visit www.northeastern.edu/isec to learn more about the building.  

To learn more about Eversource’s energy efficiency programs and green building design solutions, contact Bob Laurence via email Robert.Laurence@eversource.com, or visit www.eversource.com.  

 

Don't miss out on Greenbuild Networking Night!

By James Robe, Outreach and Communication Manager


We're just a month away from our next Greenbuild Networking Night as part of our Road to Greenbuild. Catch up with old friends, exchange new business cards, and get insider updates about Greenbuild before anyone else. To register for the event, click here.

Our last Greenbuild Networking Night was attended by over 100 members and green building enthusiasts who enjoyed a night of food and drinks. It was great to have our engaging community together in one place again to share our excitement about Greenbuild. Highlights of our past events include Judy Nitsch, Chair of the Host Committee and Founder of Nitsch Engineering, sharing some updates on the Greenbuild committees, and exclusive info from our own Emily Kingston!

 

Event Schedule

5:30-6:00: Networking and drinks

6:00-6:30: Opening remarks, state of “The Road to Greenbuild,” and words from our sponsors.

6:30-8:00: Networking

 

If you become a USGBC MA member, you can get a free ticket to this event. Becoming a member also gives you discounts on our other events. If you're a student, emerging professional, or government official, you can receive a discount for membership to the Chapter. Please email james@usgbcma.org for further details, and register for the event here.

Greetings from our new Outreach and Communication Manager

By James Robe, Outreach and Communication Manager


I am incredibly happy and thankful to have accepted the position of Communication and Outreach Manager for USGBC MA. I first became interested in communication related to climate change and environmental science in college, where I lead all website development for Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability. Since then, I have made it my personal goal to get involved in communication and education related to science and climate change, making USGBC MA an ideal fit to pursue this mission.

Before joining the team I have worked as a graphic designer at L.L.Bean, and in product management at the strategic marketing company West Cary Group. I obtained my bachelor’s degree at the University of Maine in Mass Communication, Graphic Design, and New Media, with a focus on science communication. I am excited to use my expertise in strategic communication, analytics, and graphic design to further the mission of USGBC MA. As Green-build 2017 approaches, I hope to expand and redesign aspects of our media presence to accommodate the extra website traffic and other needs associated with the event.

If anyone would like to contact me with any questions or just for a greeting, please reach out to james@usgbcma.org.

Sincerely,

James Robe

Outreach and Communication Manager for USGBC MA

August EPMA meeting recap – BERDO with Benjamin Silverman

By Nathan Kingery, EPMA Committee

Our August Emerging Professionals Committee meeting was brimming with activity! We welcomed new members, made progress with event planning for autumn, and enjoyed an enlightening presentation about the City of Boston’s continued efforts to improve building efficiency. We hope to see you soon at the Annual Bike Tour in Allston/Brighton this Saturday, and stay tuned for information about the Boston Medical Center Rooftop Farm Tour in September!


This week we were joined by City of Boston Program Manager Benjamin Silverman, who shared his work on the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance, or BERDO. Enacted in 2013, BERDO requires all buildings of sufficient size to submit a report on their energy usage via their utilities information. Currently covering all residential buildings and non-residential buildings above 35,000+ sq ft, this accounts for 35% of all built space in Boston. Through a combination of education, outreach, and on-site visits, Ben and his team have managed a stunning 87.8% response rate across the city, with the goal of hitting 90% by October 1st. This program is not only helping individual building managers and owners track their energy usage, it’s also providing a previously unheard of amount of raw data to better understand our city’s building energy footprint. 

 

Having been in effect for four years, BERDO moves into its next stage in 2019. After a building has qualified for BERDO for five years, they are required to show either a 15% reduction in total energy usage, or perform an ASHRAE Level 2(or equivalent) energy audit. A defining feature of ASHRAE level 2 energy audit is a cost-benefit analysis addressing specific energy-use reducing behaviors, helping our Boston buildings save cash by going green! This second phase is hopefully going to help the push for the Boston Climate Action Plan’s goal of 25% energy use reduction by 2020.

The next EPMA meeting will be on September 18th at 6:00pm at 50 Milk Street. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up to volunteer at Greenbuild, November 8-10!

 

Sanctuary Park in Atlanta Features First Two Buildings in Georgia to Pursue LEED Recertification through the Arc Performance Platform

By USGBC MA Communications

Rubenstein Partners, L.P., a vertically-integrated real estate investment manager focused on value-added office property opportunities, is announcing that Lake View II and The Falls in Sanctuary Park, a 1.6 million-square-foot office park complex in the North Fulton submarket of Atlanta, have achieved LEED recertification through Arc, arcskoru.com, the new performance platform launched by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) in 2016.

Arc uses real-time data to measure sustainability performance in order to facilitate meaningful change and create greener, healthier spaces. Arc’s data-centric approach connects actions and benchmarks performance against itself and projects around it. The new sustainability platform generates a performance score by tracking building activity across five categories including energy, water, waste, transportation and human experience.

Rubenstein Partners, along with a minority equity partner, acquired Sanctuary Park in late 2016. The complex is considered the premier Class-A office park in the high-growth North Fulton submarket and comprised of nine mid-rise buildings within a 152-acre, master-planned environment. The property also offers three zoned development sites that could accommodate an additional 750,000 square feet of build-to-suit office space.

“Rubenstein Partners is thrilled to announce that Sanctuary Park features the first two commercial buildings in Georgia obtaining this highly sought-after LEED recertification,” said Taylor Smith, Regional Director of Southeast for Rubenstein Partners. “Since purchasing the property, we have implemented a number of enhancements that has solidified Sanctuary Park’s standing as the preeminent destination for tenants in the North Fulton market. But earning the certification and benchmarking in Arc has helped our facility serve as a model for other buildings throughout Atlanta and the state to reduce their resource energy usage.”

Charlie Cichetti, CEO and Co-Founder of Sustainable Investment Group (SIG), who served as a sustainability consultant for Rubenstein Partners, adds, “Both the Lake View II and Falls buildings achieved high performing scores during their LEED recertification process, which visibly demonstrates the Rubenstein Partners team’s leadership and commitment to maintaining a sustainable commercial facility.”

“Rubenstein Partners has shown tremendous green building leadership through the use of Arc,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, CEO and president, U.S. Green Building Council and GBCI. “Through Arc, Rubenstein is making data-driven decisions about the health of their building and the happiness of their occupants, while advancing their sustainability efforts.”

Rubenstein has demonstrated a history of proactively pursuing energy efficiency and green initiatives. In 2003, Rubenstein’s predecessor entity, based in Philadelphia, obtained certification for the first Energy Start commercial offices in Philadelphia.

About Sanctuary Park

The Sanctuary Park nine-building complex enjoys a secure and private park-like setting unique to the North Fulton market and is centrally located with quick and easy access to Georgia 400 via Haynes Bridge or Mansell Road along Westside Parkway. Seven of the nine existing buildings are LEED and Energy Star certified and onsite amenities include three conference centers, two full-service cafes, two state-of-the-art fitness centers, a manicured softball field and pavilion with an active softball league, two gated entrances, complimentary shuttle service to and from the North Springs MARTA station and secured building access.

About Rubenstein Partners

Rubenstein Partners, founded in September 2005, is a private real estate investment management and advisory firm with operations throughout the Eastern United States.  The firm is led by its founder, David Rubenstein, and a group of senior real estate executives, and is focused on directing and managing value-added office real estate investments, primarily in markets in the Eastern United States that encompass more than two-thirds of U.S. office space inventory.  Rubenstein Partners’ predecessor company, The Rubenstein Company, LP and affiliates, founded in 1969, was one of the largest private owner operators of Class A office real estate in the Mid-Atlantic, owning and operating a portfolio of assets valued at approximately $1.2 billion at the time of its disposition in 2004.  Since 2005, Rubenstein Partners has, on behalf of its investors and clients, invested in more than 10 million square feet of office real estate assets throughout the Eastern United States.  For more information, visit www.rubensteinpartners.com.