Technology Allows You to Order Your Green Building A La Carte

By Cherie Ching, Advocacy Fellow

Technology plays a key role in the creation of new, sustainable, and higher energy-efficient structures for future generations. Existing buildings can also be transformed to become greener and more energy efficient because of technological changes in monitoring how a building consumes energy, which affects how much energy is ultimately consumed.

Technology is ever-changing and so are the available options for choosing smarter alternatives for a greener future. We are proud to highlight some of our Chapter Sponsors and their efforts in promoting more green buildings through technology!

Excel Dryer– Aside from the important task of saving the trees, hand dryers also reduce the amount of energy and cost associated with drying your hands with paper towels. Paper towels cost about 1 cent per paper towel sheet compared to the .02 cents to .18 cents cost in electricity to run a hand dryer. Not only do you have to consider the energy used to produce the paper towels, but you must also factor in the energy consumption required to pack, ship, stock and dispose of the paper towels.

The Excel Dryer, XLERATOR uses 80% less energy than conventional hand dryers and saves 90-95% of cost from paper towel usage. XLERATOR has earned users qualification for LEED credits in Energy & Atmosphere (EA) Minimum Energy Performance and EA Optimize Energy Performance, a mandatory credit for all LEED certified facilities.

Excel was a proud sponsor last year for our annual Green Apple Day of Service (GADOS) event held on September 27, 2014. By teaming up with Boston Public Schools, Excel was able to install energy-efficient XLERATOR hand-dryers to reduce waste produced from paper towels and to promote education and awareness of the schools' carbon-footprint on the environment. Please read more on our upcoming GADOS held this year on September 26, 2015!

Nitsch Engineering– Green infrastructure and design highlight the importance of a “balanced holistic site design approach.” The location of a building and how it impacts the environment also define how green a building can be. Nitsch Engineering’s use of technology through laser scanning surveys allows them to safely survey building exteriors and interiors, roadways, bridges, power plants, and land to create a green building design.

Nitsch particularly specializes in managing storm water by integrating storm water with building and landscape systems “to promote the filtration, retention, evaporation, infiltration, and reuse of rainwater, instead of allowing it to run off into our harbors and streams.” Efforts for water conservation and management in buildings contribute to decreasing energy consumption for water use and higher efficiency for the total energy consumption of the building.

RDK Engineers– New projects should also incorporate energy efficiency plans and solutions to provide for more sustainable designs. RDK Engineers are dedicated to delivering services for higher energy-efficiency and greener (in the environment and their pocketbooks) results for their clients.

These advanced services include: Energy Modeling, Energy Audits, Green Building Support, LEED, Utility Bill Analysis, Energy Star Certification, BOMA 360, Measurement and Verification, Utility Program Support, Energy Code Consulting, Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), PUE Benchmarking and Thermal Imaging Audits. 

Less is Better in Net Zero Energy Buildings (and Booths!)

By Cherie Ching, Advocacy Fellow

June 14, 2015

 

As USGBC MA forges ahead with one of our Chapter Advocacy Priorities, Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB), we are excited to see NZEB elements at more conferences. The “Net Zero Zone” is an exhibition space where booths are fully powered by a live on-site microgrid, a hybrid use of alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) power for generation, storage and distribution. It is a first of its kind in a major trade show and will return to the 2015 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo on November 18-19, 2015 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The Net Zero Zone will highlight the efficiency, reliability and resiliency of hybrid microgrids, bringing alternative power generation to life and its ability to function with or without connecting to the local utility grid.

 

Successful NZEB efforts have also been taking place within Massachusetts: The Pathways to Zero Grant Program, an initiative by Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). “These projects represent a range of locations, strategies, and building types: from science labs in Fall River to new homes in Lenox. Projects are utilizing energy best practices such as proper building orientations, well-insulated and air-tight building envelopes, solar PV, and heat pumps.” The Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst, which is categorized as a commercial and institutional project was granted $330,000. The building will conform to net zero energy building standards that use renewable resources to produce the amount of energy they consume on-site over a year. The projected completion date is summer of 2016, complete with natural ventilation, roof-mounted solar panels, rainwater collection barrels, and composting toilets to achieve net zero energy and net zero water status, in addition to achieving the conditions of the Living Building Challenge.

Other projects include Northampton EcoVillage Duplex Homes and Laurel Street both by Transformations Inc. and are categorized as Residential Buildings. These project grants total to $156,000.

 

Greenbuild, owned and operated by Informa Exhibitions U.S., Construction & Real Estate and presented by USGBC, is the nation’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building design and construction.  See article

 

Building Tech Spotlight: Mass Save

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


MassSave is one of the organizations that made our 1st-ever Building Tech Forum possible. The forum focused on sustainability, green building, and efficiency– all topics that the MassSave initiative promotes and encourages! 

Sponsored by Massachusetts’ natural gas and electric utilities and energy efficiency service providers, MassSave works closely to provide a wide range of energy efficiency services to help residents and businesses manage energy use and related costs.

MassSave's philosophy is that everyone has a role to play in creating more energy efficient communities: “When we make smart energy choices, we can manage our energy costs, enhance the value and comfort of our homes and businesses, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”  See more about the program on its website, and read about it in our blog!

Mass Save Program, featured by Residential Green Building Committee

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


Will D’Arrigo and Alec Danaher from ICF International spoke to the committee on Monday, June 8th in Boston, MA. The informative presentation focused on Mass Save’s residential new construction program, and showed the attentive audience how smart and easy it is to leverage their incentives! Mass Save is an initiative sponsored by the Massachusetts Gas and Electric utilities and energy efficiency service providers, including Berkshire Gas, Cape Light Compact, Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, Liberty Utilities, National Grid, EVERSOURCE and Unitil. With ICF’s guidance, Will and Alec showed how the interconnected organizations can present builders with enormous savings through building green! These savings (and incentives) are determined by actual performance, or by prescriptive measures. 

Will spoke on the Low Rise single and multifamily new construction process, while Alec filled us in on the High-Rise multifamily process. After touching on all of the processes for low rise paths, Will showed us a fantastic example of savings through the process, in a new Salisbury, MA home. Alec guided us through the commercial high rise process, and showed how Cheriton Heights implemented the Mass Save program, and had incredible monetarily savings.  The meeting was incredibly informative as we are residents of Massachusetts, and some are looking to build. Thanks again guys for your time and knowledge!


Click here to see presentation. 

Going Above and Beyond Replacing Your Bulbs

By Cherie Ching, Advocacy Fellow

 

Renewable energy is the fastest-growing component of our economy's energy portfolio and buildings that generate the energy they need on-site are a wonderful new niche that is becoming bigger with each passing month. USGBC promotes the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for the planning of design, construction, operation, and maintenance in green buildings. The Massachusetts Chapter supports Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) legislation to increase the deployment of on-site renewables and to improve energy efficient construction, both residential and commercial, to attain net-zero energy capacity. NZEB goes beyond LEED, striving for 100% renewable energy generation for the building’s total energy consumption. This important step signifies a transformation toward a more sustainable and green market in the built environment. Financing options for NZEB are expanding at the State level, providing programs such as The Pathways to Zero Net Energy Program.  This $3.5 million initiative by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is designed to facilitate a transition to the next generation of high-performance buildings in Massachusetts. 

 

Bill S-1771 (Senator Eldridge) would advance building codes to reduce energy consumption from residential and commercial buildings. This bill designates the Board of Regulations and Standards (BBRS) to establish definitions of residential zero net-energy buildings and commercial zero net-energy buildings. In addition, Bill S-1632 (Senator Eldridge) would require new construction or major renovation projects in state buildings to measure the energy implications of all resources used and a total life cycle energy analysis of such buildings, including electricity, water, transportation, materials, heating and waste separate from the life cycle cost analysis. We are in anticipation of Massachusetts Net Zero Energy Building Council’s (Task Force) recommendations to move the Commonwealth toward NZEB construction by 2030.

Statewide net metering caps on renewable energy and distributed generation also pose a problem for developers and investors to commit to NZEB projects. With solar energy reaching regional state utility district limits for new projects to qualify to earn income from the net-metering scheme, investors are unable to commit to more solar projects. USGBC MA supports Bills S-1770/H-2852 that address the limitations of the current caps, particularly on solar.

 

The Chapter collaborates with organizations and companies who also support NZEB legislation, providing educational materials to chapter members, legislators and the public, and also preparing to testify, or organize testimony at legislative hearings. Net Zero Energy Building Code is one of the key advocacy priorities for 2015 and the Advocacy Committee continues to expand our network of support around this issue. Through education, collaboration, and advocacy, USGBC MA enables a socially responsible, healthy and prosperous environment by encouraging you to go beyond just replacing your bulbs.

 

Keep an eye out for some of the current NZEB Projects in Massachusetts:

North Shore Community College Health Professions and Student Services Building (open 2011)

Division of Fisheries & Wildlife HQ (open 2014)

Lowell Trial Court (under construction)

 

Making Energy Efficiency Visible in the Real Estate Market (Webinar)

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


Making Energy Efficiency Visible in the Real Estate Market

To register for the webinar click here. 

Wednesday June 24, 2015

10am – 11am EST



As the brutal cold of winter 2015 fades to a memory, the question for an increasing number of potential home buyers is how to find a comfortable house that won't break the bank with high energy bills. 

Join NEEP on Wednesday June 24 from 10:00 to 11:00 EST for a webinar which will focus on the value of energy efficiency in the real estate market and provide a snapshot ofthe growing high-performance housing market.

RE/MAX's Chief of Energy Solutions, Craig Foley, will outline the importance of being able to recognize the energy efficient characteristics of homes. His presentation will provide resources that real estate professionals can use to stay up to date on the rapidly changing technologies that contribute to a comfortable, healthy, and affordable living environment. 

 

Bringing the Green Back to Our Communities

By Cherie Ching, Advocacy Fellow

 

Look around. With more and more buildings going up every year, we are becoming a world of concrete backyards and artificial trees. More buildings mean more energy, but what kind of energy do we choose to generate for these ubiquitous buildings? Electricity consumed by buildings in the United States will represent 75% of total electicity by 2025, therefore, our decisions do matter. Traditionally, buildings implied an increase in carbon dioxide emissions because more energy meant burning more fossil fuels. In 2008, buildings in the United States contributed 38.9% of the nation’s total carbon dioxide emissions. http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/gbstats.pdf.  But we are changing the way buildings and energy affect our quality of environment and quality of life.  With options such as Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resiliency (PACE-R) financing, property owners are incentivized to make the right decision when upgrading their buildings, the greener decision.

 

PACE-R is a term used to describe a novel approach for funding energy efficiency, renewable energy and resiliency projects. These projects are 100% financed by an outside entity; financing is treated similar to a tax assessment and have terms that are generally longer than the useful life of the improvement (up to 20yrs); and the assessment remains part of the property regardless of the changing of ownership. By expanding PACE-R financing from the current (exclusive) municipality authority regulations, and by including PACE-R service providers, the financing process is much more feasible for property owners to jump onboard. A new approach will also shift the burden of administration away from small town building inspectors or planning departments to a larger authority with state-wide experience in financing building projects, such as MassDevelopment.

 

BILL S 2255 (S177): “An Act fueling job creation through energy efficiency,” will enable private lenders to put money into a secure investment, which will result in improved energy performance, environmental responsibility and resilience for our building stock in Massachusetts. The PACE-R bill was recently reported to the Senate Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy, though no hearing has yet been scheduled.

 

When passed, the Massachusetts commercial and industrial PACE-R program will help:

  • Create Jobs
  • Increase Property Values
  • Encourage Private Investment in Energy Efficiency, Renewables & Resiliency
  • Reinforce the Role of Massachusetts as a Leader in Green Building

 

USGBC MA Chapter is advocating for improved PACE-R legislation in Massachusetts to kickstart the implementation of projects by giving the state-wide bonding authority to MassDevelopment, which already has capacity for these types of financial instruments.  PACE-R programs process applications, qualify projects and provide or arrange financing. Through PACE-R programs, Massachusetts will be able to expedite green projects and bring the green back into our backyards!

National Grid: 2015 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Winner

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

2015 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Awards Ceremony

Our energy efficiency programs are turning heads, gaining recognition and, most importantly, keeping our customers happy …

 

 

More than 900 people gathered at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. April 20 to celebrate businesses and organizations that are helping protect the 


environment through energy efficiency. A shining star among the crowd was National Grid – recognized this year as an individual organization making a difference in this critical area.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honors a select group of efficiency leaders each year at its annual ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Awards Ceremony.

“We were so excited to win as an individual entity,” says Michelle Eburn, Residential Energy Efficiency senior marketing analyst, who accepted the award on the company’s behalf. “We’re proud of the way our programs continue to meet our company’s and customers’ goals, and how they continue to evolve.”

Michelle explains: “We’ve been focusing more and more on the ‘emotional connection’ we can make with homeowners. We explain to them how they can make their homes better and more comfortable, in addition to saving money on their energy bills.”

Spreading the word and selling the benefits

The EPA recognized National Grid for our work to educate customers about the importance of energy efficiency. Our efforts increase awareness and adoption of ENERGY STAR products. They include:

  • Selling nearly 33,000 ENERGY STAR certified light emitting diode (LED) bulbs and almost 10,000 ENERGY STAR certified compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs in Rhode Island last year, thanks to limited-time social shopping initiatives.
  • Promoting smart grid, energy efficiency programs, ENERGY STAR, and the Sustainability Hub’s first anniversary at the ENERGY STAR Change the World Tour event we hosted at our Sustainability Hub in Worcester, MA last October.
  • Promoting high-efficiency furnaces, boilers, central air conditioning systems, water heaters and more in our ‘Part of Your Family’ campaign for Heating and Cooling (with many eligible equipment models ENERGY STAR certified).
  • Featuring radio spots that build ENERGY STAR awareness, as well as comprehensive multimedia marketing campaigns including newspaper, online banner, and Facebook ads; Facebook posts; and email blasts.



“National Grid’s efforts to promote ENERGY STAR products are helping consumers make smarter buying decisions,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “National Grid is helping Americans save money, save energy and do their part to reduce our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change.”

Marketing and Customer Experience Vice President Lori Acker put it simply in congratulating her team: “It’s so exciting to see external recognition for your fantastic efforts. ENERGY STAR has great awareness, and our affiliation with them helps build strong credibility to our energy efficiency efforts and brand. Well done!”

In addition to Michelle, special kudos to Marketing’s Sara Merena, Kate Ringe-Welch and Victoria Viviani for helping make it all happen!

 

 

Source: http://ournationalgrid.com/us/we-won-the-epas-energy-star-award-for-excellence/

Net Talks Gain Solar Support

By Cherie Ching, Advocacy Fellow

 

Net Metering, one of USGBC MA Chapter's three current advocacy priorities, took center stage this month as Bills S-1770 and H-2852, sponsored by Senator James Eldridge and Representatives Thomas Calter & Paul Mark came into focus. The bills address the net metering caps and are aligned to the State’s current 1600 MW solar target. The legislation would allow more companies to take advantage of the 30% federal investment tax credit before the end of 2016. In addition, the bill would also create a new 20% target of State’s electricity to be derived from solar by Dec 31, 2025 and establish an energy storage incentive program to commence Jan 1, 2016. Innovative programs such as energy storage address the problems arising during peak electric generation and capacity periods.

 

Net metering caps are maintained by State law, which requires each distribution company to separately limit or “cap” public and private solar net metering eligibility. Under the amendments to Bill S-2214, the Private Net Metering Cap is currently 4% and the Public Net Metering Cap at 5%. Each cap is calculated by the percentage of each company’s highest historical peak load, or the most electricity consumed by the distribution company’s ratepayers at any one time. In the 2014-2015 legislative session, Bill H-4185 was not passed and many celebrated, though only for a short while. The main purpose for the bill was to remove the previous ceiling of a 3% cap on net metering relative to peak load of each of the Massachusetts utility companies. Without expanding, or removing the cap, as H-4185 would allow, the rapidly expanding solar PV industry in MA could come to a grinding halt. The bill trades removing the cap for allowing the Department of Public Utilities to find a suitable minimum bill for all utility customers in the Commonwealth to support grid reliability. It also replaces the SREC program with a new declining tariff incentive.  USGBC MA article

 

Although net metering encourages ratepayers to move toward a more efficient and sustainable energy generation system through renewable resources, the decrease in grid dependency poses a threat to utility companies, ultimately affecting the nonparticipating ratepayers.  Raising or eliminating the net metering caps would allow more renewable energy investment, support environmental goals, and create green jobs.  However, this could also lead to utilities implementing fixed monthly charges to cover fixed capital expenditures, which would increase the retail rates. In the Massachusetts Net Metering and Solar Task Force Report 4/30/15– Baker-Polito Administration stated that it “does not support raising the net metering caps in the short term absent a long term sustainable solution . . . that effectively balances promoting clean energy and lowering costs to ratepayers.” When net customers are not paying for distribution costs, they are obtaining a “free-ride” on the rest of the ratepayers rates. Utilities are slowly providing more services to their customers to accommodate the switch to a system that effectively manages renewable energy.  Innovative solutions such as battery storage, a modernized distribution system, and advanced research on energy efficiency strategies are promising, but costly.

 

Please stay with us as we monitor the developments at the State House and as we advocate to increase renewable energy options for buildings in Massachusetts, while ensuring a safe, reliable and appropriately paid-for electricity grid for everyone in the Commonwealth.