Building Above Code – HERS Ratings (a note from Martha's Vineyard)

By Rose Ryley Courcier, NAR GREEN Designation, Sandpiper Realty

by Rose Ryley Courcier, NAR GREEN Designation, Sandpiper Realty
 

On a recent muggy July morning, I walked up through some heavily landscaped hedge screening, typical of an Edgartown Village property, to find another unusual summer site on Martha’s Vineyard: homeowners lounging poolside by their brand new guesthouse. They were enjoying late morning coffees while their golden retriever Stella pounced around the new decking and perfectly sodded lawn. I introduced myself, “Rose from Sandpiper Realty … I’m here to meet with Ben and Heather.”
 
The homeowner excitedly jumped up and welcomed me into her home like any other friend stopping by to admire the recently completed, totally polished two bedroom guest house, complete with massive second story deck, and framed by a full tennis court. We glided effortlessly from the outside in. Upon nearing the floating steps leading down to the lower level, she yelled out, “Rose is here, she’s wearing shoes!”
“No shoes!” I heard from another voice that bounced off the walls below.

Progress on PACE Legislation

By Grey Lee

Last Thursday, the Massachusetts Senate voted to approve S.2255, which was previously known as S.177 “An Act to promote job creation through energy efficiency.” 

The USGBC MA Chapter is thrilled that this legislation has moved this far this year.

Now it's time to push it to the House – we want a vote in the next two weeks before the session closes.

Please send a letter as soon as possible, using the language below to 
 

Please customize the letter according to your position and your organization. You may refer to your affiliation in the Chapter and as a stakeholder in the USGBC, of course.
 
Thank you very much for your support!
-Grey Lee
 

 

July 14, 2014
 
 
Representative Robert A. DeLeo
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
State House, Room 356
Boston, MA 02133
 
 
Dear Speaker DeLeo,
On behalf of the US Green Building Council, Massachusetts Chapter, representing over 5000 LEED Accredited Professionals and associated green building proponents, I write today in support of S. 2255 (formerly S. 177), An Act fueling job creation through energy efficiency – and for its passage on the House side. Filed by Senator Brian A. Joyce, this bill will create jobs, increase property values, encourage private investment, and reinforce Massachusetts’ role as a leader in energy efficiency and disaster resilience. I urge the House to pass this important measure which was passed in the Senate last week.
 
PACE financing provides property owners access to low-cost, off-balance sheet capital, by way of betterment lien placed on the property and payable like a property tax bill. Across the nation, successful PACE programs have provided a new and innovative way for property owners to finance energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy projects, and water conservation measures. The Massachusetts legislation also will allow property owners to upgrade buildings with resiliency improvements, to reduce or eliminate damage caused by extreme weather events, similar to the Florida PACE program. The availability of this new tool for project finance will result in new projects which will mean more work for people in the renewable energy & allied industries of Massachusetts.
 
S. 2255 will make necessary improvements to the Commonwealth’s current PACE program, creating a streamlined, centrally administered PACE program that is capable of achieving economies of scale and will be easily adopted by municipalities. The new program will require lender consent and will focus on the pent up demand for energy efficiency and disaster-resilience financing in the commercial and industrial sector.
 
Passage of S. 2255 will fuel job creation and spur private investment, cementing Massachusetts' role as a leader in energy efficiency and resilience. As green building professionals, we look forward to the enactment of this legislation as it supports our mission.
 
 
Thank you for your time and consideration,
 
[your name & organization here]
 
 

The Weekly Bulletin to 7/11/14

By Grey Lee

Summer is now in full swing, but the green buildings haven't stopped rolling.

First of all, big news is that the property-assessed clean energy (PACE) finance legislation we have been working on with Senator Brian A. Joyce has PASSED yesterday at the Statehouse. Senate Bill 2255 (replaced S.177) earned unanimous approval on a roll call 38-0 vote. The bill goes to the House – so we still have work to do but it is looking like the rejuvenation of PACE in Massachusetts is moving forward. We can expect to see a lot more renewable energy, energy retrofits and resiliency investments in the coming years. I haven't found any news item on this yet, but we will report to you all as soon as we see something.

Newly LEED Certified Buildings since the beginning of July include:
 

  • 300 Concord Road in Billerica MA, certified LEED EB:OM v2009. This is a 378ksf office building. Congrats to Gary Thomas (LEED Project Admin) at CBRE and the entire team.
  • UMass Amherst – Hampshire Dining Commons (40,000sf) just attained Gold in LEED NC v2009. Congrats to Dee Spiro at Bergmeyer and that team on a great job.
 
The UMass Amherst Hampshire Dining Commons

Upcoming events for the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter:
 

  • 7/16 (Wednesday) at 4:30pm – Credential-maintenance webinar on Green Schools (and new construction) in Boston.  The story of the Hood River Middle School. 
  • 7/17 (Thursday) at 5:30pm – Healthcare Focus Networking Night at Spaulding Rehab Hospital in Charlestown.  Join our sponsor, AtSite, to hear about the facility, designed for resiliency, with our tour guides from the architects, Perkins+Will.
  • 7/23 (Wednesday) at 6pm – our Oceanview Summer Social in Boston – put on by our Emerging Professionals and open to all. Come for free appetizers from our event sponsor Forbo Flooring. It will be a great time!
Thank you for your support. See you soon.
 
 
Another picture at UMass Amherst: any guesses?

To Net Meter or Not to Net Meter…

By Craig Foley, ReMax Leading Edge

By Craig Foley, ReMax Leading Edge

H. 4185 “An Act relative to net metering and solar power” is a compromise between Massachusetts utility companies, the solar power industry, and the state regulating bodies that administer the SREC program, MA DOER, as well the state body that regulates utility rates, the DPU.

The bill makes five changes to existing solar policies:
  1. Net metering would be unaltered and its cap eliminated.
  2. Virtual net metering customers would be reimbursed at a lower rate to cover their use of the distribution system.
  3. The solar renewable energy credit (SREC) incentive system would be replaced by a performance-based, declining tariff incentive.
  4. All utility customers would be subject to a minimum bill.
  5. Governor Deval Patrick’s ambitious target of 1,600 megawatts of installed solar capacity would become a legally binding mandate. (The 2007 goal of 250 MW of solar capacity, originally set for 2017, was reached in 2013; we now have over 500 MW of installed solar capacity in MA).
The main purpose for the bill is that the state's grid has approached the previous ceiling of a 3% cap on net metering relative to peak load of each of the Massachusetts utility companies. If your project does not qualify to be included within the cap, it cannot earn utility payments for the excess (net) energy it produces. 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 DPU 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, meaning that both the specific details on the minimum bill charge and the tariff would be fleshed out at a later date.
 
The bill is complicated with many questions about the specific details on how this would affect rate-payers left unanswered. There is no question, however, that removing the net metering cap is seen as a priority by legislators, state commissioners, and the Governor. 
Given that the bill is as complex as it is, it is questionable whether it will be passed by the end of this legislative session at the end of the month. That being said, there is support of the bill by much of the solar industry, environmentalists, the commissioners at MA DOER and the DPU, and the utility companies – a rare blend of bedfellows.

Residential Committee Presentation on LEED v4 Changes from Will D'Arrigo

By Peter Sun, Residential Green Building Committee

 

By Peter Sun, Residential Green Building Committee

On June 9th, USGBC meeting Will D’Arrigo from Conservation Services Group gave members a comprehensive review of LEED for Homes v4. Many changes were made to the latest version of LEED for Homes and members had an opportunity to discuss these changes.

 
 
 
The effects of the adjustments to the LEED rating system has yet to be seen, but overall LEED seems to be raising the bar on sustainable development compared to code driven development. For example, the Location and Transportation credit category now includes a prerequisite on floodplain avoidance; presumably, to address flooding and sea level rise. In the category Location and Transportation (LP), prerequisite 1 prohibits building on FEMA 100 year flood plain unless the building is elevated. If the building is outside the United States, then you must use a local equivalent program. The 100 year flood does not mean the frequency is every 100 years; rather, it means that in any given year there is 1% chance of it occurring. According to FEMA, flooding is the most destructive natural disaster type in America. More recently, Hurricane Arthur not only delayed July 4th fireworks celebration, but it also caused flash flooding in Westport, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Wareham, and Plymouth.  Below is a flood map displaying flood zones in Boston.    

 

 
Another change to the LEED rating system was the Energy and Atmosphere category prerequisite: Minimum Energy Performance. The new prerequisite required newly built homes to meet Energy Star V.3. for Homes, have at least one Energy Star qualified appliance installed in each unit, and to thermally insulate ducts. The discussion on Energy Star Homes was lively, as member Caitriona Cooke from Conservation Services Group highlighted the fact that there has been a drop in Energy Star for Homes certification since it upgraded from v2.5 to v3 due to more stringent requirements. This is of utmost importance to LEED because in the LEED for Homes v4 Energy and Atmosphere credit category, it requires Energy Star for Homes v3 & a HERS rating of 70. The discussion mentioned how builders reacted to the step-up in requirements for Energy Star for Homes v3. Other changes mentioned include rating system selection and point floor structure.
 
 
Other changes to the rating systems were introduced and each member got an opportunity to express their views and opinions.  
 
The next Residential Green Building Committee meeting will be July 14th at 5:45pm at 281 Summer Street in Boston. See you there!

Mini Grants Available for Green Apple Day of Service Projects

By Grey Lee

 

The USGBC MA Chapter will again participate in Green Apple Day of Service (GADOS) to advance healthy, sustainable schools in 2014! 

 
In 2013, Massachusetts had 50 projects registered across the State, including 15 Boston Public Schools. Projects ranged from a ribbon cutting ceremony to introducing a therapeutic walking path, to a Green Apple Week that surveyed the school for energy conservation opportunities. 

 
 
For 2014, the USGBC MA Chapter is offering mini-grants that will provide $400 for qualified GADOS projects. There are currently 6 mini-grants provided by NSTAR for energy saving GADOS projects and 1 from Capitol Waste Services for any GADOS project. See our GADOS Mini-Grant webpage for information about eligibility and to apply. 

 

Note that Green Apple Day of Service projects don't need to happen on September 27th – there is flexibility in choosing a day for your event. More GADOS information and resources can be found by visiting the USGBC MA Green Apple Day of Service webpage.

For questions about the GADOS Mini-Grants contact Steve Muzzy, Green Schools Program Manager at smuzzy@usgbcma.org

Many thanks to our GADOS Mini-Grant Sponsors

Granny Smith
 
 
Pippin

Losing Ground: Planning for Resilience (5th Edition) by Mass Audubon – Report Released

By Grey Lee

The USGBC MA Chapter has participated in the publication of the latest “Losing Ground” report from Mass Audubon.

 

Take a look at this great resource (download the full report).

Congratulations to Mass Audubon for producing this valuable document and maintaining the ongoing survey!  We hope to continue in partnering to advocate for sustainable communities throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.

We have more resources regarding sustainable neighborhood development at our main website. 

 

Fast Facts

 

Losing Ground: Planning for Resilience (Fifth Edition)

 

Patterns of Development and Their Impact on the Nature of Massachusetts

 

2005 – 2013

  • From April 2005 to April 2013, approximately 38,000 acres of forest or other undeveloped land were converted to development in Massachusetts, translating to a pace of 13 acres per day through this 8-year period. Nearly 50,000 acres of forest were lost during this time period, with some developed and some cleared. Open land, including bare land, low vegetation, and agriculture, increased by approximately 10,000 acres.
  • The rate of development is down from the rate of 20 acres/day reported in the fourth edition of Losing Ground (1999-2005) and 40 acres/day reported in the third edition (1985-1999).  However, the current period of analysis includes the years of the Great Recession when development slowed dramatically.  New housing permit data suggest that development will be trending back up towards previous rates.
  • Nearly 41 acres/day were protected in the same time frame, totaling 120,389 acres or nearly 10% of all land that has ever been protected in MA.
  • More than 3 acres of land were protected for every acre developed between 2005 and 2013.  This is up from a 2:1 ratio from 1999-2005.
  • 1.1 million acres of the state are now developed, or roughly 22% of the state. Over 1,250,000 acres are now permanently protected in MA, or just over 25% of the land area of the state. More than 2.8 million acres, or 53% of the land in the state, is neither developed nor protected.  Of this, over 1.5 million acres (30% of the state) have been identified as being of high conservation value inBioMap2.
  •  

Envelope Renovation Energy Modeling Comparison Presentation

By Mark Dunn, USGBC MA West Branch

By Mark Dunn, USGBC MA West Branch
 

Chapter members and guests gathered in Boston to hear from Nariman Mostafavi & Soroush Farzinmoghadam, Green Building Researchers at UMass AMherst. They presented their work to compare modeling exercises recently performed at UMass.
 

 

Three building analysis software tools, DOE-2 eQUEST, IESVE Revit Plug-in and Autodesk Green Building Studio, were used to quantify the predicted energy savings of a scheduled envelope retrofit on a UMass Amherst dormitory (Grayson Hall). The presentation included investigating the potential energy savings created by the removal and replacement of all original windows and exterior non-structural infill brick panels, coupled with installation of supplementary insulation materials between the new brick panels and the interior CMU walls. The rehabilitation takes place in four 78,000 GSF seven-story residence halls originally constructed in 1965.
 

Analysis of the retrofit proposal was carried out by comparing the results of each retrofit design alternative against the baseline and assessing carbon dioxide emission reductions resulting from the proposed retrofit process. Advantages and disadvantages of each modeling tool were also discussed. The basic conclusion: for purposes of accurate modeling and ease of use, eQUEST continues to be the winner. It does not have the best-looking interface, but it turns out to be better to use from their perspective. They will be comparing actual post-renovation energy use to their predictions this fall and we anticipate a follow-up presentation on new results.
 
Thank you Nariman and Soroush!

Stay tuned to the USGBC MA as we bring you more presentations of academic research into the science of building performance.

Green Building Tour at UMass Amherst

By Grey Lee

On Wednesday June 25th, the USGBC MA West Branch, in coordination with the Western MA AIA, hosted a Green Building Tour of the UMass Amherst campus.

UMass has seen a major investment in new buildings in the past few years.

The tour focused on 3 facilities: 1) the new Integrated Learning Center 2) the scholars center residential complex and 3) the Hampshire Dining Commons.

Thank you to the UMass Amherst Campus Planning Department and members of the USGBC MA West Branch, especially Ludmilla Pavlova and Lorin Starr of the Western MA AIA for organizing this tour.

Below: the Integrated Learning Center – which will hold 20% of the campus' classes next year. It is on track to meet LEED NC Gold and correspond with the state's LEED Plus program.
 

 
Thank you to Jeff Quackenbush for leading the tour of the facility. Here is a link to read more about the ILC.
 

The ILC has a great green roof – very well established plantings already.
 

 

 

Next we went to the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Complex. This will be a landmark component of UMass Amherst welcoming ambitious students from the entire state university system.
 

 

The Honors Complex has numerous sustainability features and you can read more about it at Sustainable UMass.
 

We ended the tour with a dinner at the Hampshire Dining Commons which has recently been renovated to be a state-of-the-art facility linking local food production to the dining experience on campus. We heard a few brief presentations and enjoyed a great meal. This place takes the concept of a college cafeteria to a whole new level!
 

Thank you again to to the UMass Amherst Campus Planning Department, members of the USGBC MA West Branch, and Western MA AIA for organizing this tour!

Climate Co-Lab Contest is Open

By Javier Burgos

By Javier Burgos

 

 
How can we empower the public and communities to build awareness and demand for green buildings?
 
Buildings remain one of the key producers of greenhouse gases, consuming up to 40% of the world’s energy and contributing up to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
 
Green buildings can mitigate the negatives of traditional buildings and climate change contribution, but stakeholders defining the green building conversation have largely been industry groups and governments. Here is YOUR chance – to help the green building conversation go mainstream!

 

Through a partnership with the MIT Climate Colab contest, the WGBC seeks your ideas to create public demand for green buildings that can meet the values of the occupants and empower the public to enter the conversation of how buildings are designed and created for them.
The size of our current built environment will double in the next 30 years and most of those buildings will be in developing nations. There has never been a better time to get this right.
Two Key Issues
Building design decisions are generally made with little to no input from the actual people that inhabit these buildings.  We want to overcome the barriers to a greater demand for greener, efficient buildings — by:
1)   improving awareness and
2)   empowering communities to create impact
— on sustained public participation in the demand for better, more efficient healthier buildings.
 
Specifically, we seek proposals to build awareness in the following areas:
  • How can we inspire the public to think about the spaces they inhabit, things they would like in these spaces and voice their suggestions?
  • How can we empower communities to enter the conversation about the design of buildings that are being built and designed for them?
  • How can we create a mainstream conversation that will ultimately lead to greater demand for green buildings by communities and the public?
  • How can we convert the values and desires of the public into real changes in the global building stock?
     

How can you and your community take a lead role on the green building conversation and increase your access to greener, healthier, more efficient buildings? Visit contest page