Change is in the Wind: New York Leads the Way

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

The lower costs and increased acceptance of distributed generation, storage, and energy efficiency are changing the hundred-year-old relationship between utilities and their customers. Throughout the last century, utilities generated and distributed power to their customers. The utility was granted a franchise area and an authorized return on any investments in exchange for the obligation to provide power to each customer within the franchise area.wind turbine

 

Rapid changes in technology are turning that arrangement on its head. Customers now have the ability to generate and store their own power, often at a lower cost than purchasing power from the utility. Customers are also becoming more efficient in their use of power and may actually sell excess power back to the utility. This has led utility regulators to question whether the regulations of the last hundred years are still appropriate, or whether a new approach is required that allows utilities to generate revenues and profits from services other than traditional investments in generation, transmission, and distribution facilities. The New York Public Service Commission’s Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding is showing how it can be done.

Transforming What it Means to be Green in Affordable Housing

By Mike Davis, Boston LISC

Deploying energy solutions so all Massachusetts residents benefit from a clean energy economy.

Earlier this spring, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s (LISC) Massachusetts Green Retrofit Initiative reached a milestone as 10 of our 20 multifamily affordable housing partners signed onto the Better Buildings Challenge (BBC). Started by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the BBC provides ongoing technical expertise and support for building owners who commit to a 20% portfolio-wide energy reduction over 10 years. Combined, our 10 leaders own and operate over 22,000 units of housing across Massachusetts, and are transforming what it means to be green for the rest of the affordable housing sector.

But how did we get here? Thanks to the support of the Barr Foundation, more than six years ago LISC created the Green Retrofit Initiative, a program with a goal to accelerate Massachusetts’ multifamily affordable housing owners toward an efficient, clean-energy future. Through this initiative, LISC connected owners to energy efficiency and renewable energy funding options and provided them with technical expertise. Our building science partner, New Ecology, Inc., helped owners analyze their housing portfolios’ baseline energy use, and develop and implement strategic plans to accomplish their desired energy savings goals.

The results have been impressive. Through the Initiative, owners have successfully navigated Massachusetts’ complex utility programs to realize consistent and predictable energy efficiency improvements. From 2012 to 2015, participants experienced average savings of 29% for electric projects and 23% for gas projects. Overall, we have worked with 50 multifamily affordable housing owners across the state to benchmark 17,000 units, retrofit more than 5,000 units, and leverage more than $17 million in financing.

The experiences of participating building owners have also informed LISC’s work to inform smart policies for energy efficiency and renewable technologies for low- and moderate- income housing. We believe that the golden moment to achieve deeper energy efficiency savings and to incorporate long-lasting clean energy technologies is when an affordable housing project is slated for a substantial rehabilitation. This happens only every 15 to 20 years. So, the critical policy question is, how can we make sure it’s easier for affordable housing owners to pursue deeper energy efficiency savings and clean-energy technologies during this window of opportunity?

We believe the golden moment to achieve deeper energy efficiency savings is at the time of an affordable housing project’s substantial rehabilitation.

Our current work is dedicated to answering this question. We believe the first step is for owners to know exactly which efficiency and clean energy measures will work best for them and their specific projects. This requires comprehensive energy audits in the design process to illuminate what is possible. The second step is to collaborate with the state’s housing finance agencies, utilities, and other partners to make sure that, once owners know the best options for them, they will have a predictable source of funding to implement those deeper efficiency and clean energy measures.

LISC applauds all its Green Retrofit Initiative owners for their leadership and efforts in greening the affordable housing sector across the state. We look forward to continuing this work—supporting owners on the ground, while also ensuring that policy discussions are informed by their stories and experiences, so that all Massachusetts residents benefit from a clean energy economy.

In the photo above, Clifton Geissler, director of maintenance, Maloney Properties, Inc., and Dariela Maga, housing project manager, Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation, are pictured in their Allston–Brighton green retrofit project.

The Green Retrofit Initiative (GRI) is a program designed to help affordable housing owners navigate our state’s utility programs to achieve energy efficiency savings. In partnership with our building science expert,New Ecology, Inc., LISC Boston has worked with over 50 multifamily affordable housing owners statewide to benchmark a total of 17,000 units, retrofit more than 5,000 units, and leverage over $17 million. The Green Retrofit Initiative’s approach has demonstrated that energy and water retrofits can consistently result in 20 percent energy savings.

Read the original article here: https://www.barrfoundation.org/blog/transforming-what-it-means-to-be-gre…

Exciting (but not Surprising) News– Boston is Leader in Green Building

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


This just in from the EPA New England Regional Office: Boston Makes the Top Dozen of U.S. Cities with the Most Energy Star Certified Buildings!

BOSTON – Today the EPA released its a list of U.S. cities that had the most certified Energy Star buildings in 2015. As you could probably expect, Boston is included in this list, and “recognized for its continuing commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save money through energy efficiency.”

In 2015, we were number 11 position among the list of top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas.  Boston had 157 buildings that were Energy Star certified. This is equivalent to cutting greenhouse gas emissions from 38,000 passenger vehicles, and saving more than $75 million in annual utility bills.

The cities that triumphed over us were Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York City, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Denver and Phoenix. 

“Every year, more cities are turning to energy efficiency not only to protect the environment, but also to strengthen their local economies.  Boston is demonstrating that energy efficiency is a cost-effective way to improve public health and build a brighter future for their youngest residents,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.

From the EPA

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 16 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. Since 1999, more than 27,000 buildings across America have earned EPA’s Energy Star certification, which signifies proven superior energy performance. On average, these certified buildings use 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings. These buildings have saved more than $3.8 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions from the annual electricity use of more than 2.6 million homes. Many common building types can earn the Energy Star, including office buildings, K-12 schools, hotels, and retail stores.

For more than 20 years, American citizens have looked to EPA’s Energy Star program for guidance on how to save energy, save money and protect the environment. Behind each blue label is a product, building, or home that is independently certified to use less energy and cause fewer of the emissions that contribute to climate change. Today, Energy Star is the most widely recognized symbol for energy efficiency in the world, helping families and businesses save $300 billion on utility bills, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by two billion metric tons since 1992.

You can view the report here!

Quotes taken from EPA New England Office, photo taken from Energy Star website.

Unique Chapter Event: Social Equity in the Built Environment

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


On April 4th, we will be holding a special event focusing on the connections between green building, sustainability, and social equity.

Social Equity is typically conceptualized as the third–and least significant– component of the triple bottom line.  While LEED has equilibrated environmental concerns with economic ones, we are just at the beginning of developing tools that allow us to measure and examine social equity results in a similar fashion. 

New programs from the International Living Future Institute like the Living Building Challenge, and JUST Organizations label, as well as new Social Equity Pilot credits in LEED v4 are beginning to raise the discourse around social equity to allow us to examine the social equity impacts of our organizations, our work, and our communities.


We will have presentations from three panelists-  Francis Janes, director of the JUST Organizations labeling program for ILFI, Shawn Hesse, co-author of the new LEED Social Equity Pilot Credits, and Tony Ransom, Chair of the the Boston chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (BosNOMA).  These distinguished guests will be discussing the importance of a focus on social equity in design, construction, and operations of our buildings, communities, and our organizations.

The event will be April 4th, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at 50 Milk St,15th Floor- “Aristotle” Conference Room, Boston 02109.

Read more about the event and register here!  

 

Globalcon– Right Around the Corner

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


On March 9-10, the 27th annual GLOBALCON Expo will be held in Boston's Hynes Convention Center!  Along with this year's expo will be a conference, seminars, and workshops that allow attendees to discover new products, techniques, solutions and services, and network with industry professionals.

USGBC MA has obtained free tickets to the Expo for any of our Members that wish to attend, and we also have a handful of remaining discounted tickets to the full conference for a special rate of $595 (which is a $300 discount).  This package would include: admission to the multitrack conference sessions, a pass to attend the exposition, a copy of the Show Proceedings, as well as luncheons in the exhibit hall.  

Lastly, if you plan on attending the exposition, make sure to stop by our booth!  We are also looking for volunteers to man the booth if anybody is interested.  Here is more info about the event, taken from the website:


WHY GLOBALCON

Decision makers from business, industry and government must now seek integrated energy solutions — solutions which assure both a secure and affordable energy supply to meet today's and tomorrow's needs, and effective management of energy and overall operational costs. The GLOBALCON Expo will emphasize four critical areas of leading edge technology and related services:

✓ Energy Management, HVAC and Smart Building Systems
✓ Renewables, Alternative Energy and Onsite Generation
✓ Lighting Efficiency and Integrated Energy Solutions
✓ Plant and Facilities Management

Presented By…

GLOBALCON 2016, presented by the Association of Energy Engineers, is designed specifically to facilitate those seeking to expand their knowledge of fast-moving developments in the energy field, explore promising new technologies, compare energy supply options, and learn about innovative and cost-conscious project implementation strategies.

Hosted By…

National Grid, Platinum Sponsoring Partner to USGBC MA, is committed to delivering safe and reliable energy to customers and communities across Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. They work closely across the energy industry, connecting tradespersons, contractors, regulators, and energy supply representatives to deliver quality services to their customers.

Come See Us at BuildingEnergy Boston in 2 Weeks

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


Join us at BuildingEnergy Boston Conference + Trade Show, March 8-10 at the Seaport World Trade Center, Boston MA. It's going to be awesome!
 
We will be right there on the trade show floor – let us know if you'd like to volunteer to share the good news of the USGBC MA Chapter to conference attendees. 
 

Friends of USGBC MA can register with the case sensitive code FRIENDOFNESEA to receive $25 off!

Read more about the event below!

​​

Join NESEA for the BuildingEnergy Boston Conference + Trade Show: March 8-10, 2016

Pre-Conference Workshops and Networking: March 8, 2016 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, MA

Conference + Trade Show: Wednesday and Thursday, March 9-10, 2016 at the Seaport

What is BuildingEnergy?

The BuildingEnergy Boston Conference + Trade Show is the Northeast's premier gathering for sustainable design, green building, and renewable energy professionals. Produced by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), the annual event attracts more than 3,500 practitioners working together to advance the adoption of sustainable energy practices in the built environment. Attendees span all sectors of the building industry, ensuring that the people you meet and the knowledge you gain will expand your network and strengthen your business. Conference sessions are rigorous, relevant, and rooted in whole-systems thinking. The trade show hosts companies with cutting edge products and services. Greenwashing is left at the door. Sound good? Join us!

Why Attend BuildingEnergy?

  • Network with industry leaders
  • Build your competitive advantage
  • Make business-to-business connections and grow your client base
  • Learn new techniques and new technologies at over 80 sessions and workshops
  • Earn your professional credits in highly engaging multi-disciplinary sessions
  • Visit exhibits of companies with cutting edge products and services

Why Exhibit at BuildingEnergy?

  • Introduce your products and services to new clientele
  • Debut new products and services to established clientele
  • Make business-to-business connections and grow your client base
  • See and be seen by industry leaders and emerging professionals
  • Avoid the discomfort of having to explain your absence

BuildingEnergy Attendee Breakdown

51% Building professionals (architects, engineers, builders, planners, contractors, facility managers, developers and designers)

23% Energy and environmental professionals

15% Educators, homeowners, students and non-profit organizations

Join the Volunteer Squad

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

Are you passionate about sustainability, efficiency, and the environment?  Do you have familiarity with green building and understand how the built environment affects all of us and the world? 

If yes, then you should consider joining our volunteers!  We have a variety of open positions with different responsibilities, qualifications, and time commitments, and all positions receive some kind of benefit!

With any of the volunteer positions, you will be an integral component of our operations and gain a greater understanding of our organization, its mission and its goals, and how we organize our events, advocate, and conduct outreach.


Volunteer assignments include LEED Study Jam Group Instructor, Webinar Proctor, Green Building Analyst/Reporter, USGBC Ambassador, Green Building Tour Coordinator, Outreach Committee Co-Chair, and Committee Leadership

Each position has its own details and specifics, but with any of these opportunities you will get to know the ins-and-outs of our organization, green building, and more!

If you're interested, you can learn more from our volunteer page or fill out our volunteering questionaire form.  We are very flexible with time commitment, the window of time in which you would want to volunteer, and prior experiences and qualifications.  

Volunteering with the Chapter will qualify for credential maintenance hours for GBCI – up to half of your required hours can be earned through volunteering with us. Usually this is much more engaging than sitting through a webinar late at night!

 

 

Free Tickets Available for the 27th Annual GLOBALCON Expo!

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


On March 9-10, the 27th annual GLOBALCON Expo will be held in Boston's Hynes Convention Center!  Along with this year's expo will be a conference, seminars, and workshops that allow attendees to discover new products, techniques, solutions and services, and network with industry professionals.

USGBC MA has obtained free tickets to the Expo for any of our Members that wish to attend, and we also have a handful of remaining discounted tickets to the full conference for a special rate of $595 (which is a $300 discount).  This package would include: admission to the multitrack conference sessions, a pass to attend the exposition, a copy of the Show Proceedings, as well as luncheons in the exhibit hall.  

Lastly, if you plan on attending the exposition, make sure to stop by our booth!  We are also looking for volunteers to man the booth if anybody is interested.  Here is more info about the event, taken from the website:


WHY GLOBALCON

Decision makers from business, industry and government must now seek integrated energy solutions — solutions which assure both a secure and affordable energy supply to meet today's and tomorrow's needs, and effective management of energy and overall operational costs. The GLOBALCON Expo will emphasize four critical areas of leading edge technology and related services:

✓ Energy Management, HVAC and Smart Building Systems
✓ Renewables, Alternative Energy and Onsite Generation
✓ Lighting Efficiency and Integrated Energy Solutions
✓ Plant and Facilities Management

Presented By…

GLOBALCON 2016, presented by the Association of Energy Engineers, is designed specifically to facilitate those seeking to expand their knowledge of fast-moving developments in the energy field, explore promising new technologies, compare energy supply options, and learn about innovative and cost-conscious project implementation strategies.

Hosted By…

National Grid, Platinum Sponsoring Partner to USGBC MA, is committed to delivering safe and reliable energy to customers and communities across Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. They work closely across the energy industry, connecting tradespersons, contractors, regulators, and energy supply representatives to deliver quality services to their customers.

Coming Up: COP21 Paris Climate Talks Uncoference

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

Next March, the USGBC MA chapter will be hosting a special COP21 Paris Climate Talks Unconference to revisit these important international conversations.

This is a unique opportunity to discuss the historic 2015 United Nations Congress of the Parties (COP21), held this past December in Paris, France.  The provisions and commitments reached in the agreement have global implications for sustainability, climate change, and green building, and certainly warrant a closer examination, extensive analysis, and more discussion.

For this reason, we have put together a half-day event featuring a community of experts from a variety of organzations and firms. Panelists who attended the Paris climate talks will be present, with break-out groups led by local issue experts.


More about the Event:

More than 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are buildings-related, and emissions could double
 by 2050 if we carry on business as 
usual. Inaction increases risks and vulnerability of countries, regions and local communities from climate change. Yet:

  • The buildings sector offers one of the most cost-effective and economically beneficial paths for reducing energy demand and associated emissions while at the same time supporting adaptation and resilience to climate change.
  • Many low-energy, renewable and deep- renovation solutions are available. Proven policy, finance and technology actions exist.
  • The economic, health, and social benefits of sustainable buildings are significant. Buildings provide shelter, places to live, work, learn and socialize, directly affecting our daily lives.
  • Buildings are long-term ventures. Today’s new buildings are tomorrow’s existing stock. Failure to act now will lock in growth in GHG emissions for decades.

Here is how the morning will pan out:

8:30 – 9 Registration and networking
9 – 9:15 Keynote and opening
9:15 – 10:30 Breakout (unconference)
10:30 – 10:40 Break + Networking
10:40 – 12:00 Paris Panel with questions from audience

Both the panel and breakout sessions will focus on the following topics and will provide perspectives from various professional backgrounds:

  • Value Chain Transformation: is the building sector capable of massive deployment of low emitting buildings and deep renovations? How will building sector stakeholders better work together to scale up solutions adapted to local circumstances?
  • Bridging the investment gap: how ready is the finance sector to increase investment in building efficiency?  How will we address the critical need to scale up the public and private financing of EE and sustainable buildings. We will explore how buildings and EE can contribute to realizing MA's carbon goals and how the financial sector can help support that.
  • Public Policies: what is the readiness to implement long term action plans to address the key role of local jurisdictions to organize and facilitate integrated policy packages and collaborative approaches that shift to a low carbon and resilient built environment. 
  • Building rating & reporting systems: how do they support the COP21 momentum?  

Please join us as a community of advocates and practitioners as we explore how to leverage the public awareness and policy momentum generated by COP21 to drive policy gains in Massachusetts.

Next Month: Our COP21 Unconference

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

Next March, the USGBC MA chapter will be hosting a special COP21 Paris Climate Talks Unconference, being put together by Advocacy Fellow Anthony Lucivero.  

This is a unique opportunity to discuss the historic 2015 United Nations Congress of the Parties (COP21), held this past December in Paris, France.  The provisions and commitments reached in the agreement have global implications for sustainability, climate change, and green building, and certainly warrant a closer examination, extensive analysis, and more discussion.

For this reason, we have put together a half-day event featuring a community of experts from a variety of organzations and firms. Panelists who attended the Paris climate talks will be present, with break-out groups led by local issue experts.


More about the Event:

More than 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are buildings-related, and emissions could double
 by 2050 if we carry on business as 
usual. Inaction increases risks and vulnerability of countries, regions and local communities from climate change. Yet:

  • The buildings sector offers one of the most cost-effective and economically beneficial paths for reducing energy demand and associated emissions while at the same time supporting adaptation and resilience to climate change.
  • Many low-energy, renewable and deep- renovation solutions are available. Proven policy, finance and technology actions exist.
  • The economic, health, and social benefits of sustainable buildings are significant. Buildings provide shelter, places to live, work, learn and socialize, directly affecting our daily lives.
  • Buildings are long-term ventures. Today’s new buildings are tomorrow’s existing stock. Failure to act now will lock in growth in GHG emissions for decades.

Here is how the morning will pan out:

8:30 – 9 Registration and networking
9 – 9:15 Keynote and opening
9:15 – 10:30 Breakout (unconference)
10:30 – 10:40 Break + Networking
10:40 – 12:00 Paris Panel with questions from audience

Both the panel and breakout sessions will focus on the following topics and will provide perspectives from various professional backgrounds:

  • Value Chain Transformation: is the building sector capable of massive deployment of low emitting buildings and deep renovations? How will building sector stakeholders better work together to scale up solutions adapted to local circumstances?
  • Bridging the investment gap: how ready is the finance sector to increase investment in building efficiency?  How will we address the critical need to scale up the public and private financing of EE and sustainable buildings. We will explore how buildings and EE can contribute to realizing MA's carbon goals and how the financial sector can help support that.
  • Public Policies: what is the readiness to implement long term action plans to address the key role of local jurisdictions to organize and facilitate integrated policy packages and collaborative approaches that shift to a low carbon and resilient built environment. 
  • Building rating & reporting systems: how do they support the COP21 momentum?  

Please join us as a community of advocates and practitioners as we explore how to leverage the public awareness and policy momentum generated by COP21 to drive policy gains in Massachusetts.