The Building Advisor

This week, the New York Times called our little old hometown of Portland, Ore. a city of “green-economy trailblazers,” “a hotbed for small and progressive green-technology companies that might not have the resources or reach yet to capitalize internationally,” and the proposed Oregon Sustainability Center “a big, green stake in the ground for the next generation.”

Ok, so those quotes all came from stakeholders in the massive public/private partnership at the center of the article, “Bold Public-Private Venture Aims to Make Ore. City an ‘Icon of Sustainability.”

But hey. If we don’t tell people about our global leadership in sustainability, how else will they know? General Electric Co. (GE) is excited about it, and its partnership with the City of Portland announced this month now includes the Portland Development Commission and the Oregon Sustainability Center:

“Mayor Sam Adams and General Electric Co. executives are forging a first-of-its-kind partnership that will include retrofitting drafty buildings with energy-saving technologies and helping local startups sell their clean-technology products abroad. GE, the global industrial conglomerate, will also help the “Rose City” bring to life five ‘EcoDistrict’ pilot projects — enclaves that would manage their own energy, water, waste and other systems — as well as build, perhaps, the world’s greenest office building.”

Whew! Do we have plans. Though The Building Advisor poked a bit of fun, the PDC’s EcoDistricts sound fantastic – think of a district of sustainable buildings sharing municipal systems, rather than just a stand alone green building here or there.

And while the Oregon Sustainability Center sounds cool, so too do the plug-in electric vehicle stations, building energy-monitoring systems and other “ecomagination” products GE has planned. GE sought Portland out for this public-private partnership, and plans to help local companies license and sell their products.

Kevin Decker, who coordinates these types of public private partnerships for GE, said “We’ll leverage our supply chain and knowledge of foreign markets to help local businesses license or sell their technologies.”

Originally published on Greenwire.

Images from Destination 360 and David A’s Photos’ photostream on Flickr.

Corporate real estate (CRE) executives are more willing to invest in the sustainability of the space they own, despite economic pressures, according to a CoreNet Global and Jones Lang LaSalle 2009 survey.

The key finding is that real estate executives still consider sustainability to be a critical business issue, especially when it comes to retrofits of the real estate they own.  But, it also shows that they are focused on cost savings in the short term.  Read the report and think about how you are helping to lower costs in the short term.  If you’re not reducing energy costs for your clients, that would be the best place to start.

An article in the New York Times highlights some of the best kept secrets of LEED certification.  While many people think that LEED certification is synonymous with energy efficiency, the article, looking at data from sources such as the New Building Institute, indicates that may not be the case.  Because building owners have a wide array of options for securing LEED points, including use of sustainable or recycled materials, proximity to bus stops, and installation of bike racks, oftentimes energy conservation measures may be overlooked or ignored.  Moreover, because energy use must be modeled to forecast usage in new construction, it is invariably wrong, and often by a significant margin.  The article’s conclusion?  A majority of LEED buildings tested would not even receive an Energy Star label.

Even if they do focus on energy points and install and commission sophisticated controls, if they are not monitored and maintained, controls and systems go out of balance.  A phenomenon known as energy drift sets in and energy is wasted over time.  Things like use of setbacks, lighting during occupied times and over-ventilation are a few examples.

Given the amount of money invested by building owners to secure this rating, it seems absurd that they wouldn’t at least be considered energy efficient.  I suspect there will be a backlash.  Hence the use of screws for mounting (and dismounting) plaques.

On the other hand, LEED EB (existing buildings) seems to be more focused on energy savings as a key component of achieving certification.  Indeed, mechanical contractors would be wise to ensure they understand how their services can help LEED consultants and building owners achieve points toward the LEED EB certification.  The good news for building owners is that many of these points can be “delivered” by a knowledgeable mechanical contractors without paying exorbitant premiums.

Oh, and one other thing…. Existing building energy models based on that building’s actual utility bills versus a theoretical model are far more accurate and can be used to accurately forecast savings from proposed energy conservation measures (ECMs).  Accurate forecasting will help to identify the ROI for each measure and help secure owner buy-in for retrofits.

SO LEED NC has some challenges in front of it as it relates to energy conservation.  LEED EB, as it relates to energy conservation, may be just what the doctor would prescribe for “ailing” building owners.

According to the recently published RICS-CPE Global Commercial Property Sustainability Survey, despite a global economic downturn, real estate owners are increasing their investments in sustainability.  Cutting energy costs was cited as the primary driver for these investments.

“The most important sustainability issue for clients is energy efficiency,” Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist, told CPE. “More people are more focused on sustainability since the economic crisis, and energy has become the main driver; it has to do with the bottom line.”

It makes a lot of sense when you think about it.  We continue to see buildings that consistently could cut 15% off their energy utility bills just by implementing low cost/no cost energy conservation measures.  With ROIs of less than 6 months its kind of a no-brainer for owners.  Considering energy spending, on average, constitutes approximately 35% of building operating costs, this is significant.

From a sustainability stand point, not only are they able to cut energy consumption, but they are also able to reduce their carbon footprint.  With a climate bill winding its way through the Senate, many believe substantial financial incentives for carbon reduction in commercial buildings could make energy conservation even more financially appealing.

BOMA has been attempting to educate owners regarding these opportunities and it looks these ideas are being adopted.  When I talk with owners and managers most of them get it.  Often the main question is how to go about uncovering these opportunities in a cost effective manner.  Many of them just don’t know where to start.  I will outline how we’re suggesting owners proceed in a separate post.

In the meantime, its nice to see that sustainability is seen as a strategic initiative for most owners based on its ability to lower operating costs.  It’s not just good for the planet, it’s good for the bottom line.

View the article at Commercial Property News here.

$13.2 million project.  Will save $4.4 million in energy costs per year.  And reduce energy consumption by 40%.

What monstrosity of a building is this?  The Empire State Building in New York, which is undergoing a major sustainability retrofit to become a leading example of economic and environmental revitalization.

What’s even better is that they truly are making an example out of it.  Check out the website dedicated to the project which includes interactive retrofit puzzles, explanatory documents, videos, and images, and even tools available for immediate download.  With the Clinton Climate Initiative as one of the main facilitators of the Empire State Building’s retrofit project, part of the mission is to help educate others in the industry.

Even if you don’t work on buildings of this size or projects of this magnitude, this serves as a very informative and inspiring example of what is possible in reducing energy consumption in existing buildings.

“Last week, the Bloomington City Council passed the city’s first green building ordinance, requiring 15 government buildings to meet stringent energy efficiency standards” as reported in the Indiana Daily Student.

Familiar headlines will be seen in local communities throughout the country.  Some will use federal stimulus money, some will use local taxes and some will issue bonds.  Whatever the source of funding, rest assured a tsunami of projects that drive energy conservation in public buildings is coming your way.  Many will pursue LEED-EBOM and some will be satisified with an EnergyStar rating.  Whatever their goals may be with regard to a building label, one common theme drives these initiatives, a desire to cut operating costs and their carbon footprint while demonstrating responsible stewardhip of taxpayers’ dollars.

So, what can you do to get your share?  I am seeing a good number of seminars and meetings with public officials to educate potential suppliers at the local level.  These can be helpful but don’t fall into the trap of thinking this is going to help you secure the work.

Get into the field and start visiting with your city and county decision makers.  Educate them regarding your services and how you can efficiently help them assess their buildings’ energy performance and identify and quantify what you can do to help them.  By educating them you will help to define how the scope of work gets formed and ensure that they are focusing on the best potential return on investment.  So, get proactive and educate your community on how you can help them make investments with real paybacks.