September 17, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Energy, Green Building, LEED, Uncategorized
Tags: Green Retrofit, LEED
In another bold move by the president, he recently uttered the words LEED when referring to a Certification for the White House. Is this even possible? I mean I realize it is, but can we just take a step back for a minute and reflect on where we came from and what was happening in this country two years ago?
The test below is republished from greenerbuildings.com who posted the news on Sept 14th 2009. It’s funny… I didn’t see the Wall Street Journal mention anything about it…
“Going far beyond the organic vegetable garden and playground made from recycled materials, President Barack Obama intends to get the White House LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
That’s the word from an article on Sierra Club’s Green Home website. From the article:
White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) spokesperson, Christine Glunz, says the effort to get the White House to LEED certification includes energy and water systems as well as waste. She believes it is vital to consider toxicity and life-cycle when making purchases for facilities. CEQ is looking to reduce the carbon footprint of the White House by implementing computerized energy management systems, automatic light sensors that turn off in unoccupied rooms and low-flow water valves. Paints and sealers with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), biodegradable cleaners and recycled equipment will all be used by White House groundskeepers and engineers, according to a White House spokesperson. Window films that will lower UV rays and save energy will also be added.
According to an article on the National Geographic website, any leftover materials from White House renovations and demolitions will be donated to local reuse organizations. If President Obama continues to enforce such eco-friendly changes throughout his term, he will be on the right track to making the White House more of a “green house,” proving with a LEED certification that he can lead Americans to a greener world.
We regularly report on the benefits and importance of retrofitting existing buildings as one of the keys to cutting the country’s energy dependence. Even if greening the White House itself would have just a small impact on the nation’s capital, its symbolic importance would be considerably greater.”
The EBS Team
July 17, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Energy, Green Building
Tags: energy, Green Building, Modular Homes
I am not sure how many of you read the recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle about a net zero modular multi-tenant townhouse being built by a bay area company. I am very glad that this article made the front page especially on a day when Michelle Obama visited San Francisco. It just goes to show you the importance of green building in the bay area.
This article made it seem that modular homes were an unusual medium for energy efficient building. If you look at the facts, modular homes are just as easy if not easier to make efficient compared to regular construction. The same measures that are devised to make a typical residential home energy efficient are similarly implemented in modular homes. These include, but are not limited to, using high grade insulation, high efficiency appliances, utilization of active and passive solar solutions for heating, energy production, and natural lighting, as well as innovative strategies to employ existing conditions within a house to improve energy efficiency. This last category is where I saw the most unique and creative measure utilized by the company in the article. They implemented a wastewater heat recovery system that preheats shower water.
What makes modular homes a great form for sustainable building is the construction process. Having a standard prefabricated design cuts down on waste and the energy used during construction. It also allows designers to implement the same energy efficient solutions to each house quickly and easily.
The process for making any home energy efficient can seem daunting and complicated but two easy steps can be taken to get you started.
Maybe the most important is energy efficient appliances. When you are constructing a new home make sure you look for ENERGY STAR rated appliances. The initial cost may be slightly higher for these appliances, but they can save you significant energy costs and have substantial rebates attached with them. Considering that kitchen and laundry appliances account for a third of a house’s energy load with central air-conditioning adding another 15 percent, conserving even a small amount of energy with energy efficient appliances can result in huge savings.
Another important aspect to consider is the geometric placement of your house. The sun’s rays penetrate the most from the south. As the sun rises in the east and sets in the west it is seen in the southern part of the sky at high noon. In the summer when cooling loads are very high energy costs are also more expensive. To solve this catch 22 you can do several things.
First, make sure the windows on the southern exposure have low U-value glass. U value is the amount of heat the window transmits; lower U-values mean less heat is transferred. One of the best types of glass that has come out recently is spectrally-selective glass. This glass lets only certain wavelengths of light in cutting down on heat gain while not sacrificing the amount of natural light coming into your building.
Secondly, shade the south facing windows with plants, artificial shading, or for the best results solar panels. Shading windows will cut out, almost entirely, heat gain during the summer, and if done right will still let in sunlight and its heat in when its needed, during the winter.
Solar cells provide shading for windows or help keep roofs cool while also generating electricity for the house. Though expensive, Photovoltaic cells are a key aspect in trying to make your home net zero. PV cells should come farther down the line in the process as energy efficient measures should be implemented first.
With these easy steps, you can be on your way to making your modular home or regular home as energy efficient as possible. This will help you comply with the new mandates and save you a ton of money. Being ahead of the game is very important, especially down the road when the 2020 deadline for making all residential buildings net zero comes along.
This is a green modular home designed by MOD-ECO Architecture.
–The EBS Team–
July 15, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in LEED
This is crucial because of the technicalities associated with LEED. If you don’t involve extra points and commit to achieving just the minimum threshold to obtain a certain certification level you are setting yourself up for failure. Always build in 2-4 extra points that you think are possible and document them as you would any credit. The idea is based on the fact that you never know how a reviewer will see the credit and whether they’ll agree with you that you’ve satisfied the intent of the credit.
Along the same lines, make sure to go above the minimum for credits that involve percentages. (i.e. waste diverted, water efficiency, etc.) Something small could throw your initial calculations off and disqualify you from achieving a credit. This is especially important with the prerequisites, like energy and water efficiency, which if you don’t meet you project cannot get certified at all.
A solution to the above issue as well as the first problem is to shoot for exemplary points. Focus on the credits where you can reach the mandated levels fairly easily and cheaply. Look at your changes carefully and find ways to go a little farther to qualify for exemplary points.
–The EBS Team–
July 7, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Energy, LEED, Renewable Energy
Document early and often
Parties need to understand the importance of documenting throughout the process. This is especially relevant when it comes to MR credits. Because of the volume of information those credits require, it is essential that team members provide the LEED Consultants or PM’s with the documentation to be able to quantify recycled content, regional compliance, etc. This means requesting all of the specifications of the materials you are purchasing from the wholesaler or manufacturer you are purchasing them from. For regional credits especially it is important to know what information to request. It is often the case that regional materials must not only be manufactured in a 500 mile radius from the building site but they must also be harvested in the same radius.
On a related note, the LEED V3 system has been written and is in place. You can upgrade to this system anytime this year and reap the benefits of a faster LEED online tool and a new and improved LEED 2009 credit system.
By implementing continuous documentation you will avoid the hassles of finding lost information or misplaced results further down the line – STAY ORGANIZED!
–The EBS Team
June 29, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Commissioning, Green Building, LEED
Tags: Commissioning, Green Building, LEED, Real Estate
Contractors and bidders need to know what they are up against throughout the entire building process. By putting the requirements of commissioning and information about LEED Documentation in the bid packages, owners or project managers will get a much better understanding of what is entailed. It will also separate those who have experience with LEED from those who don’t – in general if a party has had good experience with LEED and is ready for its implementation then their bid should reflect that experience.
Make sure the requirements are in the drawings – this should prevent any mis-communications and avoid having to re-do or correct mistakes. In addition these mistakes will add costs and scheduling issues to the project. Unfortunately this is becoming more and more important as our litigious society continues to sue people for everything. Integrated Project Delivery is a new field that is emerging and becoming a strong idea. The concept that everyone is responsible for seeing the project until the end and must work as a team through its completion holds all accountable and provides a greater framework for success.
The Autodesk space in San Francisco used DPR construction and was one of the first LEED Platinum CI projects here. That team used IPD and they realized huge successes as a result.
–The EBS Team–
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