June 1, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in LEED
Tags: Consulting, Green Building, LEED, USGBC
Lighting (especially Daylighting), energy modeling, LEED Documentation, and sustainability experts are just a few crucial aspects of a successful LEED project. Hiring a firm that can provide expertise in a package is often your best bet. They will understand how energy modeling affects LEED EA credits and even better they will be able to advise on the several synergies that exist within LEED.
For instance, Increasing Fenestration with the appropriate glass can increase thermal resistance, allow for Daylighting, allow thermal comfort for occupants, reduce electrical lighting requirements, reduce HVAC demand, and increase credit for EA all the while reducing operating costs for the building which in turn will affect the Net Operating Income (NOI) of the property.
Be careful when choosing a LEED Consultant – there are so many out there these days however many of them aren’t sustainability experts and few offer the full breadth of services. Being able to Document a LEED project isn’t enough – often a good question to ask is something like, “How will the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient of my West Facing Fenestration affect my tenants and which Tvis value would you recommend as a result?” If they can’t answer a more challenging question like that one then they shouldn’t be hired.
Also, with the launch of LEED 2009, your consultant should be able to communicate the affects of the transition from older LEED Versions to the new 100 Point scale under LEED 2009 and how urban projects are more greatly impacted.
–The EBS Team–
January 16, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Green Building, Uncategorized
Tags: Community, Consulting, Green Building
Being from Connecticut I appreciate when one of my own takes on the responsibility of educating the sustainability movement. Living there for most of my life has shown me the true meaning of the word pretentious.
That being said – I wanted to highlight someone from CT who is anything but the “P” word and make sure that his message is as clear as ours is.
Barry Katz is a CGP, LEED AP and his company Greenworks Consulting is one of Connecticut’s leading authorities on green building.
His experience is extensive – a home builder with more than twenty years experience in new construction and remodeling, he now works exclusively on green design and construction projects.
The company offers sustainability consulting services for residential and commercial projects and he is the recipient of the 2007 HOBI Award for Best Green House from the Connecticut Association of Homebuilders.
Barry has spoke at San Diego’s “Reinvention 2006,” sponsored by Residential Architect magazine, and at the Boston Society of Architects’ Residential Design Conference (2007, 2008, & 2009 – upcoming)
(P.S. I think he’s available for other speaking engagements…)
With a more streamline title than the book I’ve been highlighting (100 Ways to Continue F&*$ing the Future) Barry is currently at working on his own rendition called, “Practical Green Remodeling: Down-to-Earth Solutions for Every Day Homes,” due out from Taunton Press in early 2010.
Hands down my favorite is the blog. The Future is Green is a great resource for witty commentary and important updates on green topics (you have to check out this one).
Ok so enough promoting – its getting a little ridiculous but seriously if you want to read another great blog and if you are on the east coast and need green building advice Barry Katz is the man.
Barry Katz, CGP, LEED AP
8 Canterbury Close
Westport, CT 06880
Tel: 203-454-2941
email: bk@katzhome.com
Barry Katz Homebuilding web site: www.katzhome.com
Greenworks Consulting web site: www.greenworksco.com
blog: http://TheFutureIsGreenBlog.com
January 9, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Commissioning, Energy
Tags: Commissioning, Consulting
Commissioning is used to deliver a building that operates as it was designed, and it’s not completed until the building operators are trained to run the building correctly. The focus is typically on the heating ventilating and air conditioning, but can involve the building envelope, emergency power and any other system that is part of the building. So what are the benefits. There is a long list of benefits and I thought it would be helpful to put it in a chart so you can see who is directly affected.
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Owner
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Operators
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Occupants
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Fewer change orders
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Properly operating systems
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Healthy indoor air quality
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Reduced operating costs
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Fewer occupant complaints
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Comfortable working environment
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Reduced construction costs
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Training on all systems
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Safer and more comfortable building
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Fewer construction delays
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Proper O&M manuals
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Quick payback
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Problems are discovered earlier
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Lower maintenance costs
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A great example of commissioning working correctly is the Adobe complex in San Jose. I recently took a tour of the buildings and they explained that when they originally finished their retrofit the building wasn’t producing the returns they were expecting. They had been through the whole commissioning process and done their energy modeling, but one thing they didn’t do is teach their operational people how to run the building properly. Once they educated their staff the building went from running at 50% efficient to well over 90%. This was an integral part to their 9.5 month ROI.
So it’s pretty clear that the upfront cost of commissioning will quickly be paid back throughout the construction process and definitely during the operation of the building.
January 7, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Green Building
Tags: Community, Consulting, energy, Green Retrofit, Social Equity
Green retrofits are on the same pace as new construction was five years ago. The general thought was that it was too expensive to go green, but after five years of research and experience with new construction, green building construction prices have proven to be a very comparable. Benefits are wide spread with increased energy and water efficiency, better indoor air quality, less demand of
virgin resources, lower operating cost, better brand equity and more.
Five years later the same argument for why we should go green for new construction is finally going main stream with our existing stock. Building owners are looking beyond the cost premium for green and extending their definition of value added to items such as productivity increases, better employee comfort, health and retention, and higher resale value. All showing that it is actually cheaper to go green.
A survey from Deloitte’s, released on July 29, 2008, The Dollars and sense of Green Retrofits, states that “Existing commercial real estate that does not undergo a ‘green retrofit’ will relinquish market leadership within three years in terms of higher operating costs, lower productivity, declining attractiveness to workers and negative brand image.” Now many progressive companies are insisting that there buildings take part in this sustainability movement because they realize it is better for their business’s public perception and their bottom line.
A great example of a successful green retrofit is the Adobe buildings which cost them $1.4 million. Since the retrofit Adobe’s electricity consumption has dropped by 35%, natural gas by 41%, domestic potable water consumption by 22%, and landscaping irrigation water by 76%. The green retrofit saves Adobe $1.2 million a year in operating cost. Adobe also received grants and equipment purchase rebates from the city, state, and local utilities for the newly installed energy-conserving technologies were $389,000 making their return on investment less than 10 months.
The time has come that if you want to keep your class A status you better make some green improvements to your building. Tenants are demanding that they are in healthier building and building owners are seeing a financial benefit so it is clear that in order to be perceived as the top of the existing building crop you must do a green retrofit soon.
December 26, 2008
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Green Building
Tags: Blogs, Building Green, Christmas, Consulting, Eco Community, Green Building, Home Improvement, Paint, VOC
Merry Christmas! And Happy Quanza, Hanukkah and the rest.
I want to be in the giving spirit during this holiday season so I’ve decided to provide you with a breadth of resources instead of some politically or environmentally charged post.
So I recently came across a great company and their blog – Seville Consulting Blog. Great source of information and the author Carl is a leader in the industry. Contact him if you are going green in the Southeast United States.
Although not up and running quite yet, our friends at Building Green have started a new website called Green Building Advisor which looks like a promising resource for public information. Set to launch at the International Builders Show in Vegas on January 20-23 (oh and Environmental Building Strategies will be there so find us!).
Green Eco Communities is a newer website listing all environmentally friendly places to live in the US divided up by state. While this will be an incredible task for them to continually update and be subjective with, they are on the right path and we applaud them.
One of the most popular and longer running daily blogs out there is Jetson Green. I like the name more than anything as one of my best friends is named Jetzen (except my buddy spells it cooler). But seriously these guys post daily and are a breadth of knowledge.
A rarely ever discussed subject is the alternative wall coverings that exist out there. Today it seems like everyone is talking about Low and No VOC paints which is fine and dandy but at the end of the day, paint sucks. So do something unique with your interior or exterior space. Use a plaster technique like Venetian Plaster or Stucco.
However if you truly want a unique wall covering that is easy to apply and looks amazing, check out Wara Juraku which is a Japanese wall covering mainly consisting of natural materials such as sand, seaweed, and straw.
Cool companies to check out Green Fusion in San Rafael
and Eco Home Improvement in Berkeley
WikiHow is a good resource for DIY information and they have a great category on Sustainable Living that is worth a look if you are into greening your lifestyle.
Look for more tips coming in the new year as Environmental Building Strategies ramps up its campaign to change building and LEED the way towards a sustainable tomorrow.
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