Post on 22-Dec-2015
Commercial Buildings
Energy Used in the Commercial Sector 18.02% of consumption (2011)
New Construction Approximately $ 165 billion
75% of building stock will be replaced in the next 20 years
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design
(LEED)
United States Green Building Committee (USGBC) Nonprofit “Ecolabel”
Point based system 5 Categories
Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency Energy and Atmosphere Material and Resources Indoor Environmental Quality
LEED basics
Prerequisites Required before credits
Credits Compliance Points
Certification (100 pt. scale) Certified: 40-49
points Silver: 50-59 points Gold: 60-79 points Platinum: 80+ points
Registration
Submittals Design phase Construction phase
Review (after construction)
13,500 certified LEED buildings as of June 2013
Report operations data
Class Simulation
2 Members of LEED
1 Financier
3 Teams
Requirements for Teams LEED Gold Budget Costs
Economics
Criticism Initial Cost
2% more (NRDC) Fees
Registration fee Per square foot fee $35,000 on average
Praise Life Cycle Cost
Lowered Overhead More employees and Expand operations
Investment in Emerging Technology
Environmental Effect
Praise 14% generated renewable energy 12% took major steps to reduce water use e.g. treat
sewage on site Increased use of low-flush toilets, low-emitting paints, and
materials from sustainably harvested wood
Criticism Easiest and cheapest points
used No proven environmental
benefit Certified prior to occupancy
Port of Portland Headquarters
Ratings Forbes rates top 10 high tech buildings LEED Platinum
http://www.portofportland.com/prj_POP_HQP2_Home.aspx
Regulatory Structure
Control and Command Detailed, legal requirements on sources of pollution Environmental standards, permit allowances, penalties
Incentives Based Compliance is optional Tax breaks, grants, expedited permitting, etc.
Free Market Purely voluntary compliance No government regulation
Hybrid Independent organizations develop standards
Regulatory Reality
Mandatory Regulation “442 localities . . . 35 state governments . . . [and] 14
federal agencies or departments” have implemented LEED - USGBC More than 200 jurisdictions require for new public buildings Some jurisdictions require for private commercial buildings
Incentives 200 jurisdictions (in conjunction with or in place of LEED)
Tax deduction up to $1.80 per square foot Tax credit 26 U.S.C. § 48
30% of costs for investing in solar energy 10% of costs for certain geothermal equipment and heat
pumps 170 cities give tax breaks, grants, expedited permits, or
waivers
The Road Ahead
Positives Flexibility in standards and process
Innovation in Design Regional Priorities Online Submittals
Growing alternatives: Energy Star, Green Globes, GGHC Government as consumer
Negatives Government regulation mandating use of LEED Predicted energy use not equaling actual energy use
Recommended Changes for LEED More actual energy use data More aggressive benchmarks
The Hybrid Approach