Sustainable Facility - November 2008 - (Page 10)

Industry Watch is the largest solar electric application in the state, with 525 solar panels installed that are expected to produce 130,000 kilowatts of electricity a year. Beneath the solar electric system, the building is protected by more than 50,000 square feet of Duro-Last’s single-ply PVC roofing system life. The Duro-Last-plus-solar roofing assembly complements the buildings many other sustainable building features, which include: a geothermal energy system under the parking lot, which is powered by the rooftop rays to provide both heating and cooling; occupancy sensors in every room to control electrical usage; and energy-efficient insulation and windows throughout, maximizing natural light. For more information, visit www.duro-last.com. ENERGY STAR Changes By Judith M. Peters, LEED AP ENERGY STAR, the national energy performance rating system sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has undergone a signiﬁcant revision effective October 2007. Commercial building owners and property managers who previously struggled with a low ENERGY STAR score might be pleasantly surprised by recent changes in the rating calculations. Prior to the October 2007 revision, LKPB Engineers, Inc. (LKPB) noticed that buildings with attached parking garages received lower ratings than their counterparts without parking garages. Further investigation revealed that the presence of a parking garage resulted in a signiﬁcant deterioration in a building’s ENERGY STAR rating. For the same inputted energy, larger square footage (building plus parking ramp) resulted in a lower rating than just the building alone. When brought to the attention of members of the EPA technical staff, they reviewed their rating system and promised to resolve the issue in the October 2007 revision. From LKPB’s preliminary test cases, it appears that the problem has been corrected. As one example, September calculations on a Bloomington, Minn., ofﬁce tower resulted in an ENERGY STAR rating of 65. Recalculations in December resulted in an ENERGY STAR rating of 85. The tower previously fell short of the 75 threshold, but now qualiﬁes for the ENERGY STAR designation. Building owners and property managers with commercial buildings that have attached parking garages should be encouraged to resubmit their ENERGY STAR data as soon as possible to see if their rating improves. The ENERGY STAR rating system continues to be based on data from the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). This survey sample of more than 6,000 buildings across the United States is conducted every four years by the United States Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. The survey collects complete billing data and operational details for a wide variety of commercial building types. A common misconception is that ENERGY STAR performance ratings are based on information from other buildings that apply for the ENERGY STAR rating through its on-line Portfolio Manager. The rating is actually based solely on the data collected by the CBECS and the aforementioned formula. Judith M. Peters, LEED AP, is an engineer with LKPB Engineers, Inc., a consulting ﬁrm in Saint Paul, Minn., that helps public and private clients with their mechanical and electrical design needs. BENTLEY LAUNCHES BUILDING PERFORMANCE GROUP Exton, Pa. — Bentley Systems, Inc., announced the launch of a new group dedicated to helping architects, engineers, construction professionals and owner-operators design, build and operate better-performing, more sustainable buildings. Bentley’s new Building Performance Group will focus on software solutions and products that address the immediate global need to create and maintain energy-efﬁcient, environmentally friendly, safer buildings that also set the benchmark for occupant comfort, the company reports. Among the new group’s current offerings are Bentley’s recently acquired Hevacomp line of building services design software that includes products for energy analysis, heating and cooling load calculations, pipe and duct sizing, and electrical system design, and Tas software for fast, in-depth energy analysis and simulation of demanding and challenging large-scale building environments. For more information, visit www.bentley.com/hevacomp and www.bentley.com/tas. 3TIER OPENS OFFICE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. Seattle — 3TIER, an independent provider of renewable energy assessment and power forecasting information, announced the opening of an ofﬁce in Washington, D.C. “Establishing an office in Washington, D.C.. will provide a local presence for many of the non-governmental organizations, federal agencies and international corporations with whom we partner in addition to providing improved access to federal policy makers who look to 3TIER as a reliable source for renewable energy information,” Kenneth Westrick, founder and CEO of 3TIER, said. In 2008, 3TIER launched its “REmap10 S U S TA I N A B L E F A C I L I T Y NOVE M B E R 2008 ping the World” initiative and is developing high-resolution wind and solar global maps to provide the critical information necessary to make renewable energy a viable choice: Information regarding the location, availability and value of wind and solar resources. For more information, visit www.3tiergroup.com. NEW PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION FROM ASHRAE FOCUSES ON FACILITY OPERATIONS AND PERFORMANCE Atlanta — Energy use in buildings can be reduced by 10 to 40 percent by improving operational strategies in buildings, according to a study by the Energy Systems Lab at Texas A & M University. A new certiﬁcation program from ASHRAE helps building owners know they are hiring and retaining employees and consultants who know how to take advantage of such strategies. The Operations and Performance Management Professional Certiﬁcation (OPMP) DURO-LAST ROOFING SYSTEM INSTALLED ON LARGEST SOLAR ELECTRIC PROJECT IN MINNESOTA Saginaw, Mich. — The Duro-Last roofing system has been installed on the Merrick, Inc. building in Vadnais Heights, Minn., the company reports. The project was completed at the end of August 2008 and http://www.duro-last.com http://www.bentley.com/hevacomp http://www.bentley.com/tas http://www.3tiergroup.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Facility - November 2008

Sustainable Facility - November 2008 Contents Editorial Industry Watch Web TOC New and Notable The Case for Daytime Cleaning Commitment to Energy Effi ciency and Sustainability Finding the Green Solar for the Commercial and Industrial Sector: What’s Hot Now? Connecting Sustainability and Green Cleaning Recycling Rechargeable Batteries Sharing Best Practices The Consultant Conundrum Sharing the Facilities Management Burden The Building Owner’s and Operator’s Sustainability Solution: Energy Audits Greenbuild: Green Product Buzz Guide Product Focus Marketplace and Classifieds Advertiser’s Index Initiatives

Sustainable Facility - November 2008

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