Public Power - May 2008 - (Page 15)

However, at the time building was constructed, about eight years ago, LEED was just getting started, and the building’s owner decided not to pursue certification—a decision he might regret today. On the West Coast, another city was pursuing an interest in green buildings. After supporting the construction of energy-efficient commercial buildings for more than 20 years, Seattle adopted a sustainable building policy in 2000. A year later, the city launched a pilot program that offered incentives for the private construction of LEED-certified buildings. The incentive program, funded by Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities, ran until 2006. During that time, 22 developers participated in the program. “We wanted a growing portfolio of buildings in the private sector that would be both environmentally viable and make the business case for green building,” said Peter Dobrovolny, commercial expert in the Seattle Department of Planning and Development’s Green Building Program, and formerly with Seattle City Light. Beginning in June 2006, Seattle crafted a new land use incentive for four districts in the city’s downtown. The incentive allowed projects that agreed to meet the criteria for LEED certification at the silver level—the second of four levels of certification, based on the number of required points scored by the project—to increase the density of their building. “That meant a developer could add four or five stories to the building,” said Mike Little, Seattle City Light’s energy planning supervisor, conservation resources. The aim of both incentive programs was to help overcome market barriers. Developers are beginning to see added asset value in LEED certification, said Dobrovolny. Another 26 LEED-certified projects are now under way. The highest performing LEED projects are the result of a collaborative and collective decision-making process. Seattle required that all program participants in the initial LEED incentive program conduct a goal-setting meeting with the project team to develop green-building goals and strategies for the project. “We call this meeting an eco-charwww.APPAnet.org rette,” said Dobrovolny. The most successful and innovative green designs integrate the skills and experience of all players from the beginning—before any major design decisions are made, he said. Through this process, the architect becomes a team leader and the structural, sions by the architect or consultant team. In the linear process, it’s difficult, and often expensive, to go back and change decisions, said Dobrovolny. “Some projects end up being green, but that’s because things are added, confirming the conventional perception that green costs more.” “We found that the building’s energy management system hadn’t been set up to talk to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment.” mechanical and electrical engineers take an active role at early design stages. “An eco-charrette is the way to get everyone with a stake in the project involved early on. Everyone has something to offer,” said Dobrovolny. This approach allows the project to be viewed as an integrated entity, rather than a series of systems working in isolation. In conventional project decision-making, the owner or developer looks at the property from a financial performance standpoint and presents information to an architect, who decides what the building should look like and then gives that information to his consultants to select HVAC and lighting systems for the building. Typically there is little input in critical early deciThe LEED process forces an integrated building design, said Burns. “It can be tough taking various members of the building project team through the process the first time. But by the end, you’ll find that everyone—from the people installing insulation to those doing caulking—wants to know how things are going.” The key role in the process is played by the building commissioning expert. “That person forces conversations that wouldn’t happen otherwise,” said Burlington’s Burns. When the completed building is turned over to the operator, the commissioning expert is the person who says it will work as intended. The aim of LEED is to reduce longterm operating and maintenance costs. However, some building owners balk at The LEED Rating System, and Much More Want to know more about LEED? The U.S. Green Building Council can help. On its Web site, the council explains how LEED works, provides details on the rating system and LEED certification, and answers frequently asked questions. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. It promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. LEED provides a rating system for new construction and major renovation of commercial buildings, schools and homes. Projects earn points for satisfying specific green-building criteria. Depending on the number of points earned, a project is certified at one of four levels: certified, silver, gold or platinum. For information on the U.S. Green Building Council and LEED, visit http://www.usgbc.org. MAY 2008 15 http://www.usgbc.org http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - May 2008

Public Power - May 2008 Contents Perspective LEEDing the Way Ontario Moves to Mandatory Time-of-Use Pricing Journey to the Smart Grid Right-Sizing Transformers Energy Audits for Large Industries Economic Development Community Broadband Reliability Hometown Connections Parting Shot

Public Power - May 2008

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