Green Building 101 - Fundamentals

Goals of the Seminar

Learn the fundamentals of sustainable and green construction

Identify additional mechanical work inherent in green construction

Use green construction to generate additional volume and profit

Separate yourself from competitors by exceeding client expectations

Sustainability

“Everyone talks about sustainability, but no one knows what it is.”

Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert, founder of the organization The Natural Step

What is Sustainability?

“Providing for the needs of the present without detracting from the ability to fulfill the needs of the future”

ASHRAE GreenGuide

Sustainable v. Green

Is a sustainable building a green building?•Footprints

Source: www.politicsonline.com

Green Construction

What comes to mind when I say ‘Green Building’?

What is a Green/High-Performance Building?

One that achieves high performance over the full life cycle in the following areas: Minimal energy consumption Minimal atmospheric emissions Minimal discharge of harmful wastes Minimal negative impacts of site

ecosystems Maximum quality of the indoor

environment

Green Building

Why is Green Building an emerging trend and not just another fad?

Environmental impact of buildings*

• 65.2% of total U.S. electricity consumption 1

• > 36% of total U.S. primary energy use 2

• 30% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 3

• 136 million tons of construction and demolition waste in the U.S. (approx. 2.8 lbs/person/day) 4

• 12% of potable water in the U.S. 5

• 40% (3 billion tons annually) of raw materials use globally 6

* * Commercial and residentialSource: DOE1,2,3, EPA4, U.S. Geological Service5, Lenssen & Roodman6

Water

1% is potable 2% is frozen 97% is salt

water

Source: U.S. Geological Service

Water use

Americans extract approximately 3,700 billion gallons per year more than they return to the aquifers

The Energy Crisis

Source: Uppsala Hydrocarbon Study Group

Business Issues – Future Trends (Risk) ASHRAE Improvements

to 90.1

• 90.1 to be 30% more stringent than 2004

• Develop performance based 90.1 (2010)

• Develop a water conservation standard

• Develop a new standard for deconstruction of buildings

Business Issues – Future Trends (Risk)

90.1

Business Issues – Future Trends (Risk)

ASHRAE Advanced Energy Guides•Complete All 30%

guides by 2008 winter meeting

•Complete all 50% guides by 2011 winter meeting

•Complete all 70% guides by 2016 winter meeting

Business Issues - Future Trends (Risk)

ASHRAE Research

•Develop economically viable applications of renewable energy systems that produce:

•25% reduction in conventional energy use (2012 annual meeting)

•35% reduction in conventional energy use (2015 annual meeting)

•50% reduction in conventional energy use (2018 annual meeting)

•Develop baseline data for IEQ (2008 annual meeting

Ultimate Goal

Create ‘Net Zero Energy Buildings’ (NZEB)

A building that, on an annual basis, draws from outside sources equal or less energy than it produces on site from renewable energy sources.

Business Issues - Future Trends (Risk)

H. R. 6 – ‘Clean Energy Act of 2007’•Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)

•Specifies ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and “future versions”

Energy Policy Acts of 2005, 2007 and Executive Order 13423•Calls for net-zero energy use in federal

facilities by 2030

It follows………..

Why is ‘Green’ an Opportunity?

“Clean-tech plays to American’s strength because making things like locomotives lighter and smarter takes a lot of knowledge – not cheap labor.”

Thomas Friedman, ‘The Power of Green’, April 15, 2007 International Herald Tribune

Sustainability Today

Haven’t we always been employing “green” building principles anyway?

Examples?

History of sustainability Which civilization made it a point to layout

whole cities to take advantage of passive heating? In what direction did the city streets run?

A. GreeceB. RomeC. EgyptD. PersiaE. Babylonia

Sustainability

What amazing improvement did the ancient Romans make to Greek architecture so their homes (called heliocaminus, i.e. house furnaces) were far more energy efficient?

A. Used cavity wallsB. Made domed roofsC. Insulated the wallsD. Put transparent mica in the

windowsE. Honeycombed the floor

SustainabilityWhat clever “green” concept did the Romans utilize in their bathroom layouts?

A. Recycled organics as compostB. Used holding tanks instead of rivers

for disposalC. Used stormwater run-off to flushD. Used aqueducts for flushingE. Used flow control devices to conserve

water

U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

A national, nonprofit organization founded in 1993

“To promote the design and construction of buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work.”

U. S. Green Building Council

Developer and administrator of the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating SystemVoluntary, consensus-based national

standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Pilot program in 1998 Version 2.0 released in 2000 Version 2.2 is current Version 2009 (Due in January)

LEED® Products LEED-NC: LEED for New Construction and Major

Renovations/Additions• Originally released in 2000

• New release early in 2009

• LEED for Schools

• LEED for Retail (Pilot)

• LEED for Healthcare (under review) LEED-EB: LEED for Existing Buildings: Operation

and Maintenance• Originally released in 2004

• Newest version released on Sept. 1 2008 LEED-CI: LEED for Commercial Interiors

• Originally released in 2004

LEED® Products LEED-CS: LEED for Core and Shell

• Originally released in 2005 LEED-H: LEED for Homes

• Originally released in 2007 LEED-ND: LEED for Neighborhood

Developments• Originally released in 2007)

Why Was LEED® Created? Facilitate positive

results for the environment, occupant health and financial return

Define “green” by providing a standard for measurement

Prevent “greenwashing” (false or exaggerated claims)

Source: New York Times

Why Was LEED® Created? Use as a design guideline Recognize leaders Stimulate green competition Establish market value with

recognizable national “brand” Raise consumer awareness Transform the marketplace! Promote whole-building, integrated

design processes

Integrated Design

An integrated design produces a cost-effective, high-performance building wherein all systems and components work together to produce overall functionality and environmental performance while meeting the needs of the owner.

LEED® Certification Performance-based rating system

to measure how “green” or “sustainable” a building has been designed and constructed

Points are earned by complying with environmentally friendly requirements

LEED®-NC Categories Points divided into six categories

•Site Selection (SS)

•Water Efficiency (WE)

•Energy and Atmosphere (EA)

•Materials and Resources (MR)

•Environmental Quality (EQ)

•Innovative Design (ID)

LEED®-EB Categories Points divided into six categories

•Site Selection (SS)

•Water Efficiency (WE)

•Energy and Atmosphere (EA)

•Materials and Resources (MR)

•Environmental Quality (EQ)

•Innovation in Operations (IO)

LEED-NC® Point Distribution

Proposed 2009 LEED-NC® Point Distribution

110 Points

EQ 15%

MR 14%

ID 10%

EA 35%

WE 10%

SS 26%

LEED-NC v2.2 versus LEED 2009

LEED-EB® Point Distribution

LEED-EB v 2.0 versus Operation and Maintenance

LEED NC Certification Levels

LEED NC – 7 Prerequisites and 69 Total Points

26

33

39

52

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Certified Silver Gold P latinum

LEED-NC 2009 Certification Levels

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Certified Silver Gold Platinum

4050

60

80

LEED 2009 – 7 Prerequisites and 110 total points

LEED-EB: OM Certification Levels

LEED EB – 9 Prerequisites and 92 Total Points

LEED Online Registration and Certification

LEED®-NC/EB CreditsSite Selection

Handout 1

LEED-NC® Point Distribution

Fact:•For NC, 42 of the 69 possible points

are directly related to mechanical systems or mechanical construction. For EB, it is 55 of 92 possible points.

Conclusion:•LEED construction represents a

tremendous opportunity for our industry

A Commitment to Focus on Opportunity