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ASHRAE Government Affairs Update, 08/31/07 |
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You are reading an archived version of the ASHRAE Government Affairs Update. Please click here for the most recent update.
Survey Shows "Green" Construction Costs Lower Than Believed A survey finds green costs overestimated by 300% and a need to foster zero net energy construction. Key players in real estate and construction misjudge the costs and benefits of "green" buildings, creating a major barrier to more energy efficiency in the building sector, a new study by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) reports. Respondents to a 1400 person global survey estimated the additional cost of building green at 17 percent above conventional construction--more than triple the true cost difference of about 5 percent. At the same time, survey respondents put greenhouse gas emissions by buildings at 19 percent of world total, while the actual number of 40 percent is double this. The findings are disclosed in a new report titled Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Business Realities and Opportunities, which summarizes the first phase of the WBCSD's project. The project is co-chaired by Lafarge and United Technologies Corporation. Other participating companies are CEMEX, DuPont, Electricité de France, Gaz de France, Kansai, Philips, Sonae Sierra, and Tepco. The study also found that fewer than one in seven industry respondents have participated directly in a green building project. Involvement ranges from a high of 45 percent in Germany to just 5 percent in India. About 20 percent of architects, engineers and developers have been involved in green building projects, compared to just 9 percent of owners and tenants. Buildings already represent approximately 40 percent of primary energy use globally and energy consumption in buildings is projected to rise substantially in the world's most populous and fast growing countries such as China and India. The study highlights opportunities to promote green building know how and technologies as the WBCSD pushes for zero net energy construction worldwide. Zero net energy buildings will reduce demand by design, be highly efficient and generate at least as much energy as they consume. The WBCSD's Energy Efficiency in Buildings Project (http://www.wbcsd.org/web/eeb/) is a three year initiative to assess the environmental impacts of buildings and develop means to achieve zero net energy use for residential and commercial buildings. For a copy of the report, see Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Business Realities and Opportunities (http://www.wbcsd.org/includes/getTarget.asp?type=d&id=MjU5MTI). Calif. Treasurer Proposes $5 Billion Bond for State Buildings Upgrades California Treasurer Bill Lockyer wants Governor Schwarzenegger and the Legislature to agree to add a $5 billion bond measure to the November 2008 ballot that would fund solar installations and energy efficiency upgrades for state buildings. Of that $5 billion, Lockyer writes that $3.5 billion would fund 450 megawatts of solar panels, $900 million would fund fuel cells, biofuels and other renewable technologies, and $600 million would be dedicated to retrofitting and retro-commissioning the state’s 206 million-sq.-ft. of building space. Investing in energy efficiency should reward taxpayers nicely, Lockyer says. He cites studies that say for every $600 million spent to make its buildings more efficient, the state could reap $863 million in energy savings over 10 years. Lockyer’s proposal would complement and expand efficiency improvements under way as part of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Green Building Initiative, the executive order that commits state buildings to reduce energy consumption 20% by 2015. The California Commissioning Collaborative (CACx), on behalf of the state’s Green Building Action Team, recently released a road map for achieving the commissioning goals in the green building executive order. To download the CACx report see http://www.fypower.org/pdf/GBEO_Cx_Roadmap_July2007.pdf. Six Western States and Two Provinces Set Greenhouse Gas Goals The members of the Western Climate Initiative agreed to a regional goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 15% below 2005 levels by 2020. The initiative was formed in February by the governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, and was later joined by the state of Utah and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba. By August 2008, the members of the initiative plan to create a market-based mechanism, such as a carbon cap-and-trade program, to achieve the goal. See the agreement (http://www.westernclimateinitiative.org/ewebeditpro/items/O104F13006.pdf). The initiative members stressed that the regional goal does not replace or supersede the goals set by the individual states and provinces. For instance, Oregon has set a goal to stop the increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2010, then to reduce emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020 and to 75% below 1990 levels by 2050. Those goals were codified into state law this year. Meanwhile, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., a relative newcomer to the process, has committed that state to developing a greenhouse gas reduction goal by June 2008. Trade Commission Launches New EnergyGuide Label for Appliances The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced in early August that it has finalized its revisions to the EnergyGuide label, which helps U.S. consumers compare the energy performance of many appliances. The new EnergyGuide label will still be a familiar yellow color, but will feature a streamlined look that prominently displays the estimated annual operating cost for most appliances. Providing energy use data in terms of cost—rather than kilowatt-hours of electricity or British thermal units of natural gas—provides a clear context for consumers to compare different models. It also allows for a more informed decision when consumers trade off the up-front cost of an appliance with its annual operating cost. See the FTC press release (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/08/energy.shtm). |
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