Practical Eco

More Green Building Could Save U.S. Economy $1.2 Trillion

If you read this site much you probably already know that there is huge opportunity to save energy through efficiency improvements in buildings. The recent McKinsey report, "Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy," indicates that increased green building along with efficiency improvements could save the US $1.2 Trillion. 

The report examines how to increase energy efficiency in buildings and sectors using existing technology and methods.  It also looks at barriers to progress and what can be done to get through them.

It concludes that a targeted investment of $50 billion per year for 10 years would produce these savings and create almost 900,000 jobs.

"This confirms a critical path forward that we have long championed. Harnessing the engine of green, energy efficient buildings can cost-effectively drive tremendous improvements in our economy and environment,"  USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chairman Rick Fedrizzi said in statement.

"Green building can stimulate the economy at a level one and a half times larger than the federal stimulus bill. In terms of climate change, a commitment to energy efficiency would be the equivalent to taking the entire U.S. fleet of passenger cars and light trucks -- more than 200 million vehicles -- off the road."

See the full 165 page report as a PDF document here.
Or read the related Greener Buildings story "Americans Waste $130 billion a Year on Energy."

*The image is of an energy auditor showing air leaks that waste energy.

NC Utilities Buying Texas Wind Farm Green Certificates

The renewable portfolio standard in NC requires utilities to have up to 12.5% of their electricity come from renewable sources. The standard kicks in in 2012 but utilities are already purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates from Texas wind farms. Utilities may meet up to 25% of their obligation through buying in credits from out of state.

See the full story on the Charlotte Observer here.

Fundraising Event for Clean Energy Durham - Aug 6th

Downtown Wine-Down is what they're calling it. On Thursday August 6th from 5-8pm at the West End Wine Bar at 601 West Main Street in downtown Durham, Clean Energy Durham will be holding a green party and fund raising event.

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. All proceeds go to support the excellent work of CED as they promote energy efficiency and renewable energy use in the local area.

The event will feature:

• Free Wine, Coffee & Hors d’oeuvres
• Live Music
• Silent Auction plus Raffles throughout the evening

You can purchase tickets through their website at www.cleanenergydurham.org or at Regulator Bookshop 720 Ninth St. Or call 919-428-4321 for more information.

Show up to support local green efforts.

NC at Lucky 13 in Greenopia Ranks of Governors' Environmental Responsibility

Greenopia recently released a comprehensive ranking state governors comparing policies, transparency, and interest group ratings. At the top of the list is Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado, followed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.  North Carolina's Beverly Perdue comes in a fairly respectable 13th place, making NC the highest ranking state in the South.

See the entire ranking results here on the Greenopia website.

Fresh - the movie, screening on Friday 31st at 7pm at ERUUF

The members of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (ERUUF) invite you to a free screening of FRESH -- the movie.

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system, including Michael Pollan, Joel Salatin, Will Allen, George Naylor, and Andrew Kimbrell. As the reviewer at Eco Salon said, "If Food Inc. was your wake up call, FRESH is your call to action."

Scott Marlow will lead a discussion following the film. Scott is the Director of the Farm Sustainability project at RAFI-USA (www.rafiusa.org). RAFI -- the Rural Advancement Foundation International -- cultivates markets, policies and communities that support thriving, socially just, and environmentally sound family farms.

Refreshments will be served from 6:30. The program will begin at 7pm sharp. The movie is just over an hour long and we expect the discussion afterwards to last about 30 minutes.

This screening is being sponsored by the sustainability committee at the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (www.ERUUF.org) . We will show FRESH on the big screen in our Fellowship Hall at 4907 Garrett Road, Durham.

Finally, please consider supporting ERUUF's and RAFI's efforts to promote sustainable agriculture by inviting lots of friends. 

The event is free, but donations will be accepted to cover the film licensing fees and other costs. Any amount collected in excess of our costs will be shared with the Rural Advancement Foundation International to help promote environmentally sound and local farming.

2-day Green Building for Professionals course in Chapel Hill August 31

Michael Chandler, Owner of Chandler Design-Build, will be teaching a two-day class, "Green Building for Building Professionals," in Chapel Hill on August 31 and September 1.

Michael has been building solar and green homes in the region for over thirty years. His company's projects have drawn national recognition -– receiving first place in 2005 for "Aging in Place Design for a New Custom Home" at the NAHB International Building Show and second place in 2006 at the NAHB National Green Building Awards for "Custom Home of the Year." Michael also writes for Fine Homebuilding Magazine on structural, plumbing, and aging-in-place design topics, and he is one of the advisors on GreenBuildingAdvisor.com.

This course, which is one of two classes required for the Certified Green Professional designation from the National Association of Home Builders, discusses strategies for incorporating green building techniques into homes without driving up the cost of construction. Fees for the two-day Green Building for Building Professionals class are: $325 for members of the Green Home Bldrs of the Triangle; $350 for HBA members; and $425 for nonmembers. Pre-registration is required. Contact Leigh Scott (leigh (at) hbadoc.com; 919-493-8899) to get a registration form or click here for details.

We've written about Chandler more than once here on Practical Eco, as he's one of the original green heroes in the Triangle area. Our first posting here was 2 years ago.

New FBI field office in Charlotte NC to be LEED certified

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE: HIW), announced their joint venture with USAA Real Estate has been awarded a build-to-suit lease by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to develop an approximate $45 million field office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 171,000 square foot, five-story Class A office building and annex, with structured parking, will be built on an 11.6-acre parcel of land they are acquiring. This building will be LEED certified. Construction is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2010 and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2011.

Read the full press release here.

Green Make-over for a 3 bed Wilmington NC home

A Wilmington home is about to get a green gut rehab and expects to be the first LEED certified gut rehab in the state and only the 31st in the country.

Some of the strategies they aim to employ include:

• Harvesting rain from the roof for irrigation and flushing toilets.
• Using ground-mounted photovoltaic panels to generate 3 kilowatts for a net zero energy home.
• Eliminating the garage in favor of a carport to avoid the potential contamination of indoor air.
• Preparing an operating manual for the home.

Read the full story here on Star News.

Water-cooled Commercial AC Retrofit Delivers 50% savings

This Energy Efficiency retrofit delivers reductions of of 30% - 60% on peak kW demand. A Thermal~Flow Demand-Buster HVAC Retrofit can double the operating efficiency at half the cost of replacing existing equipment, and it can qualify for utility demand reduction program incentives.

In a recent installation for a big-box retailer, the engineers observed a 55% overall reduction in energy demand, with a 30% reduction in peak demand. Payback from energy savings is expected within three years.

The Thermal~Flow evaporative fluid cooler tower is the only closed circuit tower that is also lightweight enough to be installed on a roof with out the need for structural upgrades.

The Thermal~Flow Demand-Buster Evaporative Condenser Retrofit system be fitted to utilize the existing AC compressor, or a new high efficiency Thermal~Flow compressor module can be installed.

The unique design of the Demand-Buster Thermal-Loop system allows one fluid cooler to service a number of roof top HVAC systems. The largest amount of savings occurs during the heat of the day thereby offsetting expensive peak demand charges that many utilities charge their commercial customers.

Many utilities offer rebate or financial incentive programs aimed at commercial users of peak kW demand.

Engineered for Commercial Roof-Top Retrofit Applications:

• Light Weight, Modular, Durable, Low Maintenance requiring no Structural Upgrades 140mph Tie-Down Engineering PDF
• 30%-60% Reduction in Peak kW
• Up to 17 EER Performance
• Proven Commercial Water Cooled Technology with a Record of Operational Success
• 15 Year Limited Warranty

Patented Evaporative Fluid Cooler features:

• Construction: All fiberglass cabinet, cannot corrode. High quality materials throughout. High Efficiency evaporative design allows one tower to service multiple HVAC systems in Thermal-Loop.
• Water Spray Nozzles: Durable plastic, non-corrosive and non-fouling.
• Fans: Aluminum, epoxy coated frame, and precision balanced plastic blades for quiet, trouble-free service.
• Service: Easy access for routine maintenance

LEED Project Software

Staying on top of a LEED registered project can be challenging, particularly a big commercial job. One of the big issues is keeping track of all of the documents relating to obtaining various LEED credits. Submittal documentation can include drawings, MSDS spec sheets, photos, commission plans and more. Plus, you might have many different project members seeking to view or edit these documents.

The website SoftwareAdvice recently ran an interesting blog article on project management software for LEED projects. They review a couple of the top solutions EADOC and Procore giving some helpful tips.

See the full article here.

Make It Right Introduces Pioneering Duplex Designs for New Orleans 9th Ward

Make It Right, the foundation founded by Brad Pitt to help rebuild the Lower 9th Ward, released its green, affordable duplex home designs by fourteen acclaimed local, national and international architects. 

While each of the 14 duplex designs is unique, the architects tackled some common problems and arrived at innovative solutions that could change the way multi-family homes are built:        

Flexibility – A number of the designs feature interchangeable floor plans that allow the families to change the size and configuration of the two homes as their family size, needs or economic situations change.

Integration with the Street – Increasing the elevation of the homes made them safer from flooding, but interrupted the connectedness between the porch and life on the street –a relationship valued by the Lower 9th Ward community.  A number of architects offered solutions to this problem, including creating landings or stoops in the stairways where the family can gather.  

Landscaping as a design and energy element – Several architects incorporated landscaping into their design of these solar-powered, highly energy efficient homes to maximize exposure to sun and shade and cut heating and cooling costs.  And because outdoor living is such a core part of living in the Lower 9th Ward, many of the designs include courtyards, interior gardens, and social use of the area under the elevated house.

Affordability —To cut the cost, but not the quality of these duplexes, several of the architects stacked the houses one on top of the other to reduce the “footprint” of the home and simplify construction.  One of the designs cuts construction costs dramatically by stacking the core of the home and aligning all of the electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling systems in the center of the structure, much like an elevator shaft in the center of an office building.

The first two Make It Right duplexes are expected to break ground by mid-August. For an in-depth look at the designs for Make It Right duplexes and to learn more about the architects, go to: www.makeitrightnola.org.