GreenBuild Blog
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Google’s Green Agenda and Real Energy Savings
According to a story last month in the New York Times, Google is “seriously dabbling” in green energy investments. Do you think that a company like Google can produce results through investments in startup companies? Is this a good use of their time and money? Will their lobbying power convince the Obama administration and the Congress to raise the stakes with more than $15 billion annual investment in clean energy technologies? Think how that money could really be used to help the economy. If a cost-effective building energy retrofit would cost $1.50 per square foot, then $15 billion would retrofit 10 billion square feet of U.S. real estate, producing (at $0.50 per sq.ft. annual savings, i.e. a three-year payback) $5 billion a year in real energy savings. 10 billion square feet is roughly equivalent to 2,500 buildings the size of Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, the largest since commercial building in the country. If this government investment were leveraged only 2 to 1, we could retrofit 20 billion square feet per year. In four years we could retrofit all of the US commercial real estate, based on the 72 billion square foot size of the building stock in 2003, according to the Department of Energy. That’s where the money should be going, don’t you think?
Posted by Jerry on 11/29/2008 at 09:06 AM
This entry has been viewed 409 times.
Corporate Sustainability / Green Business Practices • (0) Comments • PermalinkFriday, November 28, 2008
First net zero energy commercial green building in the Northeast
Hudson Valley Clean Energy, based in Rhinebeck, New York, up the Hudson River from New York City, claims it ran a surplus in its first year of operations, from July 2007 through July 2008. The trick is a super-insulated building with ENERGY STAR appliances, along with a 160-meter deep geothermal loop heat pump system for year-round heating and air conditioning, plus 850 square feet of solar PV and solar thermal panels. This ain’t rocket science, folks, it’s just a good application of building science. The real key is to cut electricity use with the geothermal heat pump system, so that the solar system can be much smaller than it otherwise would be to handle the A/C load. When the net zero claim is verified, the building will claim a $10,000 prize from the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, as the first net zero commercial building under continuous occupancy (no weekend homes) with a practical power source that is easily replicable. Reportedly, the solar and geothermal system added about $100,000 ($18 per sq.ft.) to the overall project costs.
Posted by Jerry on 11/28/2008 at 09:01 AM
This entry has been viewed 326 times.
Green Building News • (0) Comments • PermalinkThursday, November 27, 2008
Green Building Construction Skills Lacking, Says WSJ
That’s at least what the WSJ story claims and it does make an argument for government help to re-educate the construction industry work force. I think the bigger issue is in the materials and products space, where the temptation is for architects (and some engineers) to specify products and systems that may not be fully proven, or may not be available through normal supply chains. What the story does indicate is that there will be a considerable market for green building education and training for the next several years, especially in the homebuilding industry. I’m pretty much convinced that commercial construction can do the job on its own, but the homebuilding workforce really needs education in designing super energy-efficient and green homes. (I think everyone in homebuilding should be reading my 2008 book for homebuyers, Choosing Green, as the fastest way to get up to speed on the subject.) There is also a crying educational need for everyone associated with the building industry, such as real estate brokers, appraisers, lenders, etc.
Posted by Jerry on 11/27/2008 at 11:23 AM
This entry has been viewed 292 times.
Green Building News • (0) Comments • PermalinkWednesday, November 26, 2008
900 U.S. Mayors Sign Climate Protection Agreement
Local leadership on the climate issue is just as important as action at the federal level. With the number of U.S. mayors signing the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Change Agreement exceeding 900 now, what Seattle mayor Greg Nickels started in 2005 appears to be gaining unstoppable momentum. From the published list of mayors, a savvy marketer can find government agencies to approach for green buildings and energy efficiency retrofits, along with renewable power systems. In addition to reducing GHG emissions by 2012, the mayors pledge to meet or beat other Kyoto Protocol targets in their own towns and cities; and to urge Congress to pass legislation to reduce GHGs.
Posted by Jerry on 11/26/2008 at 10:04 AM
This entry has been viewed 284 times.
Corporate Sustainability / Green Business Practices • (0) Comments • PermalinkPage 1 of 4 pages 1 2 3 > Last »
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