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Fourteen shopping centers in Puerto Rico are set to get lighting retrofits and a food service facility in upstate New York has cut lighting energy use by nearly 90%. If you need more evidence to convince customers the efficiency pays, see this week’s Green Channel news. Also in the Channel – LEED specifics for Healthcare is coming in September. What’s happening with plasma lighting and Topanga? And: What’s next after a lighting retrofit? Take customers solar.
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As the state of Oregon gets ready for EV charging stations, it has implemented a way for ECs to get to work faster. NAHB has an amendment to offer to the IGCC. And Underwriters Laboratories is offering training on EV charging.Also in the Channel – local stories on energy savings from California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania help you see what’s going on.
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Cupertino Electric, San Jose, California, and Tiltran Services, Ontario, Canada are two electrical contractors working on renewable energy & green installations. Plus, a security industry magazine looks at the impact green has made on dealers. Also in the Channel – five items on green housing include one each from Colorado and Texas, a tour of three projects, and green loans put on hold
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With public hearings scheduled for next week, the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) marches closer to reality. On another front, the EPA now offers a toolkit to help municipal officials write green into the law. Also in the Channel – Sprig Electric, a contractor that does more than $100 million in sales per year, has moved into green – and expects to do about $50M/year by 2015.
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Building retrofits are in the news this week. In California, a study found that as much as 80% of the energy used by existing commercial buildings is wasted. Another study finds $41 billion/year in potential retrofit energy savings. Also in the Channel – a blogger claims that nagging got USGBC to release some checklists for LEED projects. Plus, a review of a LEED cost publication.
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Electrical contractor News: Rosendin, the fourth largest contractor in terms of sales, is in the process of erecting 20 mW of solar in California; Greenstar Renewable Electric Co. is also on the green bandwagon; And, a word about contractor involvement from Electrical Contractor magazine. Also in the Channel – Six billion square feet of space is now under some kind of green certification around the world. By 2020, the projection is growth to 53 billion.
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Do 700,000 new jobs from U.S. government investments in energy projects sound good? That’s the claim from President Obama (time frame: “next few years”). This week’s GreenRoom count = 1,000 for Colorado, 75 for Arizona and 15 for Massachusetts, plus maybe 69 for Oregon. Find out what the numbers mean in this week’s Green Channel. Also in the Channel – a new “Green Jobs Academy” in Pennsylvania; $5 million for training the workforce on TSG in Michigan; and 1,500 permanent jobs claimed in Arizona, Colorado, and Indiana.
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An article on the basics of lighting & energy efficiency debunks five myths about lighting. Myth #1: More light is better. Reality: “Most added light is wasted and causes quality problems.” Another myth pits incandescent bulbs vs. CFLs. Also in the Channel – the math of lighting retrofits—an article by tED lighting writer Craig DiLouie; total light management; and the math on lighting + pollution
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Read all about it (or listen to the podcast): Adaptive reuse makes sense! In short, it’s all about taking existing buildings and doing the “green” thing with them . . . keeping them useful. Also in the Channel – read about PACE and LEED-EB, and find support material to make the business case for retrofitting existing buildings.
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According to Yale, building commissioning doesn’t cost much; yet less than 1% of them have done it. Strange? Yes, because the payback for is said to be just over one year. Also in the Channel – solar leasing is reaching a certain “buzz” level these days with coverage from CBS News. And: Find out what “Project Get Ready” is all about.
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What do people who built new homes want in terms of green? A survey of almost 12,000 people who have built in the past decade produces many insights. Also in Channel: Getting along swimmingly – an electrical contractor in the San Francisco area started migrating to solar work in 2001; now he’s there. And: Mayors like the IGCC.
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Wouldn’t you assume that a green building would have healthier occupants? That’s not the case, according to a study – which has been lauded as “lucid, balanced, and well-reasoned.” And there’s more criticism, too. Also in the Channel – EPA launches Energy Star for Data Centers and ASHRAE’s pilot studies on its Building Energy Quotient system.
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Satcon Technology raves about electrical contractor Broadway Electrical in New England. Also: How do you sell solar panels? Some perspective from Barry Cinnamon, who sells through Lowe’s. Also in the Channel: What’s going on in Texas, Massachusetts, and Michigan? Also find out how Newark, Delaware is using stimulus funds from DoE.
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Green jobs and training for those jobs are part of the mystery in the green/sustainable slice of the construction industry. The SEIA, for one, believes more stimulus efforts could create 200,000 solar jobs. Also in the Channel – The state of Connecticut might forgive loans to students in green disciplines. A solar training program just for women. And: Green “pencils out in the long run.”
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Welcome to the new world: There’s a new National Building Competition about energy efficiency sponsored by EPA. The microsite includes a blog and a video, with updates to be made available via Twitter. There appear to be 14 serious contestants.Also in the Channel – how do you find and afford the best light bulb? How does lighting fit into The Smart Grid picture? Answers to those questions – and
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Is the American Power Act friendly to energy efficiency, or a compromise fashioned in the deepest depths of unholy hell? Two EE advocacy groups disagree. Plus, the USGBC says the Obama folks have more EE tools to use than they are employing. Also in the Channel – luminaire requirements for LEDs, changes to the LEED application review process, and info on outdoor lighting (+ street lighting).
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The nation’s general contractors put forward a green construction plan. They like BuildingSTAR and local tax credits for green projects. The Department of Labor asks for opinions/comments on what is or is not a green job. Also Channelized – the USGBC has had problems with push-back on LEED since its inception, due to a premium. How big is that premium? Perhaps 3% to 6%.
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If you knew what the G-PAD was, you’d be impressed that it exists at all, much less that it was created by electrical contractors and electricians. Also: The publisher of Electrical Contractor magazine talks about the green stuff that ECs can do for homeowners. Swimming in the Channel – As you might suspect, there is a Green Factor in commercial building leasing. A quote from a real estate publication seals the deal.
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An Earth Day review of what the government is doing with your tax dollars (and borrowed money) finds an update to the R&D plan for LEDs and OLEDs and a new LED streetlighting collaborative. Don’t miss: A boost for commercial building EE. Also in the Channel – KB claims 55,000+ Energy Star homes; Chicago sells a site for one dollar (the buyer promised to build LEED); who should install solar?
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Eight lighting every savings case studies, running the gamut from retail stores in Canada to a U.S. automaker, lead off GreenChannel news. Sure, there’s a lot about LEDs, but there’s also info about controls, T-5s, and T-8s. Also in the Channel – trade-offs engineers make in efficient lighting system design, rebates that states now offer, and a video on commercial LED benefits.
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Insurance isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of green & sustainable issues, but that – and legal claims are the subject of this week’s roundup. Included: Lawsuits based on green marketing; 5 key legal factors to consider. Also in the Channel – the GAO took the Energy Star program to task yet again. How DoE & EPA reacted.
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When it comes to green jobs, everybody wants in on the act! “Everybody” includes the state governments of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, a solar company in Arizona, and… maybe the U.S. government. Newsweek, however, is skeptical. Also in the Channel – from no less a real estate source than Jones Lang LaSalle comes: You don’t need rocket science to cut a building’s energy use by 15%.
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Veteran sellers: In Arizona, it’s Ken Pencost, who’s been doing energy audits for 14 years; In Pennsylvania, it’s Michael DalCin whose phone is ringing off the hook for solar work, after 34 years in electrical contracting. And in Ontario, MicroFIT got CMS into the game. Also in the Channel – Cupertino Electric outfitted two CA municipalities with solar PV. In VT, Sherwin Electric’s owner enjoys “a new thing for us” on a training day.
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New Commercial Building Standard Emerges Working together, the ICC + ASHRAE have released the first model green code (available to be adopted by municipalities) for commercial buildings. This is NOT the same thing as the ASHRAE Standard 189.1 (developed
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Everybody wants in on the CFLs act, including the Girl Scouts. In addition to Scouts and CFL’s the DoE addreses the issues of the Dark Sky people. A Naval Base gets a major outdoor lighting retrofit with LEDs) And productivity gains in green buildings. Also in the Channel – a USGBC chapter exec provides the words you should use instead of that awful “green” thing. Plus, “mandatory energy benchmarking” is a-coming.
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Jobs have been promoted as a big benefit for the country, in the process of moving to put in a greener, more-sustainable environment. In the midst of these efforts, a newspaper op-ed piece calls green jobs a myth, and the Heritage Foundation likes it. Also in the Channel – Are you seeing stars? What’s going on with ENERGY STAR? What is HOME STAR? What’s Building STAR? And, who won federal awards in energy and lighting?
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Lighting is the word this week, with the DoE estimating that use of LEDs and OLEDs over a 20-year period starting now could save 1,448 terawatt-hours (a lot) of electricity. Plus: A video on a new NECA-IBEW’s 3rd windmill training facility. Also in the Channel – Electronic House looks at other ways LEDs might be used; the technology makes more creative options possible.
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By Dan Carazo, from the Winter 2010 tED GreenRoom Supplement.
THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009 (ARRA)
includes what the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
called “the single largest investment in energy efficiency in history,
with approximately $20 billion specifically for efficiency.” Along with
this massive infusion of capital, the ARRA has increased awareness of
the Buy American Act (BAA) (see sidebar)—essentially ensuring that U.S.
businesses have the opportunity to benefit from ARRA funds. The good
news is that companies that manufacture electrical, lighting, and
energy-efficiency products in the United States, or in free trade
agreement countries that satisfy the stringent BAA requirements, have
been thrown a very lucrative bone during one of our deepest recessions.
The bad news is that simply identifying the correct requirements for
ARRA-funded projects has proven to be a significant challenge.
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How many guitar-pickers are there in Nashville? Well, there are at least that many ideas as pickers for greening buildings in New York City, apparently – 111 of them. Find out the details and to download an executive summary or full report. Also in the Channel – Siemon sets a goal of “zero landfill.” A U.S. solar subsidiary of a Chinese company launches an installer partner program. Also, an all-AC module and more.
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Green jobs are more “in the news” than green projects, it seems. We rounded up info from six states and three overarching themes, including the fact that while wind energy grew in 2009, the number of jobs wind projects (and manufacturing) provided . . . didn’t. Also in the Channel – while stimulus funding boosts green job efforts in many places, in Idaho it’s the local utility which is creating “demand for new types of jobs.”
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A 3,660-sq.-ft. house in Iowa is going to have heating/cooling bills of $300 a year (?). Home builder Beazer makes green standard. The NAHB likes an idea from the White House (stop the presses!). And an affordable home built in Richmond earned green cred. Also in the Channel – do green buildings cost more, or don’t they? A construction magazine interviewed a guy who wrote the book on this. And: Supplier to thrive.
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Remember the ASHRAE 90.1 standard? There’s a new standard in town, which goes by the name 189.1. Years in the marking, it promises to take green construction to a new level. Links and quotes provide access to the standard & various hopes and dreams. Also in the Channel – a look at green from the installer’s point-of-view, including nutty stuff from the Chicago suburbs, and financing (from PG&E) for a California op.
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Yes, the stimulus money-flow isn’t over – and the DoE found $37M earlier this month to stimulate progress in solid-state lighting research and manufacturing. Plus, a look at New York City’s plan for lighting upgrades in those larger existing buildings. Also in the Channel – starting on the first day of 2011, construction of new buildings is going to be green – a state mandate – in California. Plus, other standards news.
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The DoE may become more aggressive about appliance energy-use standard enforcement – but, in the meantime, it seems to have fielded a challenge on its LED criteria. And: 183 plants get federal $ for green jobs, but a commentator asks – where are those jobs? Also in the Channel – a look at the new international LightSavers program, a map showing 2009 rebate progress, and a look at “smart lighting’s critical role.”
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It’s out: A list from the Department of Labor of the recipients of nearly $100 million in green jobs training grants (there’s some electrical stuff in there, both overt and, so to speak, covert). Plus, some releases from politicians taking credit for local funding. Also in the Channel – what’s happening in the green work arena, starting with a video (from Canada’s magazine) claiming that PV work is, end-of-the-story, electrical!
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Do you know what a “Building EQ” is? It’s from ASHRAE, and perhaps it’s going to matter. Also look out for the “Super Star” green labeling program, a ramp-up in the Energy Star program (as the federal government tries to fix and upgrade that). Also in the Channel – how, exactly, does one “make energy savings sexy?” What’s a Renewable Energy Demonstration Initiative? Plus other answers.
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A real estate magazine joint-ventured a research study with the U.S. Green Building Council and found out that developers and real estate company executives pretty much think green design is a must – more important now than before the recession. Also in the Channel – what six electrical contractors have done recently on the green front, including Cupertino Electric and a ME company doing wind training.
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Green-collar careers are hot, at least in discussions, articles, and studies. Did you know that IBEW has a new “Working Green” microsite? That $250K went to a unit of West Virginia University for solar training? And: Are green jobs safe? Also in the Channel – EcoHome offered a list of the top green products for 2009. Building Products magazine also has its own list. A Kichler product is on both!
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Attempts to standardize green buildings with municipal building codes, fund them via foundations, and label them “Energy Star” and the like, lead Green Channel News this week. Even Underwriters Laboratories via “UL Environment” is getting in on the act. Also in the Channel – what happens when “green” ends up in the building code? Arch-Tech answers that question; and – AIA finds 138 cities with green codes.
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Lighting is on the docket this week, including what three Idaho electrical contractors have to say about LED and other lighting options. Don’t miss the FTC’s NOPR on Lighting Facts Labels (including the black-and-white heavily annotated graphic). Also in the Channel – a look at the Dept. of Energy’s activities on the LED front, including a “breakthrough” in Portland and a 10-webcast archive.
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Green jobs seem to always be in the news. Among other items, you’ll find a graphic and links to info on the USGBC report on how green construction will impact jobs and GDP in the next four years. And: The Labor Dept. releases $55M in assistance on green jobs. Also in the Channel – we offered links last week on coverage of GreenBuild, but it turns out there was a lot added since, including blogging from several key sources.
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What happened at the GreenBuild conference & show Nov. 11-13 in Phoenix? Seven links take you to press releases, videos, and coverage of Al Gore’s keynote speech. Plus, releases from the Small & Community Wind conference & expo (Nov. 3-5, Detroit). Also in the Channel – ConsensusDOCs 310, Standard 189.1, the 2012 model energy code (ICC), and a new website from BCAP. And a UL green product effort.
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What should a building owner/project team do when pursuing LEED certification? Why is there confusion in the market about the various “eco-certifications,” and what can be done? And: What the heck is a “Certified Ecobroker?” Also swimming in the Channel – retrofitting a building to be greener attracts tenants; the Philly Fed HQ (all 800,000 sq. ft. of it) gets a lighting control tune-up!
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Seven items on green jobs and training start with the tale of Rebekah Hren, working as one of perhaps only 7,000 solar PV installers in the U.S. Move on to IBEW’s Edwin D. Hill, blogging on the HuffPost site. In Idaho, Alloway Electric helps with definitions. Also in the Channel – a windmill training facility goes live in Nebraska. NJIT creates a “green jobs database.” Plus: A video of an IBEW member talking green.
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By Jan Niehaus, from the Fall 2009 tED GreenRoom supplement.
Distributors in the Energy Star Service and Product Providers program get national promotion, practical tools, and invaluable experience.
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By Jerry Yudelson, from the Fall 2009 tED GreenRoom Supplement.
LEED standards for measurement and verification of building performance can be a sales aid for distributors interested in more technical sales.
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There’s a new DC power standard extant, and it just might provide a boost to renewable energy. AND: EPA and DoE have resolved their differences on who should run various energy-efficiency-oriented programs, including ENERGY STAR. Or have they? Also in the Channel – two reports are out on Green Jobs, including one from the Middle Class Task Force (did you know about that?), “Recovery Through Retrofit.”
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Fluorescents are big news in NJ, and LEDs grab headlines at the Texas State Fair. Plus two links on the role of lighting at the DoE’s Solar Decathlon (which took place between the Capital Building and the Washington Monument – and we have pix to prove it!). Also in the Channel – distributors & green, green rules in San Francisco and nearby San Mateo, and how daylighting is making big changes in building design.
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Supply chain sustainability: How are product manufacturers supporting sustainable construction? Are all of the occupants of all green buildings absolutely ecstatic? And how would you take an “integrated approach” to green? Also in the Channel – what’s new in Green Jobs? Stories from California and Texas provide snippets of success, plus a look at the role of community colleges.
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Yes, the government is printing and giving away money for renewable energy & energy efficiency, but it’s also looking after things like code compliance (REScheck software) and LED lighting (the SSL Manufacturing R&D Roadmap is now on the street). Also in the Channel – contractors and “design/building green;” NECA and energy auditing courses; and E-Mon donates meters (see videos).