Johnson Controls: Your Energy Forum: Green Buildings Archives

ENERGY STAR ® Keeps Plugging Along
October 29, 2007

Posted by johnsoncontrols at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Paul von Paumgartten
Director, Energy & Environmental Affairs
Johnson Controls

Hats off to ENERGY STAR! I’ve been working with this voluntary EPA/DOE program since its inception in the early 1990s as “Green Lights.” Considering that it’s a government program with limited resources for market research and promotion, ENERGY STAR has become a star in its own right. According to EPA’s 2006 survey:

More than 9,000 organizations are engaged in the ENERGY STAR program, helping Americans save more than $14 billion on energy bills while avoiding the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 25 million vehicles.
68% of American households recognized the ENERGY STAR label, and 73% had a high or general understanding of the label’s purpose.
Mentions of ENERGY STAR in local, regional, and national press now have an average circulation of 100 million per month.
More than 3,200 buildings, representing almost 575 million square feet, have earned the ENERGY STAR label for superior energy and environmental performance based on EPA’s building rating system.

And that’s the part I’m interested in. ENERGY STAR has encouraged many third-party organizations to integrate their standards into a burgeoning drive towards building certification, or at least industry recognition and awards. For instance:

LEED-EB ® Certification – An ENERGY STAR rating of at least 67 provides two points towards certification. A rating of 75 means four points.
Commercial/Corporate Real Estate - ENERGY STAR benchmarking earns one of the major points in BOMA’S 7-Point Challenge.
Counties: The National Association of Counties uses the ENERGY STAR Courthouse Campaign to promote energy reduction in county courthouses.
States: In his first act as chair of the National Governors Association, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced an initiative entitled "Securing a Clean Energy Future.” Details of the program are being developed, but they may include elements of Minnesota’s “Next Generation Energy Initiative.” That program includes a goal of having 1,000 commercial buildings in the state achieve the ENERGY STAR label by 2010.
Healthcare - The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) has teamed with ENERGY STAR in the ASHE Energy Efficiency Commitment campaign, which requires benchmarking.

ENERGY STAR also addresses other organization’s buildings, including Higher Education, Hospitality, Industrial , K-12, Retail, Small Business and Congregations. See the ENERGY STAR website for more details.

As businesses and organizations try to figure out how to get their arms around their own climate footprint, I offer a starting spot. It’s right at the blue label.

Green Performance Contracting
June 05, 2007

Posted by johnsoncontrols at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From Arizona state buildings to businesses in Michigan, performance contracting is being used to pay for capital projects that improve building performance. It’s usually considered for energy or water projects. Now it’s time to use “green” performance contracting to pay for a comprehensive approach to making buildings more sustainable.

Performance contracting removes a major barrier for public and private entities, which face ever-tightening budgets, to make necessary upgrades to their facilities. Depending on local regulations and laws regarding performance contracting, the traditional tools for implementing energy efficiency improvements can be expanded to address overall building and site sustainability.

Employing integrated design – a central element of green building philosophy – allows high benefits at low cost by achieving synergies between disciplines and technologies. The project development process requires some balancing of choices to produce an overall payback period that meets the building owner’s requirements. Performance contracting is highly effective because energy savings only need to pay for the incremental cost of higher-efficiency measures rather than for the whole cost. And green performance contracting is even better for overcoming any first-cost barriers for sustainable improvements.

Green performance contracting can be used to achieve sustainability goals in new building design and construction and in existing buildings.
• New Buildings: Higher-efficiency choices are compared to the modeled performance of the as-designed less-efficient building. Applying performance contracting to buildings being designed and built is the perfect cure for pressure to “value engineer” the efficiency and sustainability out of new buildings as they are designed. In new buildings, performance contracting bridges the gap between the first-cost and life-cycle-cost perspectives by using long-term energy savings to pay for the incremental first-cost of high-efficiency measures.

• Existing buildings: Green performance contracting provides a mechanism for implementing and financing the building’s efficiency and sustainability upgrades, including improved operations. Achieving sustainable building performance in existing buildings can be done at reasonable costs. If needed, system or building upgrades can be spread out over time and implemented when capital dollars become available.

Green performance contracting provides comprehensive integrated solutions to a wide variety of building, site and infrastructure improvements, and it allows building owners to pay for these building sustainability improvements, including capital improvements or renewable energy, with funds in the organization’s expense budget.

Michael Arny is president of the Leonardo Academy, which promotes environmental improvement and sustainability. A series of white papers on green performance contracting is available on the Leonardo Academy’s web site. “The Users’ Guide to Green Performance Contracting” explains how public and private sector building owners can use green performance contracting to implement sustainability in their buildings. Three supporting white papers outline specific areas in detail. All of these white papers are available at: www.leaonrdoacademy.org

State of the Union: Energy is about Technology, Buildings and...
February 14, 2007

Posted by johnsoncontrols at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The energy pundits certainly have had a field day in the aftermath of President Bush’s State of the Union speech (link to speech - http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030128-19.html)

Many of us were pleased to hear the President's plan for reducing U.S. gasoline usage, as alternative and renewable fuels are a very important part of our nation's energy future and they can contribute mightily to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also important to, as the President says, “press on with battery research for plug-in and hybrid vehicles."

While much of the focus is on America’s addiction to gasoline, in actuality, the transportation industry only consumes about one-quarter of our nation’s energy. Wouldn’t you think the pundits would be more focused on the area where there can be a bigger impact: Buildings

According to the American Institute of Architects, “Buildings account for forty-eight percent of U.S. energy consumption and generate far more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector.” From schools and office buildings to big-box retailers and factories, all those structures use energy.

The good news is that something can be done, and it’s far easier than setting up biofuel stations around the country. It is always easier and cheaper to save energy than it is to create it. In fact, the president said, “In this century, the greatest environmental progress will come about not through endless lawsuits or command-and-control regulations, but through technology and innovation.”

Commercial, off-the-shelf technologies exist to save a third of almost any building’s energy use. Yes, Johnson Controls is in the business of high-tech building controls that help save energy and money. But there are dozens of innovative technologies – from better lighting and fixtures to insulation and new windows– that reduce energy and result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

The president’s commitment to energy efficiency in buildings was demonstrated the day after the State of the Union when he signed an executive order (link to http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070124-2.html) requiring federal agencies to lead by example by reducing energy and water use. Agencies also need to ensure that new construction and major renovation of existing buildings comply with sustainability principles.

Energy efficiency is too often overlooked in the energy policy debate. If we are to truly manage our energy needs and combat greenhouse gas emissions, we need a balanced portfolio of remedies, which includes a major focus on energy efficiency, particularly as it relates to buildings.

Sustainability Boardgame for the Boardroom
November 28, 2006

Posted by johnsoncontrols at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Clay G. Nesler
Vice President, Innovation Services
Johnson Controls, Inc.

“We don’t have time for games!” This is sometimes the reaction from senior management when they learn that they will be using a game board as part of a strategic planning session. While the reaction is understandable, using a game-board as a planning tool actually has many advantages over traditional approaches. Continue reading "Sustainability Boardgame for the Boardroom" »

Energy Efficiency Challenges
September 14, 2006

Posted by Gerrit Reinders at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In this dialogue, Gerrit Reinders, director, Sustainable Energy Solutions, Johnson Controls Inc., and Ron Fillmore, Dow Corning global executive director for Construction and Xiameter, discuss the importance of sustainability to businesses.

How are energy-efficiency challenges driving business sustainability initiatives?

GR: With today’s volatile energy prices and unprecedented awareness of the environmental impact of our addiction to oil, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that upgrading buildings to make them “green” is critical, particularly since green buildings are, by definition, very resource efficient. Many local governments now require that new buildings be constructed to green standards. This is a great thing that unfortunately only addresses one percent of buildings; the opportunity is greatest if we also “green” the existing building stock. For that reason, organizations are hiring energy services companies to renew their infrastructures with more energy-efficient equipment. Some are paying for these improvements through the savings they generate. We’ve seen energy savings as high as 90 percent by upgrading lighting and 60 percent by upgrading HVAC, office equipment, and appliances. The business case for energy efficiency is clear, and there’s widespread acceptance that doing the right thing and making money are not conflicting strategies.

Continue reading "Energy Efficiency Challenges" »

A Steady Regimen of Diet and Exercise
August 07, 2006

Posted by Paul von Paumgartten at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

On Monday, July 31, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) held a press conference announcing its National Energy Action Plan for Energy Efficiency. The plan seeks to address the nation’s growing demand for energy in U.S. homes, buildings and industries through efficiency. I’m all for it!

Continue reading "A Steady Regimen of Diet and Exercise" »