Certified Green Buildings: Why and How Kristin Heinemeier, Ph.D, P.E. Technical Director Brooks Energy and Sustainability Lab kristin-h@tamu.edu

What is “Sustainability”? “We are not inheriting this world from our parents, we are borrowing it from our children.” Will we leave our children more than our parents left us?

Impact of Buildings 1/3 of energy use, 2/3 of electricity 12% of fresh water supplies 88% of potable water supplies 40% of raw materials 1/3 of municipal solid waste 36% of anthropogenic CO2 46% of SO2, 19% of NOx 20% of US Economy Plus… health effects on occupants manufacturing of bldg components, appliances, paper, computers, … transportation to and from bldgs: auto manufacturing, oil (foreign policy?), pollution, land use (streets, highways, parking lots, gas stations…)

Manhattan Open Space

What are bldg professionals to do? Question: Are we part of the problem or part of the solution? Answer: More and more, the latter.

Bldg Sustainability Considerations Energy efficiency Water efficiency Indoor environmental quality Recycling Local or recycled building materials Construction processes Landscaping Transportation

Costs and Financial Benefits Report to California Sustainable Building Task Force, 10/03 Study of 33 Sustainable buildings about $4/sqft premium in cost, mostly due to increased A/E costs for integration Net Present Value significantly higher: Energy: $6/sqft Emissions: $1/sqft O&M: $8/sqft Productivity and Health: $37/sqft Cost Premium: ($4/sqft) Total NPV: $49/sqft

Need for a Rating System To assist in specifying sustainability To provide a guide for designing and assessing buildings To recognize those who build sustainable buildings To avoid “greenwashing” To educate building owners and the industry

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (a non-profit coalition of individuals, businesses, and other organizations representing the building industry) Consensus-based Point System Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum Self-Assessing No “LEED Police”, no inspections High production-value documentation Some calculations, modeling, plans, certification

LEED Family of Products New Construction and Major Renovation (v 2.1) Existing Buildings (pilot) Core and Shell (pilot) Commercial Interiors (pilot) Homes (in progress) Multiple Buildings (in progress) Lab Buildings (in progress)

Status of LEED Rating System To date 126 Total Certified Projects 1534 Total Registered Projects 50 States with Projects 12 Countries with Projects 187,364,398 Gross Square Feet of Projects As of last October 51 certified ~500 registered

Status of LEED in Texas 5 certified 59 registered (6.6M sqft)

Five Categories in the Rating Indoor Environmental Quality Water Efficiency Sustainable Sites Materials and Resources Energy and Atmosphere

Project Checklist

Sustainable Sites Prerequisites: Credits: Erosion & Sedimentation Control Credits: Site Selection Development Density Brownfield Redevelopment Alternative Transportation Reduced Site Disturbance Stormwater Management Heat Island Effect Light Pollution Reduction

Water Efficiency Credits: Water Efficient Landscaping Innovative Wastewater Technologies Water Use Reduction

Materials & Resources Prerequisites: Credits: Storage & Collection of Recyclables Credits: Building Reuse Construction Waste Management Resource Reuse Recycled Content Local/Regional Materials Rapidly Renewable Materials Certified Wood

Indoor Environmental Quality Prerequisites: Minimum IAQ Performance Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Control Credits: Carbon Dioxide (CO2 ) Monitoring Ventilation Effectiveness Construction IAQ Management Plan Low-Emitting Materials Indoor Chemical & Pollutant Source Control Controllability of Systems Thermal Comfort Daylight & Views

Energy & Atmosphere Prerequisites: Credits: Fundamental Building Systems Commissioning Minimum Energy Performance CFC Reduction in HVAC&R Equipment Credits: Optimize Energy Performance Renewable Energy Additional Commissioning Ozone Depletion Measurement & Verification Green Power

the Role of HVAC&R Professionals Energy and Atmosphere Credits Energy efficient design Certification of compliance with energy codes (ASHRAE Std. 90) Energy modeling Measurement and Verification Commissioning Refrigerants Renewable Energy Indoor Air CO2 Monitoring Ventilation Effectiveness Consulting, Research, Policy Education of Owners

Local Organizations Metropolitan Partnership for Energy USGBC www.mp4e.info USGBC Meets irregularly www.usgbc.org/chapters/centraltexas Association of Energy Engineers Meets 4th Tuesday at lunch in San Marcos www.austinaee.org World Energy Engineering Congress in Austin, Sept 22-24 ASHRAE Meets 3rd Tuesday in San Antonio www.alamoashrae.com San Antonio Women Energy Associates Meets 1st Thursday at lunch in Alamo Heights www.beslab.org/SAWEA

Resources www.usgbc.org www.aiatopten.org/hpb/ www.buildinggreen.com/ www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ highperformance/ maven.gtri.gatech.edu/sfi/

Thank you! Questions?