The following article was submitted by Houston Neal of Software Advice. All views expressed are that of the author only.

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Retrofitting is big business theses days. A number of reports forecast building retrofits to become a multi-billion dollar market over the next few years. Electrical Software Advice sees this as a great opportunity for electricians. To win a piece of the burgeoning market, they suggest electrical contractors pitch the following 5 retrofits:

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1) Relamping - Over 2 million commercial buildings in the US have antiquated lighting systems. Updating these systems with energy efficient bulbs will not only lower electricity costs for building owners, but reduce carbon emissions as well.

2) Daylight harvesting - Daylight harvesting systems use photosensors to detect light levels in a room. As sunlight becomes available, the artificial lighting will be reduced. When it’s cloudy or becomes dark outside, the level of artificial lighting will increase. These systems can reduce lighting energy costs by 20 to 60%.

3) HVAC retrofits - While some HVAC retrofits will always require the know-how of mechanical contractors, others can be performed by an electrician because of their overlapping skills and knowledge. For example, electricians can install electrical consumption economizers – devices that reduce energy use of AC units – or programmable thermostats that optimize efficiency of HVAC equipment.

4) Solar panels and wind turbines - Both solar panels and wind turbines are gaining traction among homeowners and building owners. Lower production costs, government rebates and tax incentives are the primary drivers of the increased adoption. Because these systems actually generate electricity, building owners may be able to receive payment or energy credits from their utility company.

5) Energy management systems and monitoring devices - Popularized by Google and Microsoft, energy management systems can save homeowners 5 to 15% on their monthly electricity bills. If half our country adopted these systems, Google says this would be the equivalent of taking eight million cars off the road!

To read the full report, click here

GREEN CONSTRUCTION PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE?
THINK AGAIN.
Chitro Neogy

Ask a man on the street his take on the green economy and you are likely to receive a rich outburst of platitudes – curb greenhouse gases, minimize carbon footprint, recycle everything and deal with wasteful behavior as criminal offense. Either the government is to blame for much needed, tardy regulations or the O&G companies are in cahoots with auto barons blocking commercialization of clean powered vehicles.

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The less likely response is that all buildings should be constructed or retrofitted green; and yet, this single move is likely to have the greatest impact in ensuring a sustainable civilization.

The facts stare us in the face. In the United States alone, buildings burn 40% of overall energy and 72% of electricity produced in the nation, generating 39% of CO2 produced and 30% of waste output (USGBC.org). In the process, they also consume 14% of the potable water. A 2005 study by Goulding, Goldman and DiMarino estimated that the 4.7M US commercial buildings then needed about 18% of the US primary energy produced, consuming 17 Quadrillion Btus (quads) per year. Green buildings can halve the energy use, reduce emissions and water usage by at least a third and cut solid waste generation up to 70%.

These numbers, astounding as they may seem, are not unknown to the building community. There are several reasons why we don’t see more examples of 100% green buildings, especially those certified as LEED. In the design-build framework for new construction, developers are reluctant to try new methods that may yield future benefits, especially if there is menace of project delays. The second issue is of adequate incentives. For example, in owner occupied buildings, energy bills may be only 1% of operating expenses and cost mitigation efforts are often focused on big ticket items like human capital optimization. In rented buildings, such utility costs are passed on to the tenants. In general, owners look at ROI of each component before making green related investments. Finally, the builder often perceives green buildings as expensive to make and recertify, while the inherent benefits to the sponsor are somewhat nebulous in financial terms.

Benefits of LEED

So why care for a LEED rated building? Advocates cite the following as key payback elements in green investment.

 Tax Credits and Incentives
Under DOE EPACT ’05 legislation, commercial buildings meeting ASHRAE standards 90.1-2001 can deduct up to $1.80 per square feet (DOE.gov). This provision has been extended through 2013 by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Just currently registered LEED buildings could achieve a $4B/year savings from this act. There are also Green Building tax credits in certain states, such as New York.
 Reduction in Operating Expenses
Depending on the energy efficiency of the buildings, tenants can save up to 50c per sq ft and reduce water usage by 40%. As green buildings draw lesser resources from the surrounding habitat, the local jurisdictions are likely to reward them with property tax rebates. Apart from energy savings, green buildings have equipments with longer life, required fewer maintenance calls.
 Increased Prestige and Customer Perception
A LEED building is a major marketability statement for the developer. This is a major reason why corporations are undertaking green construction.
 Environmental Stewardship & Responsibility
Industrial firms have Corporate Social Responsibility and the need to demonstrate leadership in innovation and sustainability. By helping the green economy to take off and creating healthier environments, companies gain respect and admiration of customers which directly impact their performance.
 Potential for stimulus grants and awards
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (recovery.gov) makes available revolving loan funds for construction of healthier schools and retrofits of existing buildings.
 Compliance with State Mandates
In some states (e.g. AZ, CA, NM, WA, NV) all publicly funded buildings must be certified LEED Silver. Some jurisdictions, such as Babylon in NY has gone a step further in requiring ALL buildings above 4000 square feet must be LEED compliant. Net-zero building legislations are also under way in states like MA, which will mandate local clean power generation and integration with smart grids.
 Fosters Innovation within the building community
LEED buildings not only providing a flourishing culture of general innovation but also become part of green economy innovation. New products are invented to support building infrastructure, bringing down costs and catalyzing the industry.

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Dear Readers:

In recent months, as the viewership of Facebook Of LEED Drivers site has dramatically increased, spammers are unfortunately inserting spurious and unrelated comments and linkbacks to promote services. Please note that all such irrelevant comments are regularly deleted. The forum is intended for serious and positive discussion and actions around the green building industry and LEED eco-system. If you really would like to promote your company in some way, feel free to write an useful piece and send it to support AT facebookold DOT com for consideration. We may allow up to one link back to your enterprise per writeup if the content is useful

The Editor
FBO

The following article was contributed by Dan Grifen of Everything Left. All views and ideas expressed are only that of the author.

The world is in a constant state of flux and the environment is no different. Lately, it seems as though flash flooding, earthquakes, and hurricanes are occurring all too often. The severity of them is seemingly unprecedented. Additionally, cities like Washington, D.C. - normally accustomed to mild winters - are experiencing record snow fall while those that expect heavy precipitation, like Syracuse, NY, are setting records for not having any of it. While this may or may not have anything to do with global warming, it certainly is a reminder that the environment is capable of a lot of unexpected changes and we should be doing what we can to balance our use of natural resources and minimize our carbon footprint. Otherwise, the odd, eyebrow-raising nature of weather patterns we’re currently experiencing may end up being catastrophic events down the road.

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Yet, what can be done that isn’t currently being done? Cutting down on carbon emissions and recycling have been at the forefronts of the go green movement. However, some initiatives that target a completely new, green infrastructure have gone unnoticed but are essential to competitiveness, long term sustainability, job growth, energy independence and national security.

According to the Department of Energy, heating and cooling account for 50 to 70% of the energy used in the average American home. A large proportion of energy is lost through cracks in walls and ceilings. In terms of energy conservation, individuals can make immediate improvements to their energy profile simply by adding insulation to their home. Arguably, the best insulation for any green home is Cellulose which, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, requires less energy to make and is made of 75% recycled material. This is great for air quality in the home and also for the environment. There’s also renewable Cotton, abundant Fiberglass, and even Soy based foam insulation, which has the highest percentage of renewable resource ingredients in the industry with 60%. By doing this, any homeowner can add value to their home while conserving energy and reducing their utility bill. Long term savings outweigh upfront costs. The implementation of Smart Meters can help them find other areas of their home where energy can be used more efficiently. In some locations, local governments are providing residents with them for free. This seems to be the best strategy for getting residents the tools necessary to cut energy costs. The theory suggests that consumers will make necessary changes to their energy consumption if they can actually see exactly where it is being used inefficiently.

Aside from individual efforts, there are a lot of groups and organizations that people can get involved with that tackle larger projects. The University-National Park Energy Partnership Program (UNPEPP) is a great example. UNPEPP is a public private partnership (PPP) that puts federal grant money in the hands of young, impressionable university students eager to change the United States landscape one national park at a time. Universities all across America use the federal grant money to create internship opportunities for students to travel to a national park in their area and work with energy and environmental professors, experts and park personnel to perform energy audits, recommend energy conservation measures and implement renewable energy technology (RET) that ultimately save the parks thousands in energy costs and significantly reduce their carbon footprint. The UNPEPP 10 year Report is posted on the website. This type of partnership is a rewarding experience for everyone involved and similar PPPs should be on the forefront of the green energy movement.

A third component of building the green energy infrastructure involves business owners. While individual efforts generally result in relatively smaller improvements and PPPs sometimes get delayed by energy policies hung up by the legislative process, private businesses march to the beat of their own drum. They are in a position to tackle large scale projects that can create a large impact without delay. A lot of businesses see the potential for going green. Many of them have come on board. There is actually a scoring system that was devised in 1998, called LEED Certification to help gauge just how far a company has gone to incorporate green initiatives into their designs. Specifically, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System provides a benchmark for the environmentally sustainable creation and use of buildings and neighborhoods. According to USGBC, 72% of electricity consumption and 39% of energy use come from buildings in the United States alone. LEED certified buildings use efficient resources to improve performance with energy conservation, CO2 emissions reduction, and water efficiency all while enchaining the ecosystems they are a part of - rather than diminishing them.

One major company, Globetrotters Engineering Corporation (GEC), an architectural company founded by engineer and CEO, Niranjan Shah, is an example of a company that adheres to LEED certification. GEC is responsible for the management of many facets of modernization and expansion of O’Hare International Airport in Chicago (the first privately managed terminal in the United States). Niranjan Shah proved that implementation of green design can be successful, helpful to society and profitable all at the same time. An example of another company that earned LEED Certification is the Washington D.C. based mortgage company, Fannie Mae, which was responsible for the first-ever LEED data center. There are countless other companies that are earning LEED certification. Government incentives given to companies that earn LEED certification is a way to boost the number of participants and achieve the environmental sustainability results that environmentally friendly federal energy policies target but can’t necessarily get passed through legislation.

On a much larger scale, organizations like the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), founded by Bill Clinton and counselor Doug Band, are doing their part to bring the strongest political leaders together to tackle world problems. However, small projects at home, public private partnerships and LEED certification are methods that combine to allow everyone a chance to get involved to curtail inefficient energy use. The necessity to highlight them cannot be understated. The planet is home to all of us and the best way to ensure sustainability is to live and work as environmentally friendly as possible.

The following article was contributed by Houston Neale of Software Advice. All content and views expressed are that of the author.

We are nearing a renaissance of electrical contracting. Software Advice, a website that reviews electrical software, thinks the electrician will soon transition into an "energy contractor" to meet demand of the growing green construction market. This growth is being fueled by increased adoption of green and renewable energy technologies among homeowners and corporations.

Who will be there to retrofit these buildings? Electrical contractors will play a major role in these upgrades. However, they'll need to "green" their skill set in order to take advantage of opportunities.

To start, electricians should get versed on electric- and energy-related LEED credits. LEED projects are growing just as fast as the rest of the green construction market, so this is one of the areas electricians will be able to "cash in." Additionally, they should even consider becoming a LEED AP. LEED projects get an extra point for having an AP on the job, which could be a selling-point when bidding on jobs.

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To read more, visit: The Coming Renaissance of Electrical Contracting