Big Green: Call for stricter LEED and ASHRAE-189 standards

Tue Oct 10 11:46:13 EDT 2006

Friends at BigGreen :

I will not debate here what the level of required energy savings should be
for LEED certification. I definitely agree we all should be striving for
higher savings and higher standards.  LEED is a voluntary standard dealing
with a wide range of environmental issues that is enjoying very wide
success. LEED has gained sufficient success in the market that and
environmental pressures are more than severe enough that it is time to
reassess the Energy & Atmosphere prerequisite for Minimum Energy
Performance. 

The USGBC and members will have to decide in its consensus process what the
appropriate minimum level is. Leadership from the USGBC president and board
is called for.

As an architect designing green buildings I currently have difficulty
getting most clients to accept the responsibility to have us design for much
over 30 -30% energy savings above ASHRAE 90.1 even though I do ask them to
consider global warming and pollution issues and discuss the need for 50%
and greater reductions. As green building professionals, practitioners and
advocates we should strive to get our clients to agree to high energy
savings. As an architect I feel that is my professional responsibility. As a
human being I feel it is my moral responsibility. 

But I admit I do not know what the right level is. 

It is time to reassess the Energy & Atmosphere prerequisite. LEED has done
an excellent job of getting many to take the incremental steps.  It is
transforming the way we do business and the publics thinking.  But there is
a long, long way to go. We realize now more than ever that speed is of
course of the essence. (It was no less of essence over 5 years ago when LEED
began but many more realize the urgency now than they did then).

P.S.  GREATER CLARITY IS NEEDED FROM ARCHITECTURE 2030 on THE BENCHMARK the
50% savings is related to. Is that 50% energy savings from an average
building in 2003?  Is this the average of buildings standing in 2003 or the
average building built in 2003, or something else? LEED is clear about its
benchmark. A building saving 30 or 35% above the LEED benchmark, ASHRAE
Standard 90.1, may already be saving 50% or more than the average building
standing in 2003 or even built in 2003.

P.S.S.  We should also SUPPORT and ENCOURAGE HIGHER MINIMUM ENERGY CODES.
This could have as big an effect as higher LEED standards. LEED currently
accounts for about 5% of new construction. This is a staggering achievement
given LEED's short duration. The percentage continues to grow - but it will
be a long time before LEED buildings account for even half of all NEW and
RENNOVATED construction. What about the other 95% percent of new and
buildings that will have major renovations now? In most locations that I
practice in the local energy code requirements are lower than the
LEED/ASHRAE Standard 90.1 prerequisite. Energy codes should be at least that
high and probably higher.

Cheers,
Ralph

Ralph Bicknese, AIA, LEED AP
Principal
hellmuth + bicknese architects
4112 west pine blvd.
st. louis, mo 63108
t:  314.531.9901
f:  314.531.9902
c: 314.265.0517
rbicknese at hellmuth-bicknese.com
www.hellmuth-bicknese.com

h+b is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council 

-----Original Message-----
From: biggreen-bounces at lists.biggreen.org
[mailto:biggreen-bounces at lists.biggreen.org] On Behalf Of
mivanovich at penton.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 4:30 AM
To: biggreen at biggreen.org; biggreen-bounces at lists.biggreen.org
Subject: Big Green: Call for stricter LEED and ASHRAE-189 standards

FYI,, from Ed Mazria's Architecture 2030 eNewsletter:

The following email was sent on October 1, 2006 to the President and Board
of the US Green Building Council:

URGENT CALL FOR HIGHER STANDARDS

Rick Fedrizzi
President, CEO & Founding Chairman
U.S. Green Building Council
1015 18th Street, NW, Suite 508
Washington, DC 20036

Dear Rick,

Rapidly accelerating climate change, which is now fueling dangerous
regional and global events, requires immediate and effective action if we
are to avert a global catastrophe.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration illustrates that
buildings are responsible for almost half of all greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions annually; globally the percentage is even greater. Currently the
most widely-recognized certifier of green buildings -- LEED certification
by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) -- requires relatively little in
building fossil-fuel energy consumption reductions to attain certification.
While the USGBC is moving to correct this, it will be too little, too late.

Because the USGBC has taken a leadership role in advancing green building
design, it is imperative that LEED-certified buildings be models of energy
efficiency. It has been 10 months since the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) called on its 78,000 members to implement an immediate 50%
reduction in fossil fuel energy consumption for all new and renovated
buildings. It has been 4 months since the U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted
Resolution #50 and The 2030 Challenge calling for an immediate 50%
reduction in fossil fuel energy consumption for all buildings in all
cities. The EPA (Target Finder) has already defined the 50% energy
reduction benchmark for commercial buildings. Clearly, it is time for the
USGBC to immediately establish a 50% fossil-fuel building energy
consumption minimum for LEED certification.

Therefore, we ask the USGBC to implement the following without delay:

that the fossil-fuel building energy consumption reduction standard
required for all new LEED-certified buildings and major renovations be
increased to:

Certification: 50%*
Silver: 65%*
Gold: 80%*

Platinum: Carbon Neutral (no fossil fuel greenhouse gas emitting energy
consumption to operate.

*percentage below the average for each building type as established by the
AIA and EPA's Target Finder

In addition, we ask that ASHRAE Standard 189-P, now under development by
the USGBC and ASHRAE, establish a baseline of half (50%)* the fossil-fuel
energy consumption of the average for each building type (as defined by the
AIA and EPA's Target Finder). We also ask that ASHRAE 189-P be fast-tracked
and issued within 4 to 6 months. It is essential that this standard be
completed and adopted as soon as possible. We simply do not have the luxury
of time on our side.

*We understand a 30% energy consumption reduction is currently being
discussed.

Credible scientists give us at best 10 years to be well on our way toward
global greenhouse gas emissions reductions in order to avert catastrophic
climate change (see: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14834318/). There are hundreds
of coal-fired power plants in the U.S. currently on the drawing boards.
Seventy-six percent (76%) of the energy produced by these plants will go to
operate buildings. Mayors are forming coalitions to stop the building of
these coal plants (see:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2380650). Resolution #50 is
their hope for eliminating the need for these plants - we must give them
the tools necessary to implement this Resolution.

Although we will certainly be affected, the global warming crisis is not
really about us, it is about our children and grandchildren, and the planet
we leave them. We call on you to lead, you who have both the opportunity
and responsibility to make a real difference.

Sincerely,

Architecture 2030

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