Top 10 Most Energy Efficient States in the Nation

By Vicki Zambito

How energy efficient is your state? A new report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranks all 50 states in terms of how energy-efficient friendly their policies are. States were ranked on an array of metrics that capture best practices and recognize leadership in energy efficiency policy and program implementation. Measured metrics included how much the state is doing to increase efficient transportation and what standards it enforces on appliances. The Scorecard benchmarks progress and provides a roadmap for states to advance energy efficiency in the residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors. Below is a list of the top 10 and the bottom 10.

Top 10:
Massachusetts
California
New York
Oregon
Washington
Rhode Island
Vermont
Connecticut
Minnesota
Maryland

Bottom 10:
North Dakota
Wyoming
Mississippi
Kansas
Oklahoma
South Carolina
West Virginia
Missouri
Alabama
South Dakota

For more information or to download the report, visit: http://aceee.org/research-report/e115.
Read a Fast Company article on the topic at http://www.fastcompany.com/1789668/some-states-are-more-efficient-than-others?partner=rss&utm_source=pulsenews&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company+Headlines%29

Top 10 Green Building Products for 2012: A Look Ahead

By Vicki Zambito

The world’s largest conference dedicated to green building just ended – Greenbuild took place October 4th through the 7th in Toronto, Canada. Greenbuild 2011 featured more than 140,000 gross square meters of expo hall floor with 1,700 booths presenting a variety of innovative green building products and services.

Every year at this premier sustainable design event, BuildingGreen.com presents their top 10 green building products as selected by their editorial team. BuildingGreen.com is an independent publishing company committed to bringing accurate, unbiased, and timely green design information. Their top picks for 2012 are below.

1. InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles with PFC-free carpet fibers

2. Lifeline PVC-free resilient flooring

3. CI-Girt Rainscreen System

4. EonCoat waterborne ceramic coating

5. Aqua2use Graywater System

6. Cypress Envirosystems' analog-to-digital wireless thermostat

7. Ritter XL solar thermal system

8. Mitsubishi ductless heat pumps and variable-refrigerant-flow systems

9. AllSun Trackers

10. Philips EnduraLEDs

Visit BuildingGreen.com’s website, http://www.buildinggreen.com/live/index.cfm/2011/10/6/BuildingGreens-Top10-Products-for-2012-Our-Picks-for-a-Resilient-Future#more, for more information on these products.

More Changes for LEED APs: GBCI Relaxes Reporting Rule

By Vicki Zambito

Aristotle once said “Change in all things is sweet.” LEED APs better hope so.

Since the USGBC began the LEED rating system back in 1994, it’s been continually evolving and its changing nature extends to the credential maintenance program (CMP) required for LEED APs to maintain their accreditation. What is the latest change? Just this month the GBCI announced that LEED professionals are no longer required to enter a sub-category when reporting their CE hours. The GBCI says this recent rule adjustment is part of their continuous improvement of the CMP. They add that LEED APs may still choose to enter their sub-category if they wish.

For more info: http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/announcements/11-09-23/CMP_Improvement_Subcategory_now_optional.aspx

Teaching an Old Building New Tricks

By Jeff Nippes

Unlike our canine friends, you can teach an old building new tricks. The iconic Empire State Building recently achieved LEED Gold Certification, and now the once dated and inefficient super structure is a lean, mean energy- and natural resource-conserving machine.

The Empire State Building—celebrating its 80th anniversary this year—has undergone a remarkable renovation that will reduce the building’s energy consumption by over 38% and save around $4.4 million in spending every year, meaning it will take only about three years to pay back the cost of the implementation.

The improvements will also enable the Empire State Building to offset around 105,000 metric tons of carbon emissions over a 15-year period. Additionally, many new LEED features include low-flow toilets, carpets made with recycled materials, low-VOC paints and adhesives, green wall coverings, and green pest control and cleaning products. During the renovation process construction debris and tenant waste were recycled to gain building reuse credits, and a new tenant energy management system was introduced.

All of these improvements illustrate that no matter old, big or tall a structure is, there are still plenty of ways to obtain LEED Certification and turn any building into Gold!

Making the Grade: 7 Cities Requiring Green Building Report Cards

By Vicki Zambito

Not all green buildings are created equal. Some are inevitably more energy efficient than others. So how do you know which is which? There’s a growing trend across the country to make data reporting on energy efficiency in buildings the law. Below are 7 cities leading the charge:

1. New York City's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan requires annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and public disclosure for large commercial and multifamily buildings. Ratings must be reported to the city in the spring of 2011 and disclosure begins in 2012. All municipal buildings were benchmarked in 2010.

2. The District of Columbia requires annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and public web site disclosure for large commercial and multifamily buildings. New buildings must obtain and disclose ENERGY STAR ratings based on energy modeling. The policies phase-in over a period of four years. Ratings must be reported to the District for some buildings beginning in the spring of 2011 and disclosure begins in 2012. ENERGY STAR ratings for municipal buildings were disclosed in 2010.

3. Austin requires commercial buildings to obtain ENERGY STAR ratings by mid-2011 and disclose ratings to prospective buyers. It also requires audits of single-family homes prior to a sale and audits of large multifamily buildings by mid-2011. Home audit results must be disclosed to prospective buyers, and multifamily audit results must be posted within the building and may trigger mandatory upgrades. All three policies are part of Austin's Energy Conservation and Audit Disclosure Ordinance (ECAD).

4. Santa Fe requires newly constructed single-family homes to display HERS ratings to prospective home buyers.

5. San Francisco requires annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and public disclosure, as well as periodic energy audits, for commercial buildings. The requirements supplement a statewide rating and disclosure law passed in 2007.

6. Portland has informally proposed policy to ENERGY STAR benchmark its commercial buildings and disclose ratings.

7. Seattle requires commercial and multifamily buildings to annually ENERGY STAR benchmark and report ratings to the city. The law phases-in over two years beginning in 2011. The requirements supplement a statewide rating and disclosure law passed in 2009. Seattle is also piloting a home rating program.

To learn more about energy reporting and disclosure across the country and the world, check out this interactive map from BuildingRating.org: http://www.buildingrating.org/ammap

5 Reasons to Attend GreenBuild 2011

By Vicki Zambito

The world’s largest conference dedicated to green building is just weeks away – GreenBuild takes place October 4th through the 7th. There are many reasons to pack your sustainable bags and hit the road for this worthwhile show, but here are my top five.

1. It’s being held in Toronto. What better excuse to play tourist in Canada’s biggest city and the fifth largest city in North America? If you go, check out the Toronto Zoo which is home to over 5,000 animals representing 460 distinct species.
   


2. 25,000 people are expected to fill the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. These days, not many AEC industry conferences can boast numbers that big. Don’t be left out – your peers and competitors will most likely be there.
   


3. Happy Anniversary GreenBuild. It’s the USGBC’s 10th year holding this international event and it features the world’s largest expo hall devoted to green building. More than 1,000 exhibitors will showcase the latest in innovative products and services, exemplifying the idea of utilizing green to grow business to attendees from around the world.
   


4. Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman is giving the first keynote. Friedman is an American journalist, columnist and author. In his 2008 bestselling book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America, Friedman explores the parallels between the climate crisis and the global economic crisis, proposing a national strategy, coined "Geo-Greenism," to make America healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive, and more secure.
   


5. Maroon 5 is going to rock the house as they are set to headline the opening celebration. The Grammy award-winning band’s front man Adam Levine says, “The environment is a cause that entire band deeply cares about.” Maroon 5 went carbon neutral for its 2007 tour and has been honored at the Environmental Media awards.

How Do U.S. Home Sizes Compare to Other Countries? Infographic Breaks it Down.

By Vicki Zambito

A survey conducted by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment looked at average home sizes around the world. It found the smallest homes were in the UK and the largest homes were in the USA. In fact the study found that American homes, at an average square footage of 2,300, were 181% larger than homes in the United Kingdom which came in at 818 square feet. Does that mean our brethren across the pond are automatically greener than us?