What would you do to increase efficiency in buildings?
Last week, I mentioned Seattle’s new green building task force. Their job is to figure out how to make Seattle’s buildings (both old and new) 20 percent more efficient by 2020. Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to tell me (and possibly them) what you want to see.
The team is discussed in an article today in the DJC. The story discusses multiple viewpoints: Ash Awad of McKinstry thinks Seattle is behind 
New York City and Chicago in some ways in energy efficient programs and incentives, and the task force can help shore up that deficiency. Douglas Howe of Touchstone is concerned about maintaining Seattle’s commercial viability.
But there are 50 people on the task force. Doesn’t that mean there are (honestly) going to be 50 different opinions? Especially when the force is looking at everything from density bonuses and expedited permits to green investment funds and “carbon feebates.”
So how about you, 51st task force member? Does one of these ideas strike you as being better? What would it take to get you to update or upgrade a building or system, and would any of these ideas do it?
For those of who who have already taken the efficiency plunge, don’t look so smug. Mark Frankel, technical director of the New Buildings Institute and task force member, said there isn’t a building in Seattle that couldn’t improve its energy efficiency, even by commisioning alone. Hemmmmm.
In other news, MarketWatch has a story on how the Electrical Contractor Magazine’s 2008 Profile of the Electrical Contractor says almost half of electrical contractors used green or sustainable feature. For more go here.
The New York Time’s Dot Earth covers what Google’s energy czar thinks we should do about energy in America.
EcoMetro Seattle has a post on green fabrics appearing on Project Runway (for any fashion geeks out there).
JetsonGreen has two Puget Sound area stories, including an announcement of a green open house in Mt. Baker tomorrow.
Tags: Chicago, contractors, Energy efficiency, green building, LEED, McKinstry, New York City, Seattle, Touchstone
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July 30th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
[...] Last week, I mentioned Seattle=92s new green building task force. Th= eir job is to figure out how to make Seattle=92s buildings (both old and ne= w) 20 percent more efficient by 2020. Your job, should you choose to accept= it, …Posted from By Katie [...]
July 31st, 2008 at 9:43 am
Honestly, a 20% reduction within 12 years seems a little bit on the low site. I work for a company who put me in charge of reducing our energy consumption by 50% with one year, without reducing lighting levels. It wasn’t that difficult, offers a ~10 year financial payback and we’re now aiming to reduce our consumption by *another* 50% over the next year. That’s a 75% reduction, within 2 years, for a standard 8,000 sq/ft office building in the Seattle area.
http://www.djc.com/news/en/11202007.html