Sustainable Development Focus
Facility Executive - Jun 23
Interest and investment in energy efficiency are at an all-time high, according to the 2016 Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator survey of more than 1,200 facility and energy management executives in the U.S., Brazil, China, Germany, and India. Fifty percent of respondents said their organizations are paying more attention to energy efficiency today than they did a year ago, with 72 percent anticipating increased investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy over the next 12 months. By comparison, 37 percent of global respondents in 2013 reported paying more attention to energy efficiency, and 42 percent planned to increase investments. Although cost reduction remains the primary driver, organizations are also increasingly considering energy security, customer and employee attraction, greenhouse gas reduction, enhanced reputation, government policy, and investor expectations when making investment decisions.
CleanTechnica - Jun 23 More and more, people are looking for new construction homes to have energy-saving features, and California is leading the way, by requiring all new homes to be built to net zero energy standards by 2020. In an effort to help homebuilders continue to develop net zero homes, SunPower has launched SunPower Up, a new program that will combine customer segmented sales and marketing strategies for builders that it hopes will help homebuilders meet the growing need and desire for net zero new construction homes. The race for net zero new construction homes is only going to continue, with 47 states and municipalities throughout the U.S. adopting the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code.
Institute for Market Transformation - Jun 27 The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Better Buildings Alliance announced the 2016 Green Lease Leaders at the BOMA International Conference & Expo in Washington, D.C., honoring property owners, tenants, and brokers who modernize lease language to account for energy efficiency and encourage tenant-landlord collaboration around sustainability goals for commercial buildings. Kilroy Realty Corporation won two Team Transaction awards, which are given to groups of stakeholders who collaborate on one transaction to incorporate sustainability elements into the operations of a leased space, the first with Allen Matkins, LA Realty Partners, and YuMe, and the second with Allen Matkins, CBRE, and Dropbox. Kilroy Realty Corporation’s Vice President of Sustainability Sara Neff spoke on a panel at the conference discussing the risks and rewards of green lease clauses. IMT estimates that green leases can help reduce utility bills by up to $0.51 per square foot (11-22 percent) in office buildings, and if all leased office buildings executed green leases, the U.S. office market could save over $3 billion per year.
PennEnergy - Jun 22 California State University (CSU), the nation's largest public four-year university system, and Advanced Microgrid Solutions announced the installation of a portfolio of Hybrid Electric Buildings at CSU campuses that will reduce energy costs and provide critical support to the electric grid in the Aliso Canyon area. The systems will be implemented in multiple phases and include an energy storage project. The first phase of the project will reduce CSU's electric utility costs by more than $3.3 million and will store enough energy to power 2,000 homes.
Multi-Housing News - Jun 22 By month’s end, ROEM is expected to complete its development of 200 new affordable rental homes at the $46 million Charlotte Park Apartments in San Jose. The units are 100 percent leased. Charlotte Park, part of a 295-acre master-planned community to feature condominiums, apartments, and attached townhomes, will pursue USGBC LEED Gold certification. Both solar thermal heating and solar photovoltaic power sources are being installed, giving Charlotte Park the potential to save up to 85 percent on utility bills when compared to electric water heating.
Inhabitat - Jun 24 The sustainable Playa Vista Recreational Center is set amid a network of green spaces in Los Angeles. Designed by Rios Clementi Hale Studios, the LEED Platinum-certified recreational facility includes planted walls, expansive glass surfaces, and internal courtyards that enable natural ventilation, among other environmentally friendly and energy-efficient features that earned the building two awards from land use and business advocacy organizations, the Westside Urban Forum and Los Angeles Business Council. The site is populated with palm trees, while the 7,800-square-foot planted roof featuring drought-tolerant plant species helps maintain stable indoor temperatures.
