Practice Management

By Zack Moore

Green—or sustainable—buildings are drawing more attention today, as there is a growing interest in energy efficiency.  Architectural design should contribute to the energy savings and sustainability of all future projects.  This provides unique challenges whether the building is completely new, or if the architect is called in to renovate an existing, older building.  Taking a look at different analytics and certifications, architects can begin to design with the future energy usage of buildings in mind.

Energy Benchmarking

Energy benchmarking should be a focus for architects wanting to create greener buildings and secure additional certifications.  Energy benchmarking is the process of tracking a building’s annual energy use, and using a standard metric to compare the building’s current performance against its past performance and the performance of its peers nationwide.  Architects designing new buildings can use these analytics to incorporate proven energy saving designs over the long-term.

There are currently over sixteen locations in the United States–ranging from states to counties–that require energy benchmarking and the number of jurisdictions adding regulations continues to grow.  Failure to comply with these requirements can lead to penalties and fines. Additionally, this benchmarking will be the key to making sure that the building becomes and stays certified in the future.

Once the data required for energy benchmarking is gathered, it must be entered into a federal database.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses this data to calculate the building’s ENERGY STAR score.  This score, given as a number from 1 – 100, provides an immediate understanding of how well a building is performing.  To be eligible to achieve ENERGY STAR certification a building must score at least a 75.

Architects re-designing a building will want to look at the past performance of the building.  This knowledge will aid the architect in providing the most efficient and effective methods for creating a greener, more sustainable building.  By looking at ways to decrease energy leaks and inefficiencies, architects can make an incredible difference in how a building performs.

For example, Capitol Hill Tower Housing Co-op earned the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Certification for 2016 by making renovations that were guided by sustainability practices and the consistent use of energy management software, like SOL VISTA’s Skywalk platform. The EPA awards this certification when buildings “consume 35% less energy and contribute 35% fewer greenhouse gas emissions” than similar buildings across the nation. 

Designing for Energy Savings

For architects designing new buildings or major renovations, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System (LEED) developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is the leading green building certification system.  The USGBC knows that sustainability requires the incorporation of several factors and uses LEED to rate buildings on how well they manage in multiple areas.  The six major areas are:

1. Sustainable Sites
2. Water Efficiency
3. Energy and Atmosphere
4. Materials and Resources
5. Indoor Environmental Quality
6. Innovation in Design Process

However, LEED alone does not guarantee you will drive ongoing utility savings at your clients’ buildings. Engaging energy engineers early in the process and relying on energy monitoring platforms, such as Skywalk, will help your design and make sure your building is performing as expected once in operation.

Here are some other quick tips to maximize the ROI on your efficiency efforts for your clients:

• Incentives and grants – When building or renovating, there are substantial incentives and grants available in different locations to help offset, or sometimes pay, the cost of the improvements. Architects can use the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE database) to explore available incentives. We also help our clients navigate these incentive programs to make sure there isn’t money left behind.
• Building materials – the earlier sustainable energy features are included in the design process, the lower the overall cost. When possible, choosing to include material such as photovoltaics, as at the Genzyme Corporation’s office building in Cambridge, helps green buildings generate their own energy and see 28% more energy efficiency than conventional buildings.
• Include in the plan wireless, networked thermostats to help reduce energy consumption. This modification helped the Hotel Mondrian-Los Angeles reduce electricity usage by 17%, while still maintaining the desired ambience and environment of the established hotel.
• Water conservation, especially in drought prone areas of the country, is crucial. Installing new lavatory and irrigation technologies can reduce costs by $0.51 per square foot over 20 years. After identifying water usage issues, SOL VISTA helped implement a comprehensive overhaul of operational equipment, leading Hotel Monaco DC to reduce water usage by 48% and utility costs by 43%.
• Tap into the Experts - The decision to utilize energy consultants during a project can have long-lasting impacts to ensure that building stakeholders continue to see the benefits long after the design is complete. SOL VISTA’s work with The Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, CA ultimately saved $39,000 per year after Skywalk discovered that the HVAC system was not properly commissioned by a contractor.

Whether designing new buildings or redesigning existing buildings, architects can contribute to future energy savings and certifications for a client.  A study estimated a “savings of $1.16 per square foot annually, for a 20-year present value of $14.77 per square foot based on a 5% discount rate.”  This return of investment is well worth taking the time to understand a building’s energy needs and consumption plans to decrease energy usage across the board.  Architects can use benchmarking analytics and energy consultants to inform their design to ensure greener buildings over the long-term.

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Zack Moore, SVP Customer Solutions & Co-founder: He oversees SOL VISTA's technical and engineering efforts, and has been the primary visionary driving the company's increasingly innovative methods for steadily improving customer return on investment from SOL VISTA's optimization efforts. He also heads SOL VISTA's ongoing business development and customer management activities.

(Return to the cover of the 2017 PM Digest: Greening your practice)