Fw: GreenClips.125 07.28.99

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>Welcome to GreenClips, a summary of news on sustainable building design and

related government and business issues published every two weeks by Chris

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>GreenClips.125 07.28.99

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>

>NYC BLACKOUTS RALLY ENERGY CONSERVATIONISTS

>After the early July blackouts in New York City, environmentalists have

>seized on what they hope will be a powerful argument for energy

conservation.

>Reducing demand for electrical power, they say, would reduce stress on an

>aging electrical distribution system and diminish the risk of future power

>failure. Beginning a decade ago, state utility regulators encouraged energy

>conservation by requiring power companies to subsidize customers' purchases

>of energy-efficient appliances and lighting systems, but in the last six

>years this program has been reduced by 75 percent. Record low fuel prices

and

>electricity industry restructuring helped to weaken state regulators'

>promotion of energy efficiency. As the industry moves toward a competitive

>market, regulators believe that the marketplace will encourage efficiency.

>But many conservationists say that competitive pressure to keep rates low

>will make it difficult to increase spending on conservation. " The reason we

>need to do it is that markets don't do it, " Ashok Gupta, an economist at

the

>Natural Resources Defense Council, says of conservation spending.

" Developers

>who build the buildings don't care what the energy bill will be. " - The

New

>York Times, 11 Jul 99, p 17, by Alan Finder.

>

>SIMULATIONS PLUG ENERGY LEAKS

>Sophisticated heat-flow modeling programs allow architects to study energy

>loss caused by critical building elements, such as curtain walls, long

before

>construction begins. These simulation programs, including Heating-7

developed

>by Oak Ridge National Research Laboratory and heat-transfer analysis

programs

>developed by Algor, create 3-D models of how heat transfers through a

>building's materials. Three-dimensional heat-flow modeling can lead to a

more

>sustainable building with a right-sized heating system. The analysis of an

>office tower in New York City, for example, revealed the potential for

>intense heat flows through the aluminum mullions and around the insulation

>and glass. To alleviate the problem, the architect developed

silicone-glazed

>details to reduce the area of aluminum exposed to outside air. Analysis

also

>revealed that it was better not to provide interior insulation in the steel

>stud furring. Insulation decreases the temperature of the bottom surfaces

of

>the horizontal aluminum members, making moisture condensation more

probable.

>Finally, computations determined that the curtain wall had a much lower

>R-value than estimated by the manufacturer, which helped the designers to

>properly size the heating system. Using simulation technology to plug

energy

>leaks in a virtual building can be more cost-effective than remedying

>problems after a building has been constructed. - Architecture, Jul 99, p

>118, by Tuluca and J. Crosbie.

>[Full text: <http://www.architecturemag.com/july99/tp/comp/comp.asp>]

>[More on Algor: <http://www.algor.com>]

>[More on Heating-7: <http://www-rsicc.ornl.gov/software.html>]

>

>SOFTWARE PREDICTS SOIL LOSS BY WIND AND WATER

>A number of computer programs are available to help landscape architects

>evaluate and mitigate potential soil erosion. Soil loss is a major problem,

>leading to clogged rivers, polluted water supplies, increased flooding, and

>the destruction of fish and wildlife habitat. The ability to accurately

>predict soil erosion by both wind and water is essential for conservation

>planning, natural resource inventories, and reducing air pollution from

>wind-blown sources. RUSLE2, based on the US Department of Agriculture's

>Universal Soil Loss Equation procedures, predicts long-term average annual

>erosion by water for a broad range of farming, conservation, mining,

>construction, and forestry uses. Soil erosion, however, is not strictly a

>problem of surface runoff from precipitation. Wind erosion is a common

>problem, causing soil loss, deterioration of soil structure, nutrient

losses,

>air pollution, and sediment transport and deposition. A number of software

>programs deal with wind erosion, including the Wind Erosion Prediction

System

>(WEPS), a popular model for determining average soil loss and deposition

>values for specific areas and periods of time. The Modular Soil Erosion

>System (MOSES), from the National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, links

>RUSLE, WEPS, and other models that predict both water and wind erosion, and

>adds a graphic interface to integrate their elements. A full list of

>resources (including contact information for software manufacturers) is

>available at <http://www.asla.org>, in the " Publications " section under

>Landscape Architecture Magazine: Supplemental Resources. - Landscape

>Architecture, Jul 99, p 40, by L. Sipes.

>

>INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENT INTO BUSINESS THINKING

>The debate on business and the environment has often been framed in

>simplistic yes-or-no terms: " Does it pay to be green? " Business managers

need

>to move beyond this all-or-nothing thinking and ask instead " Under what

>circumstances do particular kinds of environmental investments deliver

>benefits to shareholders? " Five approaches may help managers think

>systematically and realistically about applying traditional business

>principles to environmental problems. Some companies can distance

themselves

>from their competitors by creating products that offer environmental

benefits

>and commanding higher prices for them. Others may be able to " manage "

>competitors by imposing a set of private regulations or by helping to shape

>government regulations. Still others may be able to cut costs and help the

>environment simultaneously. Almost all of them can improve their management

>of environmental risks and thus reduce the costs of accidents, lawsuits,

and

>boycotts. And some companies may be able to make systemic environmental

>changes that redefine competition in their markets. All five approaches can

>help managers bring the environment back into the fold of business problems

>and determine when it really pays to be green. - Harvard Business Review,

>Jul-Aug 99, p 149, by Forest L. Reinhardt.

>[Order article:

<http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/prod_detail.asp?99408.html>]

>

>TWO MORTGAGE INITIATIVES PROMOTE EFFICIENCY

>Energy Rated Homes of Vermont helps Vermont homeowners bundle financing for

>cost-effective, energy-efficient home improvements into a home mortgage

loan.

>ERH-VT's services include conducting pre- and post-improvement energy

>ratings, obtaining contractor bids, overseeing the contractor's work, and

>preparing documents needed to secure the mortgage. Although its services

were

>originally offered for free under a US Department of Energy grant, ERH-VT

now

>charges its customers an $800 fee, which at first glance may seem steep.

>However, says ERH-VT's Faesy, the service can almost always

identify

>home improvements that will yield large enough energy savings to offset

both

>the cost of the improvements and the fee. Meanwhile, Fannie Mae and the

>National Association of Home Builders have launched a partnership to test

and

>develop a menu of mortgage financing products based on

>environmentally-efficient criteria. In six pilot cities - Atlanta,

Columbus,

>Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles, and Seattle - Fannie Mae will provide

>$100million for investment in initiatives that test new housing finance

>products, support local green builder efforts, and emphasize the efficient

>use of resources in the design, construction and operation of homes. -

Home

>Energy, Jul/Aug 99, p 12, by (ERH-VT article); Professional

>Builder, Jul 99, p 34, by Bady (Fannie Mae article).

>[More on ERH-VT: <http://www.erhvt.org/>]

>[More on Fannie Mae/NAHB: <http://www.nahb.com/news/green_initiative.htm>]

>

>CA DEVELOPERS LAY RECYCLED WATER PIPES

>Developers [ Development Company and Catellus Residential Group] are

>laying pipes that will irrigate front and back yards of an El Dorado

County,

>California community with recycled water. Located in the dry hills east of

>Sacramento, the Serrano development of 4,500 homes ultimately, will be the

>state's second and largest residential development to use recycled water.

The

>first 67 lots to include connections to recycled water went on sale this

>month. Wastewater from toilets, faucets, and other ordinary household

sources

>will be piped to a treatment plant, then pumped back to homes in pipes that

>are distinct from those that carry potable water. The pipes carrying

recycled

>water will be linked to front and back yard sprinkler systems. To prevent

>people from inadvertently drinking the recycled water, there will be no way

>to attach a hose to the system. Serrano's use of recycled water means that

>the El Dorado Irrigation District will draw less water from the American

>River. And with the tighter wastewater quality standards expected in coming

>years from state and federal regulators, " it may be more cost-effective to

>recycle water and use it locally, " says Cecilia Jensen, water recycling

>program manager for the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District,

" than

>to construct a billion-dollar treatment plant only to treat water and throw

>it away. " - The Sacramento Bee, 19 Jul 99, by Vogel.

>

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>EPA'S ENVIRONMENTALLY-PREFERABLE PURCHASING PROGRAM

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>INTERFACE, INC.

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>US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY http://www.eren.doe.gov/buildings

>The Department of Energy and several of its Building America program

partners

>have dedicated a new energy efficient community in Arizona where utility

>bills for heating and cooling are guaranteed to cost less than $30 per

month.

>Building America, a program of DOE's Office of Building Technology, State

and

>Community Programs (BTS), is a cost-shared program with the building

industry

>and financial institutions demonstrating that home energy use, construction

>time, and construction waste can be dramatically reduced. The Retreat at

the

>Bluffs is being built by Pulte Homes of Tucson, the first builder in the

>Building America program to reduce energy use for heating, cooling and hot

>water by 50% over the requirements of the 1995 Model Energy Code with no

>additional construction costs. More information on BTS' programs is

available

>on DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network website

><http://www.eren.doe.gov/buildings> or by calling 800 DOE 3732.

>

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>

>ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

>Architectural researcher and environmental consultant Hammer of

Sustainable Design Resources publishes GreenClips in San Francisco. Ms.

Hammer helps planners, developers, building owners, designers, builders, and

facility managers practice sustainable planning, development, building

design, construction, and operation. GreenClips is written by Hammer

and .

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