Photovoltaic panels on high performance buildings can significantly cut energy costs and carbon emissions. But distributed, intermittent renewable energy sources are a challenge to integrate with the aging U.S. electrical grid. The vital goal of a…
Category: Sustainability
Total Workplace Initiative Cuts Costs & Energy Use
Federal offices remain closed or short-staffed for the shutdown, but eventually copiers will hum and coffee will perk again. While imagining that future, it’s also possible to wonder how the federal workplace will look in the…
GovSpeak: EISA
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) (we pronounce it “Eee-sa”) is sometimes called the light bulb bill for phasing out most incandescents. It has been called “the most sweeping energy efficiency legislation in…
DOE Updates Energy Efficiency Requirements
In his recent address on climate change at Georgetown University, President Obama announced a new series of federal requirements for energy efficiency. Among them are rules published by the Department of Energy (DOE) requiring new federal buildings…
USGBC Announces Approval of LEED v4
This time last year, we were reporting on the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) surprising delay of membership voting on an updated version of the dominant green building certification system, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental…
White House Scorecards Benchmark Progress Toward Green Building
Among federal agencies, the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) score at the top of the class for green building. That’s according to the annual Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Sustainability…
Living Building Challenge is an Even Greener Alternative to LEED
LEED has been the sustainability standard for federal construction and renovation since 2003, but as discussed in an earlier post, the GSA is currently reviewing competing green building certification systems as required by law. Many assume…
Green Globes Offers Alternative to LEED for Government Buildings
Since 2003, the General Services Administration (GSA) has required basic LEED certification for all federal buildings, and it upped the ante in 2010 by requiring LEED-Gold. But every five years, thanks to the Energy Independence and…
Modernized Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building Re-Opens
On May 30, Portland, Oregon, celebrated the completion of a $139 million renovation of the 18-story Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building (EGWW). First opened in 1975, the boxy, concrete-and-steel high rise, aging home to the IRS,…
“Better Buildings” Bill Introduced to Promote Energy Efficiency for Owners and Tenants
Reps. David McKinley (R-WV) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced bipartisan legislation on May 23 that would facilitate landlord and tenant cooperation toward improved energy efficiency in commercial buildings. H.R. 2126, known as the Better Buildings Act…