IES Blog

(image via totalAldo photostream under Creative Commons)

By now, there should be little debate over whether going green can save you plenty of money in the short term, especially in the commercial real estate market.  Whether going green is truly the wisest long-term financial decision has been the subject of debate for some time.  Well, it shouldn’t be any more.  Witness this article from Rob Watson at Greener Buildings:

“The latest is from the Earth Advantage Institute in Portland, Oregon, which shows that third-party certified homes … command a whopping 18 percent price premium over non-certified homes … More interesting is that existing homes with green certification commanded an even higher premium of 23 percent compared with other existing homes sold, which indicates that the value of green grows over time. This value trend reflects the RealGreen Index data from the San Francisco Bay area, which shows that LEED Certified office and retail buildings have literally half the vacancy rate of non-certified projects.”

That’s backed up by the US Green Building Council:

“Executives reported that Green buildings have better financial performance than non-Green buildings in the following areas:

• Higher building values (72%)
• Higher asking rents (65%)
• Greater return on investment (52%)
• Higher occupancy rates (49%)”

There’s little question that going green can save you money on utility bills, for example.  But there have been questions as to whether green structures, particularly commercial buildings, make more money over the long term.  This should settle that debate.

The true value of any piece of real estate is its resale value.  The premium that green-certified buildings now demand should be enough of an impetus to get everyone on board, especially considering how brutal the real estate market has been over the past couple of years.  If commercial developers and property owners want to get back to the good old days of making serious money, they can do so in a hurry by arming themselves with this information.  So if you want to re-coup some lost green, you should go green.

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Tags:Building, Green Building, LEED, real estate, saving money

SimBuild 2010 in New York is right around the corner now - August 11-13 - and it’s not a moment too soon.  SimBuild is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, building modeling and simulation conferences in the world.  It only happens once every two years, so we anxiously look forward to everything that goes on there when it comes around.  We also have plenty in store for this event, too.

IES is sponsoring the show, and that gives us the chance to offer some extra training sessions to attendees.  We will be holding two workshops prior to the show.  Here’s the schedule:

• August 9 – Intermediate 3D Modeling, Daylighting, Loads Analysis, and HVAC Systems
• August 10 – Advanced and Building-Integrated Systems Modeling

Both workshops are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., including lunch and breaks, and will be held on the NYU campus (exact location TBA). 

Timothy Moore, our Senior Consultant for Special Projects, will be on hand to direct the workshops and show you the expanse of things you can do with IES <Virtual Environment> Version 6.1, such as  importing from SketchUp and Revit, daylighting simulation and whole-building energy modeling for the LEED/ASHRAE-90.1 Performance Rating Method.

Cost for the workshops is $350 for one session and $600 for both.  Registration is open now, but seats are limited, so don’t wait!

We will also have a demo of IES <VE> at the show on August 12 from 10:30-11:45 a.m., and Timothy will be making a presentation at the show as well (details still TBD).

Of course, our activities are just a small slice of all the exciting things going on at SimBuild this year, from all the workshops and presentations to the banquet that closes everything out.  For more on all that’s going on, visit here.

It’s shaping up to be a busy week for IES at SimBuild 2010.  We hope to see you in New York City!

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Tags:Building, daylighting, HVAC, IES, LEED, Revit, sketchup

What country are you cheering for in this year’s World Cup games?  As a billion viewers watch the World Cup with anticipation of their country winning, they may not realize all the work that went into prepping for this massive sporting event.  Transportation, lodging and security were key components in preparing for these games, sure. But have you thought about the construction and refurbishment of the 10 stadiums that are being used for this global competition? The A/E/C community might be happy to know that BIM (Building Information Modelling), a tool which you more than likely use every day, played an integral role in building the new stadiums, home to over 40,000 people attending each of the 32 games.

In a recent article in Constructech Magazine, it’s mentioned that 5 new stadiums were built in preparation for the World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa - 2 of them using BIM techniques and software.  The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and the Mbombela Stadium were both constructed using BIM since “arenas are typically unique structures, with complicated rooflines, curved beams, and heavy structural steel design.”  The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium had to be devised and constructed within a very quick timeframe, since Africa had few arenas that could support the World Cup audience so the designers used BIM technology to streamline 4,200 drawings between multiple participants including designers, architects and building managers.

While BIM might not be an everyday word to most, high profile projects like these provide great proof points for the A/E/C community.  This technology has continued to grow over the years and continues to be a subject people want to learn more about, including the audience at the recent AIA convention in Miami.  According to Reed Construction Data, “BIM was the hot topic” at this year’s show.  The constant buzz around BIM just helps to further underscore its importance to the design process and longevity within the market.

As you watch your favorite team compete for the highly prized cup, keep a close eye on the stadiums, too. You’ll see that BIM played a pivotal part in the 2010 games.

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Tags:AIA, Architects, BIM, Building, communications, Fifa, World Cup

Freakonomics, first a book and now a syndicated column, brings up topics and makes you go, ‘Huh, I never thought of it that way before…’

One of the recent posts, titled, “Green Building: LEEDing Us Where?” did just that. In the green building industry, we all focus on LEED and sustainability and improving the overall output of a building. But is it enough?

“We have built our country as we have built it,” writes Owen, “and we’re obviously not going to tear it down and start over.”

This is true. So what does that mean? Using LEED as a guide, I think we can inspire great change in the way we do things, starting with our buildings. Just resting on our “green building” laurels isn’t going to cut it in the long run. So yea, your building is “smart” and can sense when you leave a room, thus turning off the lights. But if you are leaving to hop into your oversized SUV and drive 2 blocks to the nearest coffee house to big up an über-large drink in a disposable cup and then driving another block to drop off your dry cleaning, there is a disconnect.

How can we take what we are learning through LEED and other initiatives in green building and take it to the next level in our everyday lives?

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Tags:Building, LEED, Sustainability

After Greenbuild last year, it seemed like greenwashing was a thing of the past. As we saw in November, the theme of the show was a lack of greenwashing. Not to say a lack of hype, but it seemed the industry was moving in the right direction.

But then today we read this. And this, which left us with this closing thought:
“Going green, being sustainable, being a good corporate citizen. Today, too many corporations attempt to present themselves as all these. In truth, it seems it is often business as usual for many large organisations.

How long clever marketing campaigns will allow companies to go on pretending is an open question. The Internet and social media mean closer examination of these messages by consumers. If you get caught, good luck to you in rebuilding your ‘green’ reputation.”

So where does that leave us? How can we as consumers get through all the fluff and determine what companies are truly sustainable, and which ones are trying to pull the wool over our eyes? For starters, here are some guidelines, courtesy of Marc Gunther:
“We should absolutely not support green products from companies that use them to distract us from their larger negative environmental and social impacts. We need systemically green companies to address the challenges we face, not business-as-usual companies that hold up one green hand while hiding another toxic, CO2-emitting, waste-producing one behind their backs.”

And as we know, the power of the Internet, most notably Facebook and Twitter, will call out those companies that aren’t doing their part. We just hope it’s sooner rather than later…the industry seemed to have come so far, and this could be a big step backwards for the industry.

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Tags:communications, Greenwash, internet

We’re celebrating Architecture Week. No, we’re not talking about the magazine. (Although I highly recommend adding said magazine to your list of weekly reads. Always great content!)

We are talking about National Architecture Week. With a series of online conversations about “design matters” over on AIA’s website, and ongoing conversations on their Facebook Fan Page, it’s already turning out to be an exciting week!

According to the website, “How can you take part in this initiative? If you haven’t done so already, set up your personal accounts on Twitter and Facebook now. Become a fan of the American Institute of Architects on Facebook and follow AIA National on Twitter. From both accounts, you’ll begin receiving updates about Architecture Week 2010. Then, get ready to partake in what we hope will be some lively, thought-provoking conversations about design matters, which end this Sunday, April 17.”

And while you’re there, become a fan of IES and follow @IESVE on Twitter.

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Tags:AIA, Architecture Week, Facebook, IES, Twitter

The greatest myth surrounding the CRC is that there is no need to act now. This misconception is based upon the fact that the initial scheme year is the footprint year when you monitor and report on your ‘baseline’ energy use (which started on April 1st 2010 –see my previous blog). The thinking is that by having a higher carbon footprint at the start of the scheme it will be easier to reduce emissions and move quickly to the top of the league table. However, there are two main reasons why acting now is the best course of action:

1) The design of the league table involves three metrics to determine an organisation’s position, not just their absolute carbon reductions. An Early Action metric takes into account energy saving measures put into place before the starts of the CRC, while a Growth Metric gives credit to organisations expanding in an energy efficient way. In fact the Early Action metric has a 100% weighting in the 1st year!

2) By acting now organisations can reduce energy usage and make savings on energy costs directly. These saving could even provide budget for the purchase of the initial carbon allowances in 2011, and go towards energy saving initiatives. Why wait to make reductions now and pay what will undoubtedly be a higher energy rate for more energy further down the line.

And that’s before you even look at the other benefits of performing well…

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Tags:carbon assessor, Carbon Reduction Commitment, CRC

The New CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme came into force on 1st April

The new Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme began in earnest on the 1st April! The scheme aims to achieve an annual energy reduction of 3.2m tonnes by 2020 and stimulate businesses to make their buildings more energy efficient.  It affects around 20,000 organisations – is yours one of them?

Any organisation with a half hourly settled electricity meter needs to do something.  It was the requirement for qualifying organisations to start monitoring energy usage from all qualifying sources that started on 1st April 2010.  And whilst it may be straight forward to gather retrospective data from half hourly sources, this may not always be the case for class 5-8 meters, for example, which are also considered as core sources under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Those qualifying for the CRC will also need to register while those under the threshold still need to make an information disclosure.  Both actions must be done before 30 September 2010.  However, as the process could take up to 4 weeks to complete don’t leave it until the 29th September!

A raft of recent surveys indicates just how confused and unprepared organisations are for its implementation…

A survey by energy consultancy McKinnon and Clarke found that 54 per cent of participants were uncertain whether they come under the scheme, which encompasses all bodies and businesses with half-hourly meters (HHMs) that consumed more than 6,000 MWh of electricity during 2008.  Around 5,000 of the UK’s heaviest energy users will need to participate fully, while another 15,000 odd organisations that consumed less will need to make an information disclosure. 

In addition, the survey also found that three in five companies had not factored in the financial implications of having to participate fully in the scheme.  At the lowest qualifying level, a typical organisation will pay £45,000 a year to advance purchase allowances at a rate of £12 per tonne of carbon dioxide.  In addition, they will be placed in a league table, showing their carbon emissions relative to their peers.  Companies at the bottom of the table will be penalised, with the money recycled into rewards for the most energy-efficient.

In another survey by the power supplier Npower, nearly half of companies surveyed said official advice about the new legislation had been “inadequate”.  About 49 per cent said they did not understand how to buy the necessary carbon allowances and 44 per cent said they do not know how to forecast their carbon emissions.

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Tags:Building, carbon assessor, Environment, recycle, recycling, Renewables

Does your typical workday look like a scene from this video “Planes, Trains and Automobiles?”

Next question, is there anything better than working from home in your PJs? How about working from home while helping the environment?

Climate Care Day is today, Friday, March 26, and as we’ve only just come across it unfortunately we won’t be taking part…shame (just think I could be sat at home in bed writing this right now)!!

But what exactly is it?  It’s a day which has been created to encourage businesses worldwide to replace all corporate travel with remote meetings for one day in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of climate change - the 21st century’s number one environmental issue - and demonstrate how simple choices can make a significant difference to the environment.  Following the success of Earth Hour (which is this tomorrow, FYI), Climate Care Day was created as a business initiative.

The thing is, while I like the ethos behind the idea, I can’t help but think it’s missing the sustainable transport element.  Sure staying at home one day and promoting video conferencing etc. is a great way of raising awareness, but what’s the point if we all go back to the same carbon intensive travel choices the next?

Imagine a world in which people choose to travel to work or meetings in ways that benefit their health and the environment.  There are many options; public transport, cycling, walking, electric/hybrid cars, and car sharing for example.

We have a pretty active “cycle to work” group here in the Glasgow office, which is supported by tax free discounts on purchase, as well as the ability to claim business mileage on expenses!  In fact we promote cycling so much that we’ve just been recognized as a Cycle Friendly Employee by Cycling Scotland.

While many others here car share on a regular basis – but as none of us are perfect there is a great practical guide on changing travel behaviour within your business on the Business Link website.

So can one day really make a difference?  Some of the stats on the website are shocking enough to make me want to try…  Hopefully next year we can convince our CEO to let us all work from home…

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Tags:Climate care day, cycle to work, earth hour

The first paragraph of Philip Wenz’s article, “The Future of Sustainable Design,” doesn’t paint such a pretty picture for those of us involved in commercial building…

“We have entered what I call the Not-So-Great Depression, a double whammy of eco-nomic and ecological crises.”

But it can’t be that bad, can it? I did some digging, and I’m happy to report that there is hope for the future and sustainable design is part of that.

The latest issue of AAMA’s newsletter opened with a note from President and CEO, Rick Walker. He said, “Moving forward in 2010, green building and energy efficiency continue to be buzzwords prevalent within the industry, as well as in economic sectors. Green building has shown itself to be much more than a passing industry trend, but has proven itself both as a movement that has the potential for financial savings, as well as job creation and general stimulus of the economy.”

That’s what I like to see - Green building is much more than a passing industry trend. Green building is a part of our lives, and it’s up to us to take the regulations and requirements and make the best, most sustainable buildings we can.

Another recent example of advancing sustainability is a Top 10 list of green building legislation, pointed to pending bills in the House and the Senate.  Some of these bills include The American Clean Energy and Security Act, The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, The Clean Energy and American Jobs Act, and The American Clean Energy and Leadership Act. These bills are all designed with one goal in mind – a sustainable future.

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Tags:Building, Sustainability