green retrofitting 101

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SSC White Paper GREEN RETROFITTING 101 202-470-3246

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SSC White Paper

GREEN RETROFITTING 101

202-470-3246

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

Green Retrofitting 101

The green building label is not reserved for only new buildings; it is just as plausible to turn the millions of existing buildings into environmentally friendly structures. Green buildings are proven to reduce water and energy use and costs, create greater worker productivity and satisfaction, improve brand image, and better community relations.

Renovations to a building include improving energy efficiency, improving the heating and cooling system, creating a more sustainable site, improving water efficiency, installing renewable energy, and using eco-friendly materials. There are many projects that can be completed on a smaller budget, while others require a larger commitment.

Even though there tends to be a high upfront cost, there are substantial incentives that make these costs worth it.

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

Green Retrofitting 101

This presentation provides a summary of the white paper Green Retrofitting 101, which is an overview of green building, renovations and taking the necessary steps toward working in a sustainable environment.

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

Green Retrofitting 101

The white paper provides you with the resources needed to get started and walks you through:

The appeal of green buildings

The challenge of retrofitting

The retrofitting process

LEED

Incentives for green retrofitting

The Appeal of Green Buildings

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

The Appeal of Green Buildings

Green buildings offer their owners and tenants a number of bottom-line benefits, including reductions in water and energy use and costs, opportunities with respect to tax credits and other regulatory incentives, greater employee productivity and satisfaction, improved brand image, and better community relations.

Like what you see? You can do this too! Find out how here!

Challenges

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Challenges

Doug Gatlin of the Green Building Council accurately portrays retrofitting as “having to make the most of what you’ve got.” Most buildings cannot go through a gut rehab, but there are basic actions that tenants can take to greatly improve a building’s green status.

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

Challenges

The retrofitting process can be troublesome if you are leasing a building, or surrounded by other tenants who are not on board with retrofitting.

You will have to ensure that everyone understands the importance of retrofitting in today’s business world in order to obtain widespread approval and participation.

Download, “Green Retrofitting 101” to learn more.

Before You Retrofit

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Before You Retrofit

Considerations:

Obtain a green audit: This will tell you what needs to be done, as well as put a price tag on these fixes.

Establish retrofitting goals: How intricate will your retrofit be? What are your motivations?

Contact a contractor: What can be done on your own? What areas need professional help?

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

Before You Retrofit

Significant research must be done when seeking out a contractor. Do not just hire the first name you come across in the phone book! Contact those in your network to figure out who you can trust to take your retrofitting journey with you!

Learn more about choosing a contractor by downloading the full white paper here!

The Process

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The Process

The first step in the process of retrofitting, after an audit is conducted, is to confront your energy efficiency. This can be broken down into four categories:

•Consider the types of

lighting you are using,

as well as placement,

design, and color

•Switch to CFLs

•Utilize natural light

• Install lighting sensors

Lighting

•A very strict

certification to earn

•Saves both your wallet

and the environment

•Products range from

refrigerators, copiers,

and air systems, to

lighting fixtures

Energy Star

•Contact an insulation

expert for an audit

•Use a thermal scanner

•Consider using

cellulose or spray

foam instead of

fiberglass

•Caulking and weather

stripping will prevent

drafts

Insulation

•Find a window

contractor who will

know what windows

will work best in your

building

•Windows lose heat via

conduction, radiation,

convection, and drafts

Windows

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

The Process

Asses your overall heating and cooling system

Monitor annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE)

A condensing unit is 10% more efficient than a furnace and can have a lifespan of 15-25 years

Look for Energy Star rated air conditioners

Consider a passive solar design

Learn more about energy conservation here! A passive solar design uses a structures windows, walls,

and floors to collect, store, and distribute heat.

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

The Process

After assessing energy and heating/cooling efficiency, take a look at your water efficiency. Check all pipes, appliances, and irrigation systems. Try installing water-conserving indoor plumbing including toilets, sinks, and showers.

Gray water systems are also a great way to recycle water within your building and its surrounding environment!

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

The Process

Create a sustainable site

Install rain barrels

Plant only native plants

Install efficient sprinklers

Use renewable energy

This should only be considered after energy efficiency has been assessed

Invest in a Closed Loop Solar Water Heater

Solar PV cells can be efficient even if you don’t live in California!

For a larger business, wind turbines are an option

Consider a geothermal heat pump

In an indirect design the liquid pumped through the solar thermal collectors is an antifreeze, and then is circulated through

coils in the water tank to heat the surrounding water.

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

The Process

One of the last issues to confront when retrofitting your building is to assess materials and resources. It is important to find out where the materials you use on a daily basis come from:

Who is your supplier?

What is their bottom line?

Support local economy and buy from nearby suppliers!

Also, reuse materials to reduce waste from going to a landfill.

Learn how to green up the outside of your office as well, literally!

What About LEED?

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What About LEED?

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a certification program for buildings wishing to green up. LEED is a rigorous certification to obtain, broken down into categories and points. Various point levels will earn you basic, silver level, gold level, and platinum level certification.

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

What About LEED?

LEED categories include:

Sustainable Site

Water Efficiency

Energy and Atmosphere

Materials and Resources

Indoor Environmental Quality

Innovation and Operations

Regional Priority

Learn about other great programs to help you

retrofit your building in Sustainability

Certifications and Standards … another

great SSC white paper!

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

What About LEED?

•Established and well-respected

program

•Provides specific direction for

companies who desire to decrease

their buildings’ impacts

•Makes green building accessible to

a much broader audience

•Offers recognition for your work

Pros

•Incredibly detailed

•Time consuming

•Can add extra expenses

•Requires an LEED consultant

•This certification is certainly not

for everyone since the same

energy savings and reduced

carbon dioxide emissions can be

achieved without going through

the certification program.

Cons

Incentives

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Incentives

There are a substantial amount of financial incentives currently available that can make a green retrofit much more financially reasonable. Most of the incentives are in the renewable energy or energy efficiency areas.

One example: The commercial building tax deduction in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 provides a tax deduction of $1.80 per square foot; eligible buildings must save at least 50 % of projected energy costs and buildings with lesser annual energy savings are eligible for a partial deduction of $0.60 per square foot. A major federal renewable energy incentive in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides a 30% tax credit or federal grant for the equivalent amount of money.

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

Incentives

This act is part of the government stimulus package, which provides significant economic incentives to develop a greener economy.

There are also many other government grant , tax credits, and loan programs that are currently out there or are in the process of being developed.

There are many state incentives as well, but they differ from state to state, so you’ll have to research your state further.

For more information on stimulus money, check out

How Small Business Can Take Advantage of

Stimulus Money in the Energy Sector.

And don’t forget to check out DSIRE to find out your

state incentives!

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

Incentives

An example of state incentives in Pennsylvania is the Alternate Energy Investment Fund which provides $650 million for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The funding for programs such as the Alternate Energy Investment Fund and others will not last forever and will eventually run out. Evidence strongly suggests that green retrofitting projects should be completed sooner than later in order to receive economic incentives because retrofits will become more common and the incentives will disappear.

Download, “Green Retrofitting 101” to learn more.

Looking Ahead

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Looking Ahead

Work does not stop after the completion of a green retrofit; many sustainable practices that don’t involve the actual infrastructure of a building can also contribute to a greener building or workplace.

It is important to continue to work with employees or tenants to uphold sustainable practices.

www.sustainabilityconsulting.comCopyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

Looking Ahead

After you have retrofitted your building, it is important to encourage employees to act with sustainability in mind. Turn off lights, recycle, carpool, develop a green team, etc. Do whatever it takes to keep your team thinking green, even long after the last CFL light bulb is installed!

A great place to start on the road to retrofitting your business is through research, and we have started this step for you right here in Green Retrofitting 101!

Download the complimentary white paper in it’s entirety by visiting the SSC website today:

Green Retrofitting 101

What are your thoughts? Join the conversation on twitter @jenniferwoofter!

202-470-3246