# Presentation: 034341

## Richard MorganGreen BuildingProgram Manager

**Green Building **

**Green Building**

**The Austin Experience**

**The Austin Experience**

## The Agenda

- Brief history of Green Building in Austin
- Why Green Building
- Program delivery
- Leveraging our resources
- Attracting & maintaining participation
- Best practices

## Mission

**To accelerate the integration of sustainable building practices and products into mainstream building through marketing, education and technology transfer.**

**“****Sustainability” means meeting present needs without compromising future generation’s ability to meet their needs.**

## History

- First GB program in U.S. 1991
- Started as residential single family
- Added commercial aspect in 1996
- Became energy code administrator in 1997
- Moved from COA P,ECSD to Austin Energy in 1998
- Added multi-family in 1998

## Why Green Building

- Municipally owned electric utility- Peak Load in new buildings, savings for customers
- Citywide concern for water conservation and water quality
- Landfill capacity- materials reduction and recycling
- IEQ–healthy homes & productive workplaces
- Community-greenspace and infrastructure impacts

## Program Delivery

- Rating tools to evaluate sustainability of buildings
- Technical assistance to industry creates supply
- Marketing to public to create demand
- Measurement and verification of results

## Rating Tools

- Distinct tools for single family, multi-family and commercial buildings
- Single family tool evaluates buildings in areas of
- Energy Efficiency
- Efficient materials use
- Water conservation and quality
- Health and Safety
- Community Issues

## Rating Tools

- Evaluates homes on a one star to five star level
- One star is entry level
- Five stars is highest possible
- FY 2004- 753 ratings
- 1 star = 220		3 star = 246
- 2 star = 279 		4 star = 8
- 5 star = 0

## Rating Tools

- Building owner, design team or builder completes tool and submits to GB staff
- Staff review and comment
- Monitor at rough mechanical and final
- Issue certification after final monitoring visit

## Technical Assistance

- One on one consultation
- Plan and specification review & comment
- Systems recommendations
- Energy modeling and HVAC sizing
- Monthly member seminars
- Factsheets, Sourcebook, website, library
- Conferences and workshops

## Technical Assistance

- Annual survey of program members shows that one on one consultation is the service most valued by our customers
- Marketing is second most valued
- Members use the website mostly to inform their clients about green building

## Marketing

- Technical Assistance helps create supply, marketing is needed to create demand
- GBP uses many different approaches to market green building benefits and to promote builders and designers who participate in the program

## Marketing

- Marketing benefits
- Public workshops
- Print media ads
- Articles in print media
- Trade shows
- Public events
- Website
- Cool House Tours

- Marketing members
- List ads of participating members
- Ads promoting specific projects
- Website member directory
- Sponsorship opps

## M & V

- Database lists every measure taken on every home
- Data is used to build models for energy and water savings due to program
- Emissions reductions based on AE fuel mix and dispatch priority
- Periodic third party verification

## Results FY 2004

- Homes rated 753
- Multifamily units rated 1262
- Commercial projects under consultation 18 > 3MM sq. ft.
- Peak demand reduction 12.47 mW
- Customer energy savings 23,969 mWh or $1,893,551

## Results FY 2004

- Emissions Reductions
- CO2 13,867 Metric tons
- SOx 2.65 Metric tons
- NOx 13.37 Metric tons
- Suspended particulates 3.47 Metric tons

## Leveraging Resources

- GBP serves as clearing house for energy & water conservation incentive programs
- Collaboration with national groups to bring conferences to Austin
- U.S. GBC
- NAHB GB
- Affordable Comfort

## Leveraging Resources

- Collaboration with HBA, NARI, AIA, ASHRAE and many others
- Diverse staff with flexible job descriptions
- Marketing through utility bill inserts
- Providing marketing materials to participants

## Attracting Participation

- Marketing benefits of GB to create demand
- Lower utility costs
- Healthier, safer homes
- More durable homes
- Higher resale values
- Maintaining Austin’s quality of life

## Maintaining Participation

- Staff track membership requirements and call those falling behind
- Prompt, accurate response to requests for assistance
- Monthly seminars for members only
- Marketing and promotion

## Best Practices

- Manual J review
- GB requirement for affordable housing
- Collaboration with everyone in the industry
- M&V program to justify program budget
- Dedicated, accessible professional staff
- Working on supply and demand sides

## Manage it Green

- In house consulting group to assist other cities and utilities
- Memphis Light, Gas and Water
- CA PUC/PG&E
- ICFConsulting/EPA Energy Star Homes
- Dept. of Defense
- U.S. Green Building Council

## Summary

**This program results in;**
**Reduced energy and water costs for customers**
**Reduced peak electrical demand for AE**
**Reduced stress on water and wastewater infrastructure**
**Reduction of thousands of tons of construction waste and debris going to landfills**

## Summary

**Improved indoor air quality for homeowners and workers**
**Improved quality of life for the citizens of Austin and a higher level of efficiency for Austin’s municipal utilities**
**More durable homes and buildings**

## Resources

- GB website _[www.ci.austin.tx.us/greenbuilder](http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/greenbuilder)_
- AE rebate programs _[www.austinenergy.com](http://www.austinenergy.com/)_
- COA Waterconservation _[www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon](http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon)_
- _[Richard.morgan@austinenergy.com](mailto:Richard.morgan@austinenergy.com)_

## Austin—

**Austin—**
**Greening As It Grows**