Fourteen student teams from colleges and universities around the country convened in

Washington, DC, September 26-October 6, to determine which one could build the most

energy-efficient solar house. Each team assembled a small house on the National Mall that

ran entirely on solar energy available within its perimeter. During the course of the Solar

Decathlon, the collegiate teams competed in 10 contests in various categories. All of the

energy needed by a typical household, including enough to operate its transportation and a

home-based business, had to be met with solar power. 

The multidisciplinary nature of the competition encouraged architecture and engineering

students to collaborate to build energy-efficient solar houses. Students from other disciplines,

such as marketing, communications, graphic arts, analysis, and computer science, also

contributed to the success of the house projects. The organizers hope the joint effort will

encourage students to continue to work together when they return to campus—and perhaps

even after graduation.

Each team created a Web site, including information that explains the design, engineering

and operation of its house, along with descriptions of the products and technologies used.

The teams also provided descriptive handouts about their houses. 

Visitors toured the Solar Decathlon Solar Village and energy-efficiency exhibits on the

PartnerUpdate

INSIDE

REBUILD AMERICA•BUILDING AMERICA

U.S. Department of Energy • Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy www.rebuild.gov • DOE/EE-0274

September – October 2002

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 3

2 Business Partner Relationship

Being Reshaped

3 Gail McKinley Retires from

Department of Energy

4 Association of Energy Engineers

5 New Oregon School a Model for

Energy Efficiency

6 Rebuild America Honors

Champions

7 State Energy Program 

Recognizes Standouts

8 Partnerships Save Dollars

9 Solution to Changing Times in

Building Construction

For the architects,

engineers and

project managers

who design and

build schools, help is

on the way –

comprehensively

detailed help, as far

as energy efficiency is concerned. The

U.S. Department of Energy has

produced The National Best Practices

Manual for Building High Performance

Schools to guide the design and retrofit

of energy-saving K-12 schools.

The manual underpins the lessdetailed Energy Design Guidelines for

High Performance Schools. The seven

New Tech DC Hosts Solar Decathlon

Manual: 

Energy-Efficient

Schools Design

The Rebuild America Clearinghouse has been established to handle queries

and requests for information and materials, functions that previously were

handled by the EREC Clearinghouse. Email requests to

rebuildorders@rebuild.org, or call 800-503-0098 or 252-459-4664.

Construction under

way: Fourteen

teams from

universities around

the country erected

fully functional

solar-powered

dwellings on the

National Mall in

Washington, DC.

Get it HERE
2 U.S. Department of Energy

DOE and AIA: Designs for the Future

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the American

Institute of Architects (AIA) symbolically put their names on a

strategy for energy education, efficiency and renewables

during a ceremony on the National Mall in Washington, DC,

October 4.

David Garman, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy, and Norman L. Koonce, executive vice

president of AIA, signed a memorandum of understanding

(MOU) that renewed and strengthened a commitment between

DOE and AIA to work together toward common goals. 

The signing took place amid a temporary “village” of solarpowered houses on the Mall. Fourteen teams of architecture

and engineering students erected the village for the Solar

Decathlon competition, an appropriate backdrop for a

ceremony underscoring the important interplay of education,

building design and energy use.

“I know there are many schools visiting today from DC,

Virginia and Maryland,” Garman said in prepared remarks.

“We hope you are excited by what you see and will be one

of the students in the future who will enter contests like this

when you go to college.”

Referring to DOE’s strategic partnership with AIA, Garman

said, “We are affirming our relationship once again because

we recognize that together we can be a positive force for

changing our nation’s energy habits.”

Koonce, who also serves as chief executive officer of the

architects’ trade group, cited the long history of cooperation

between his group and DOE as he stressed the idea of a

culture of innovation.

“We must instill a new appreciation for the intelligence and

foresight of developing ways to use renewable energy,”

Koonce said in his prepared remarks. “And if the past is any

prologue, I am confident from our twenty-three years of

working together we are more than equal to the challenge.”

An earlier agreement between DOE and AIA had lapsed.

The new MOU said the two organizations will continue their

joint work by:

• Creating buildings conducive to resource efficiency;

• Encouraging improvements in the quality of the indoor

environment and occupant productivity;

• Advocating increased use of renewable, clean energy

sources;

• Working to reduce the environmental impact of the built

environment;

• Promoting global economic opportunities through

internationally recognized, high-performance designs and

energy-efficient structures.

DOE continues to work with architecture students and

professionals. Department representatives are planning a

roundtable with the American Institute of Architecture

Students, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture,

and the National Organization of Minority Architects to

discuss what architecture students can do to further the cause

of energy savings.

For more information on DOE’s involvement with AIA,

contact Nick Keller at nkeller@aspensys.com or Maggie Kennedy

at mkennedy@aspensys.com.

regional guidelines are tailored to climatic zones of the 48

contiguous U.S. states and can serve as guides not only for

designers, but also for the school boards and others who must

make decisions on what is to be built or rebuilt.

The manual is more than 350 pages of specific technical

information. It was developed for the Rebuild America

program by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

(NREL) and Eley Associates, a San Francisco-based

architectural and engineering consulting firm devoted to

energy efficiency.

Continued from page 1

New Tech Manual: Energy-Efficient Schools Design

Continued on page 9

“It took two years of discussions, consensus-building and

sorting through the advice of experts to put the manual

together,” said Patricia Plympton, Project Coordinator at NREL.

The success in building that consensus was one of the most

gratifying parts of the whole process for her.

“Rebuild America was approached by many different

stakeholders that requested these kinds of guidelines,” she said.

Among the most interested parties were the National Association

of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and school partners.

Architects, engineers and school facilities managers from more

than 30 states participated in the process, along with several

state energy offices. About 150 people reviewed the manual

before the final content details were determined.

AIA’s Norman Koonce (l) and DOE’s David Garman sign the official

Memorandum at the Solar Village on the National Mall in Washington.
October is Energy Awareness Month and a good

time to reflect on whether saving energy is registering

on the radar screen of the American people. From a

Rebuild America perspective, it appears that the

message is getting through. Our partnerships continue

to grow in numbers, moving ever closer to the 500th

partnership milestone. 

As of mid-September, our Web site shows that

Rebuild America partnerships have made energy-saving

improvements to more than 508 million square feet of

building space, which translates into annual savings of

$293 million–or more than 36 miles of railroad cars

filled with coal.

I encourage every partner and partnership to use

Energy Awareness Month as an opportunity to get

some key messages out to the American public about

saving energy. This can take the form of:

• Sending out press releases with energy-saving tips

to your local media 

• Offering partnership representatives as media

spokespersons about saving energy.

What messages do we want to get out during Energy

Awareness Month? Here are a few:

• By saving energy, you help the environment by

reducing energy demand and the burning of fossil

fuels to heat and cool buildings.

• Americans help the nation become more energy

secure by saving energy and reducing our

dependence on foreign oil.

• The savings that result from an investment in

energy efficiency can offset the expense of making

the improvements.

• Our cities can reduce energy costs in municipal

buildings by at least 20 percent by taking commonsense steps to save energy and taxpayer dollars.

• Cities are making progress on the U.S. Conference

of Mayors resolution on energy reduction.

• Our schools can cut their energy expenditures by

25 percent on average, freeing valuable funds that

can be redirected to pay for books, computers,

field trips and increases in teachers’ salaries.

• By buying fuel-efficient vehicles, Americans are

helping to keep the air clean and reduce the risk of

cancer, sending a message to the automobile industry.

This last point ties into the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency’s announcement last month that

there is a link between pollution from diesel trucks

View From DC

By Daniel Sze

U.S. Department of Energy 3

Gail McKinley, Program Lead for the

Weatherization and Intergovernmental

Program in the U.S. Department of Energy

(DOE), retired at the end of September.

She provided leadership to DOE’s State

Energy Program for more than a decade.

McKinley helped manage the State Energy

Program, Rebuild America and the

Weatherization Assistance Program.

McKinley began her career working for

the Community Economic Opportunity Council in Cleveland,

OH. She moved to Washington, DC in 1968 to join the War on

Poverty and subsequently became involved in the struggle for

energy independence in response to the 1973 oil embargo.

She had been involved in managing the state grant programs

since 1976, with responsibilities ranging from strategic planning

and budget formulation to resource management and state

program information systems.

“The State Energy Conservation Program was just a month old

when I joined up in January 1976,” she recently noted in a

farewell message. “What luck for me to be associated with such

a great program for the rest of my career! With my retirement at

the end of September, I am proud to see this program looking

stronger than ever and widely recognized as the core program

for delivering a myriad selection of energy-efficiency and

renewable-energy services to the nation’s energy consumers.”

Gail McKinley Retires

from Department of

Energy

Continued on page 10

Continued from page 1

DC Hosts Solar Decathlon

National Mall between September 26 and October 6, 2002.

Students were on hand to lead guided tours of their houses for

the visiting public.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy

Laboratory (NREL) organized the competition. BP Solar, Home

Depot, Electronic Data Systems, and the American Institute of

Architects (AIA) sponsored the event.

More information about the Solar Decathlon is available at

www.rebuild.org/news/news.asp. Just type “decathlon” into the

news search.
This year the Association of

Energy Engineers (AEE)

celebrates its 25th anniversary; it

also took the significant step of

forming a Strategic Partnership

with Rebuild America. AEE,

which throughout its history has

consistently worked to promote

the benefits of energy efficiency,

fits perfectly into the Rebuild

America program.

Founded by Albert Thumann,

who is also currently its executive

director, AEE is a nonprofit

professional society with 9,000

members in 70 countries. Since its inception, AEE has taken a

lead role in disseminating the latest information on energyefficient technology.

Since AEE joined Rebuild America on April 24 as a Strategic

Partner, AEE members have “gained access to efficient

building technologies,” says Thumann. Rebuild America also

provides AEE chapters with a new “opportunity for accessing

professional speakers and authorities in the area,” he added.

He also noted, however, that he does not view the

relationship as completely one-sided.

“Through AEE conferences, seminars, certification programs

and publications, AEE has helped disseminate vital

information to accomplish many of Rebuild America’s

objectives and to further the technology exchange in green

buildings and high-performance buildings,” says Thumann.

“We are proud to be a Strategic Partner and look forward to a

growing relationship with Rebuild America.”

AEE may be a new Strategic Partner, but it has advanced

the notion of energy-efficient buildings for more than two

decades in a variety of ways. It hosts the annual World Energy

Engineering Congress, the largest energy-efficiency event in

the United States. This year the event will be held in Atlanta,

October 9 – 11, and will include more than 200 presentations

and a companion exposition. DOE’s Office of Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy co-sponsors the Congress.

AEE also hosts other important conferences including the

Business Energy Solutions Conference & Expo, to be held

this year at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center

in Orlando, FL. This conference’s agenda focuses on the

economic gains of implementing lighting and heating,

ventilation and air conditioning upgrades.

AEE publishes two critical industry journals, Energy

Engineering and Strategic Planning for Energy and the

Environment. These publications aim to educate building

owners, consultants and contractors on green buildings and

their benefits.

At the core of its efforts, AEE sponsors a professional

training program, because it understands that knowledge and

its continuing evolution are critical to the success of energyefficiency investments in buildings. To date, more than 30,000

energy professionals have received training from AEE in the

latest advances and uses of energy technology.

All of AEE’s past and future efforts will aid Rebuild America

in its quest to convince the country — community by

community — of the benefits of energy education and

building retrofits. This partnership is a multi-year program

tapping the many resources of AEE, its members and

chapters.

“AEE is comprised of 44 chapters, strategically located in

every major U.S. marketplace,” says Thumann. “Rebuild

America now has the opportunity to present each of them

with the technical tools and success stories that have made it

a vital organization, and the chapters, in turn, will take

Rebuild America’s messages to their communities.”

AEE publications will also be a new place to feature

Rebuild America products and services, expanding Rebuild

America’s outreach to key designers and constructors of highperformance buildings.

For more information on AEE and its programs, visit

www.aeecenter.org. You may also email info@aeecenter.org or

call 770-447-5083.

4 U.S. Department of Energy

Association of Energy Engineers

STRATEGIC PARTNER PROFILE

“AEE has helped disseminate vital

information to accomplish many of

Rebuild America’s objectives” 

– Albert Thumann, AEE

Albert Thumann
U.S. Department of Energy 5

ENERGY SOLUTIONS

School officials in The Dalles, OR unveiled the town’s new

middle school at a dedication ceremony on August 22,

opening for students one of the most energy-efficient schools

in the nation. 

Through this new construction project, Rebuild The

Dalles Schools reduced operating costs for its middle school

by 45 percent. Because the school includes sustainable

building materials and energy saving technologies, The Dalles

School District applied for the gold certification level under

the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDTM)

program. The middle school is the first school in the state to

apply for LEED certification.

“The Dalles School District has created a high-performance

school that is an asset to the community, enhances teaching

and learning, reduces operating costs and protects the

environment,” notes Michael Grainey, director of the

Oregon Office of Energy.

The Dalles Middle School is a brand new two-story, 97,000

square-foot facility that incorporates innovative design and

technology to minimize energy consumption. Despite its

state-of-the-art technology and features, the town built the

school in only one year. It has a 600-student capacity. 

The town built the school after the original school was

damaged by underground movement of water and soil. The

level of innovation designed into the school is remarkable.

South-facing windows incorporate horizontal shelves that

shade the lower two-thirds of each window, reducing the

build-up of heat. The top shelves reflect sunlight into rooms.

This indirect light reflects off the ceilings, further brightening

the rooms. Vertical sunscreens on west windows prevent

harsh afternoon sunlight from overheating the building, but

do not prevent views of the outside.

Skylights and large, energy-efficient windows deliver

natural light throughout the school.

Classrooms are equipped with a tubular skylight, which

reflects sunlight down a metallic reflecting tube to the rooms

of this two-story building. The airtight tubes minimize heat

transfer and acrylic domes on top block harmful ultraviolet

rays. Diffusers spread the light evenly throughout the room.

These tubular skylights even work on cloudy days by

reflecting ambient light down the shaft. Classrooms are also

equipped with sensors that adjust the light levels of T-5

fluorescent lamps to supplement the natural light. T-5 lamps

are more efficient than T-12 lights commonly in use today. 

Ventilation stacks, with adjustable dampers, are located

throughout the building to draw fresh air into the classrooms.

The town’s previous middle school was built in the 1950s

as a temporary structure to accommodate families relocated

to construct a local dam. Additions were added to the school

in the 1960s. Although plans called for the school to last only

20 years, it was used for more than 40 years.

As the school aged, underground water from neighboring

orchards created a landslide under the structure that caused

cracks in the walls. Most students were forced to attend

classes in portable modular classrooms and in a 100-year-old

elementary school. Some children even received their lessons

in a vacant grocery store.

The damage eventually forced the condemnation and

demolition of all campus buildings.

Because the new middle school is located on the same

property, a massive underground retaining wall was

constructed to prevent future water damage. The rock-filled

“key trench” reaches down to the bedrock to stabilize the

ground. Its drainage system includes a groundwater pump

system so that 58-degree water that once caused so much

damage to the buildings now is used with a heat pump as

well as to irrigate the school grounds.

“This will save thousands of gallons of potable water,”

notes Tami Francis of The Dalles School District.

Local school officials dedicated the building in August amid

much enthusiasm. At the ceremony, Grainey presented

Cheryl Crawley, superintendent of The Dalles School

District, and principal Jan Anderson with a HighPerformance School Award.

Those in attendence included U.S. Department of Energy

Seattle Regional Office Director Kathy Pierce; Lorenz V.

Schoff of EnergySmart Schools; Gregory Churchill, energy

analyst, Oregon Office of Energy; and Betty Merrill, school

program specialist, Oregon Office of Energy/Oregon Rebuild

America representative. 

The Portland-based Daily Journal of Commerce named The

Dalles Middle School one of the state’s top construction

projects for 2002. While local students will benefit from the

better learning environment, other communities throughout

the nation will benefit by studying this model highperformance school.

The Dalles is located 80 miles east of Portland.

For more information, contact Betty Merrill at 503-378-6510

or betty.merrill@state.or.us.

New Oregon Middle School a Model for

Energy Efficiency

The Dalles School District has

created a high-performance school

that was brought in on time, on

budget and cost less to build than a

conventional facility
6 U.S. Department of Energy

SPECIAL FEATURE

When Rebuild America officials and partners gathered at

the 2002 State Energy Program/Rebuild America National

Conference in New Orleans this summer, a highlight of the

meeting was the presentation of the annual Energy

Champion Awards.

The awards ceremony was held on August 1 in the

ballroom of the Hotel Inter-Continental. The program, led by

John Millhone, the U.S. Department of Energy’s director of

the Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program, was

accompanied by an impressive audio-visual display.

The energy-saving projects were judged primarily on the

basis of their measurable results in energy and cost savings,

and square footage retrofitted. Other criteria included less

quantifiable factors, such as the challenges the organizations

and individuals overcame and the innovation they applied.

Another important consideration was how the projects affect

and benefit communities.

The 2002 Rebuild America Energy Champion Award

winners are:

• Wisconsin Focus on Energy, for EnergySmart Schools

(K-12). The program has produced more than $3.6

million in annual energy costs savings. 

• Rebuild Duke University Facilities, for Universities and

Colleges. The partnership has completed retrofits to 3.3

million square feet of space, yielding $1.2 million in

annual energy cost savings. The projects include

campus-wide lighting, water conservation and heating,

ventilation and air-conditioning improvements to 114

buildings.

• Rebuild Bergen County, of New Jersey, for Local

Government. Its free energy-use audits have helped

bring about upgrades to a variety of county facilities and

projects for the City of Hackensack, the Borough of Glen

Rock and three boards of education. The total energy

savings is over $1.2 million per year.

• Sustainable Housing Innovation Partnership (SHIP),

led by Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs, for

Public and Affordable Housing. The first phase of SHIP’s

Riverwalk Point project will be a five-building, 52-unit

housing complex with a variety of energy-saving

elements built into it. 

• Rebuild New Mexico, for Commercial Buildings.

Because of this community partnership, 4.9 million

square feet of commercial building space has been

assessed for energy-savings opportunities, more than $1

million of annual energy savings are in progress, and

future energy-efficiency improvements in commercial

buildings are expected to result in $800,000 in additional

savings per year.

• Rebuild California, operated by the California Energy

Commission, for State Partnership of the Year. Thanks to

Rebuild America Honors Energy Champions

this partnership, energy-efficiency improvements have

led to more than $20 million of annual energy costs

savings. 

• Sarnafil Inc., a division of Sarna, for Business Partner of

the Year. Sarnafil estimates it has installed more than 3

million square feet of white reflective roofing for Rebuild

America community partnerships, which sharply cuts

cooling costs.

• NEED Project (National Energy Education Development

Project), for Strategic Partner of the Year. NEED has

incorporated the Rebuild America/EnergySmart Schools

program into every one of its 39 state programs. 

• Oakland Housing Authority, for Partnership of the

Year. Under its auspices, more than 2,290 public housing

2002 National Energy Champions from left front row: John Millhone,

DOE; Stuart Hughes, Oakland Housing Authority; Councilman Steve

Holmes, City and County of Honolulu; Charlie Schneider, Wisconsin Focus

on Energy; Gene Bustamante, Rebuild Central New Mexico; (from left

back row) Dom Aiello, Rebuild Bergen County; Peter D’Antonio, Sarnafil

Inc.; Julie Dhatt-Honekamp, SHIP; Mary Spruill, NEED; Robert Pernell,

Rebuild California.

Person of the Year, Rick Gerardi,

NYSERDA with John Millhone

Right: Strategic Partner of the Year,

NEED, accepted by Mary Spruill
SPECIAL FEATURE

units received energy-efficiency improvements, at 242

sites. By using a performance contract, improvements

will be paid for by utility savings. Annual utility savings

are projected at about $362,000.

• Steve Holmes, President of Rebuild Hawaii and a

Honolulu councilmember, for Partnership Leader of the

Year. He pushed for the city’s adoption of the Model

Energy Code in 1994, for buildings. He led the way for

extension of the energy-efficiency measures into the

residential sector. This legislation is expected to save

taxpayers more than $300 million over 20 years.

• Rick Gerardi, Director of Residential Energy

Affordability Programs in the New York State Energy

Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), for

Person of the Year.

Many radio stations asked to interview their hometown and

home-state stars. Some interviews were conducted by telephone

from the conference site, and more interviews were scheduled

when conference attendees returned home.

Partnership

Leader of

the Year,

Steve

Holmes,

Rebuild

Hawaii

Partnership of the Year, Oakland

Housing Authority, accepted by 

Stuart Hughes

Business Partner of the Year, Sarnafil,

Inc., accepted by Peter D’Antonio

U.S. Department of Energy 7

State Energy Program

Recognizes Standouts

The State Energy Program, a sister program of Rebuild

America within the U.S. Department of Energy, recently

honored its outstanding leaders with its National Recognition

Awards. A joint awards ceremony was held on August 1 at

the 2002 State Energy Program/Rebuild America National

Conference in New Orleans.

John Millhone, Director of DOE’s Weatherization and

Intergovernmental Program, presented the awards. Most of

the honorees were present and came to the stage of the

crowded ballroom of the Hotel Inter-Continental to be

recognized.

The 2002 State Energy Program National Recognition

Award winners are:

• Shirley Bartlett, Maine Department of Economic and

Community Development

• Lorilee Crisostomo, Guam Energy Office

• Judy Dyer, National Energy Technology Laboratory and

formerly of the West Virginia State Energy Program

• Mike Glenn, Utah Energy Office

• Greg Guess, Kentucky Department of Natural Resources

• Lois Jackson, Vermont Department of Public Service

• Henry Kurth, Illinois Department of Commerce and

Community Affairs

• Janet Lockhart, South Carolina Energy Office

• John Nunley, Wyoming Business Council

• Cory Plantenberg, Washington Office of Trade and

Economic Development

• Jim Westberg, Arizona Department of Commerce

2002 SEP National Recognition Award Honorees from left front row: 

John Millhone, DOE; Jim Westberg, Arizona Department of Commerce;

Mike Glenn, Utah Energy Office; Lorilee Crisostomo, Guam Energy

Office; (from left back row): S.J. Seymour; Greg Guess, Kentucky

Department of Natural Resources; Judy Dyer, NETL; Greg Lenaghan,

Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs; John Nunley,

Wyoming Business Council
8 U.S. Department of Energy

TECHNOLOGY

At the end of August, nearly half of the contiguous United

States had experienced “moderate” to “extreme” drought

according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration’s National Climatic Data Center. Although

communities are at the mercy of Mother Nature to provide

the much-needed rainfall, they can control the amount of

water consumed. 

The majority of Rebuild America partnerships focus on

energy savings. But water conservation is increasingly being

incorporated into projects, not only to save this valuable

resource, but also to lower utility bills. Folks perceive the two

as being distinct, but in reality, they are quite closely related.

Sustainable Housing Innovation Partnership (SHIP) –

the 2002 Energy Champion Award winner for Public and

Affordable Housing and a Rebuild America community

partnership – incorporated water-saving features into its

acclaimed Riverwalk Point housing project in Spokane, WA.

Water-saving measures in the affordable housing complex

include native/drought-resistant landscaping; low-flow

faucets, showerheads and toilets; and a rainwater collection

system to irrigate the surrounding grounds.

Oakland Housing Authority (OHA), Partnership of the

Year winner, was able to save 30,000 to 50,000 gallons of

water a day by replacing 1,600 older toilets with ultra-lowflow toilets. OHA also installed low-flow showerheads, faucet

aerators and ENERGY STAR® washers and dryers in shared

laundry rooms at 18 locations. The improvements, combined

with repairing leaks, save OHA an estimated 63 million

gallons annually. This translates into more than $350,000 in

water cost savings per year.

Rebuild Duke University Facilities, Energy Champion

Award winner for the Universities and Colleges market

sector, installed more than 1,000 faucet aerators and 900 lowflow flush valves throughout campus restrooms. The retrofit

paid for itself in less than one year through lower water and

sewerage bills.

According to Rebuild America Business Partner Water &

Energy Savings Corporation (W&ESCO), apartment

buildings with older fixtures consume between 55 and 100

gallons of water per resident each day – depending on who

is paying the bill (the owner or resident). By installing lowflow showerheads and toilets, and faucets with aerators,

water consumption can be reduced up to 30 gallons per day

per resident. 

Conservation measures accomplish more than just water

savings – they also save energy. Less water use translates into

less energy used for heating water, which reduces utility bills

and maintenance costs. Installing a rainwater irrigation system

can help lower pumping costs, thereby saving electricity. 

Partnerships Save Energy Dollars Through

Water Conservation

W&ESCO also notes that many municipal water agencies

are replacing chlorine with chloramines and other chemicals

to purify water, which may damage rubber parts and other

materials used in older toilets. Newer water-saving fixtures

are more resistant to these new chemicals, which means

fewer repairs for owners.

Dry conditions are expected to continue for much of the

nation this fall, and the need for water conservation will

intensify. Rebuild America community partnerships can do

their part to ease water demand by installing cost-effective,

water-saving fixtures.

Business Partners Help 

Partnerships Save Water

2RW offers a wide range of engineering services, including

evaluating water use and potential for conservation, in

existing structures through facility assessments. For more

information visit www.rebuild.org/partnerships/bp_search.asp

and select 2RW.

Falcon Waterfree Technologies specializes in water

conservation technology. Its main product is a water-free

urinal system—made up of a specially constructed urinal and

replaceable cartridge—that does not need a flushing

mechanism. The manufacturer estimates it saves 40,000

gallons of water per year on average. For more information

visit www.rebuild.org/partnerships/bp_search.asp and select

Falcon Waterfree Technologies.

Water & Energy Savings Corporation (W&ESCO) helps

apartment owners, condo associations and housing

authorities achieve water and energy savings through

performance contracting. Through participation in Rebuild

America, W&ESCO is pursuing other market sectors, as well.

For more information visit

www.rebuild.org/partnerships/bp_search.asp and select Water

& Energy Savings Corporation.

Since 1991, Waterless Company, LLC has offered NoFlushTM urinals that work without using water or flush valves.

The fixture, comparable in price to flush urinals, saves

between 30,000-50,000 gallons of water per year on average.

For more information visit

www.rebuild.org/partnerships/bp_search.asp and select

Waterless Company LLC.
U.S. Department of Energy 9

Thanks to the combined efforts of Rebuild America and

Building America, new energy-efficient products are quickly

gaining popularity among builders. With a shortage of skilled

labor, increasingly tight schedules, and stricter energyefficiency and cost requirements, builders are always seeking

better solutions that meet these demanding criteria and

provide a high-quality end result.

Rebuild America Business Partner Insulated Component

Structures (ICS) produces one such solution. ICS

manufactures Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). These are

versatile, energy-efficient panels that can be turned into

offices, shops, and classrooms – practically any type of

structure. According to ICS, they are a “building product that

is predictable, resource-efficient and cost-effective and that

are used as floors, walls and roofs on all types of buildings.”

Recently, a group of interested consumers, including

developers, school officials, policymakers and others were

given a first-hand look at SIPS and how they are

manufactured. On August 27, ICS hosted a tour of its

manufacturing plant in Mocksville, NC and of nearby Davie

High School, where SIPs have been installed. Visitors learned

how these panels help reduce a building’s energy

consumption by over 30 percent.

ICS makes SIPs by injecting polyurethane foam between

two surfaces. A structural piece is embedded inside the panel

to increase its strength. Through a cam lock system,

individual units are conjoined to provide a sturdy wall, floor

or roof. ICS offers SIPs made with a range of materials from

steel to fiber cement.

The SIP insulation system makes structures built with them

highly energy efficient. Heat cannot easily pass through SIPs,

meaning that less energy is needed to heat and cool the

structures. Plus, without much training, workers can easily

and quickly install the panels using the cam lock system. 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National

Laboratory found that SIPs are more energy efficient than

traditional 2” x 4” walls because the insulation is more

uniform. When installed, the SIP design and its cam lock

system create no hidden gaps in the wall, which would lead

to increased thermal transfer.

And SIPs are ENERGY STAR® rated products. ENERGY STAR is a

Rebuild America Strategic Partner.

These panels are becoming more popular primarily

because of their versatility. They can be used to fabricate

many types of buildings. According to Rick Lewis, vice

president of business development, SIPs can be used virtually

anywhere. Tests on their strength and durability in a

laboratory support his point, but real-life tests are even more

convincing. SIPs have successfully weathered large-scale

earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes – including Hurricane

Andrew, confirming their practicality in a variety of

applications and environments. 

Those who toured ICS’s manufacturing plant and the

nearby high school on August 27 now understand the

Business Partner Offers Solution to Changing

Times in Building Construction

Before this manual was put together, nothing like it existed

on a national scale. NREL and Eley adapted much of the

material from the Collaborative for High Performance Schools

Inc.’s Best Practices Manual, Volume II, often referred to as the

CHPS (“chips”) manual. That document was put together only

for California, not for the many climatic regions of the nation.

NREL and Eley, which also had helped on the CHPS manual,

needed to expand and greatly modify the source material to

create a manual with elements tailored to seven regions and

reflecting the consensus of so many parties.

Parts of the national manual concerned with commissioning

buildings also were adapted from guideline publications written

by Portland Energy Conservation Inc., a nonprofit corporation that

specializes in energy efficiency for buildings.

Besides its regional refinements, the national manual

systematically covers an array of basic elements in design or

retrofitting of buildings:

• Site design, including optimum building orientation,

landscaping and construction methods;

• Daylighting and windows;

• Energy-efficient building shell, including insulation, cool

roofs and radiant barriers;

• Lighting and electrical systems;

• Mechanical and ventilation systems, including heating, air

conditioning and air flow;

• Renewable energy systems, covering geothermal, solar,

wind and photovoltaic systems;

• Water conservation;

• Recycling systems and waste management;

• Transportation, including alternative fuels and alternativefuel vehicles;

• Resource-efficient building products, including flooring,

carpeting and wall panels; and

• Commissioning and maintenance.

Continued from page 2

New Tech Manual: Energy-Efficient Schools Design

BUSINESS PARTNER PROFILE

Continued on page 10

Continued on page 11
10 U.S. Department of Energy

Snap Shot: Rick Gerardi

Rick Gerardi is a program director

with NYSERDA–New York Energy

$mart Communities, a Rebuild

America community partnership. Rick

was also named Person of the Year at

this year’s State Energy

Program/Rebuild America National

Conference.

Vital Statistics

Rick lives in upstate New York,

east of Saratoga Springs, in a home

overlooking the historic Hudson River. He has two children –

Nikki, a student at Fordham University, and Chris, who

attends Hartwick College. They are competitive snowboarders

and avid Yankees fans, as is Rick.

How long have you been working with the

Rebuild America program?

As we first created the Residential Energy Affordability

Program (REAP) at NYSERDA in 1998, we looked for a

community empowerment mechanism and a constituencybuilding process and found Rebuild America fit the bill to a tee.

How did you get into this line of work?

I’ve been involved in building and renovating homes, with

a focus on energy efficiency and building performance, for

over 20 years. Running the Weatherization Assistance

Program for the State of New York for 14 of those years was

a great and rewarding experience. It gave me the confidence

and courage to push the envelope technically, while

understanding the bottom-line importance of performance. 

What brought you to Albany?

I attended college in New England and fell in love with the

landscape, but couldn’t quite get myself to move to the land

of Red Sox fans. So, I did the next best thing – moved to

rural Washington County in New York on the Vermont border

to get the best of all worlds.

What do you find most rewarding about your

work?

I love the combination of working technical issues within a

public policy context, while being allowed the latitude to be

creative in promoting innovative solutions to vexing building

performance and energy problems. But, the most important

and rewarding aspect of my life in this field has been my

contact with the committed and conscientious people who

represent the policymakers, contractors and practitioners of

energy efficiency.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Run, bike, ski, socialize, read, hangout...what spare time?

What is your favorite thing to do in the State

of New York?

Hop on a train out of the Albany Rensselaer Station at 7

a.m. and be in New York City by 9:15 a.m. for a full day of

work, after which a quick dinner with friends and a Yankees

game to top it off.

What is your dream job?

Yankees bat boy.

What is your dream vacation?

Italy in October...this October.

Continued from page 9

New Tech Manual: Energy-Efficient Schools Design

Funded by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy, the National Best Practices Manual for

Building High Performance Schools is now available for

downloading from www.rebuild.gov under Sectors, K-12

Schools, Resources; or from the EnergySmart Schools Web

site. The manual and all seven regional guidelines also are

scheduled to be available by the end of November on a

single compact disc, which will be available from the

Rebuild America Clearinghouse, rebuildorders@rebuild.org,

800-503-0098 or 252-459-4664.

and cancer – cleaner air through reduced energy demand

means better health for Americans.

Rebuild America partnerships and partners need to carry

these messages throughout the year – to their communities

and to their elected representatives. Governments that are

aware of partnership success stories are more likely to

provide energy offices with the resources needed to sustain

and expand significant energy-efficiency initiatives. 

Daniel Sze is National Program Manager of Rebuild

America.

Continued from page 3

View from DC

Rick Gerardi
U.S. Department of Energy 11

Continued from page 9

Business Partner Offers Solution

significance of ICS’s new product to the evolving construction

industry. The tour was also covered by the local newspapers

and television, which demonstrated to the entire community

how SIPs are made and used.

Davie High School erected SIP classrooms to accommodate

increases in student enrollment. In the past, extra classrooms

were housed in trailers. Now, they are more refined and

substantially more energy efficient – approximately 70 percent

more efficient than before. These classrooms are the first of

their kind built in North Carolina.

Among those who toured the school were Larry Schoff,

EnergySmart Schools technical advisor; Richard Baldauf and

Thomas Hudkins, Rebuild South Carolina Program

Coordinators; Wayne Jones, Raleigh, NC architect; Charles

Young and Mel Powers, program representatives of Rebuild

America; and, from ICS, Andrew Hansen, president, and

Rick Lewis, vice president of business development.

The Winston Salem Journal and the Davie County Enterprise

Record covered this event and showcased the new classrooms.

For more information on ICS, contact Rick Lewis of ICS at

rlewis@ics-sips.com.

Talladega College in Alabama

has formed a Rebuild America

partnership to help it achieve

both energy savings and

educational objectives. By taking

the independent initiative to join

Rebuild America and resolve

some campus problems, they

hope to be an example to other

historically black universities and

colleges that could benefit from

reducing energy costs.

The school’s historic buildings

and limited fiscal resources

inspired its administrators to

explore more creative ways to

reduce its energy expenditures

and save money for educational

purposes. Constantly challenged

by outdated energy systems and beleaguered by limited

financial resources, they decided it would be smart to pursue

a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to

take advantage of the vast technical resources at DOE’s

disposal. 

Another important objective was to show other historically

black schools how they could take action to improve campus

facilities, reduce energy consumption and save money which

could be reallocated to academic programs.

“Talladega College wants to be a leader in this area,” says James

Perkins, vice president of institutional advancement at Talladega.

“Because the college has so many older facilities with

antiquated energy systems and structural characteristics that

led to energy inefficiency, it made sense to pursue assistance

from DOE, which knows how to solve these kinds of

problems,” says Perkins. “We realized that finding a way to

make the buildings more efficient and encourage more

energy conservation on campus would lead to more money

for the school.”

“That was really the motivation,” Perkins says. “That’s the

bottom line.”

Talladega College has delineated a simple phased approach

for its improvements in energy efficiency that should achieve

some quick successes. Taking advantage of the resources of

DOE’s national laboratories, it will perform a campus

assessment in the fall, develop an action plan over the winter,

and implement the plan in spring 2003. While it has not

signed a formal partnership with Johnson Controls Inc., a

Business Partner, Talladega College is in the process of

establishing a relationship with the company.

Like other colleges and universities, historically black

colleges and universities have limited budgets to conduct

capital improvements, such as heating and lighting upgrades.

And the historical significance of their buildings sometimes

adds difficulty and expense to upgrades. 

By being the first to take a dramatic step, Talladega College

will be a tremendous influence in helping other universities

and colleges identify helpful resources and the means to

implement energy-efficiency improvements – which will

mean more money for their most important task, educating

America’s young adults.

The college is interested in developing relationships with

Rebuild America Strategic Partners. “We’re seeking

partnerships that make sense,” says Perkins. “We don’t need

to reinvent the wheel. . . . But [energy-savings measures]

haven’t been done here.”

For more information, contact James Perkins of Talladega

College at jperkins@talladega.edu.

Talladega College: An Energy Leader for

Historically Black Colleges

The Talladega College campus

features many historic

buildings, many built before

1940 and all of which are

good candidates for a

planned energy assessment

this fall.
Rebuild America is a

network of partnerships –

focused on communities –

that save money by saving

energy. These voluntary partnerships choose

to improve the quality of life in their

communities through energy efficiency.

Rebuild America supports them with

customized assistance backed by technical and

business experts and resources.

Published bimonthly by the U.S. Department

of Energy to report on Rebuild America

activities, Partner Update now incorporates

news from Building America and High

Performance Buildings, energy-efficient

initiatives of the Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy.

REBUILD AMERICA 

Office of Energy Efficiency 

and Renewable Energy

U.S. Department of Energy

1000 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20585-0121

Address Correction Requested

Upcoming Events

High

Performance

BUILDINGS

November 

5-7 Rebuild America Chicago Regional Peer Exchange

Crowne Plaza Hotel–Downtown at Historic Union

Station, Indianapolis, IN Contact Gavin Williams at

317-232-8979 or email

gwilliams@commerce.state.in.us.

8 Clark County, NV Energy Management

Educational Workshop-Building Envelope

Clark County Government Center. 

Call 702-455-5528 to RSVP or email

adminservinfo@co.clark.nv.us.

13-14 International Energy Conference & Exposition,

Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, NV

Visit http://www.pteinfo.com/. 

13-15 National Association of Energy Service

Companies’ 19th Annual Conference

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, FL

Contact Mary Lee Berger-Hughes at 202-822-0954 or

email mlb@dwgp.com.

14-15 Energy in Schools Conference

Albany Marriott, Albany, NY

Contact Chris Mason at 413-774-6051 or email

cmason@nesea.org.

19-21 Rebuild America Atlanta Regional Peer Forum

Edison Walthall Hotel, Jackson, MS

Visit

http://www.rebuild.org/events/eventdetails.asp?NewsID

=1351.

To submit news or story ideas, contact: 

Brian Meeley, 202-466-7391, or email

bmeeley@pcgpr.com

Check Us Out: www.rebuild.gov or 1-800-DOE-3732

New Partnerships

• Harrisonburg City Public Schools, VA

• Arlington County Government, VA

• Jeffrey Place, OH

• Wheelersburg School District, OH

• Talladega College, AL 

• Buhl Castleford Energy Conservation Coalition, ID 

• St. Charles Parish Public Schools, LA 

• Schools for Energy Efficiency, MN 

• Town of Littleton, NH 

• New York City/Stuyvesant Cove Energy $mart Communities, NY 

• Robertson County Board of Education, TN 

Marketing and Communications Rebuild America

Help Line 202-466-7868

Muscatine, IA high school students

install solar panels thanks to

Muscatine Power and Water

(MP&W), the lead organization for

Rebuild Muscatine. MP&W

sponsored a three-day, hands-on

workshop earlier this year to teach

the students, local electricians and

utility employees how to install

photovoltaic arrays.

Additional support came from

Rebuild Iowa, Rebuild Muscatine,

The ESCO Group, Muscatine High School and The Foundation for

Environmental Education—a partner of 1,500 Days: The Ohio Energy

Efficiency Project.

Geoff Greenfield, of Third Sun Renewable Energy Services, based in

Millfield, OH, conducted the training.