Land of the free, home of the brave.

PartnerUpdate

Atlanta business leaders, U.S.

Department of Energy (DOE) officials

and Georgia Institute of Technology

faculty and facility managers gathered

on September 6 to break ground on a

project one year in the making. The

project will transform approximately

eight acres in Midtown into Technology

Square, which will house the school’s

programs, including the College of

Management, the continuing education

center, the campus bookstore, retail

space, a new hotel and conference

center, and other facilities. 

Rich Combes, a Georgia Tech

researcher on loan to the DOE, initiated

contact with Georgia Tech’s project

manager, Bill Miller, to discuss the

potential for making the project a

INSIDE

REBUILD AMERICA•BUILDING AMERICA

U.S. Department of Energy • Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy www.rebuild.org • DOE/EE-0255

September - October 2001

Continued on page 9 

2 Rebuild America’s Web

Site Improved 

3 View from DC

4 New DOE Energy -

Efficiency Software

7 David Garman Named

Assistant Secretary

Houston and Rebuild America

Celebrate Partnership Launch

Houston Mayor Lee P.

Brown, joined by U.S.

Department of Energy (DOE)

Assistant Secretary David

Garman, hosted a kick-off

event for the City of HoustonRebuild America Partnership at

the E. B. Cape Center in

Houston on October 4. With a

population of 4.5 million,

Houston is the second largest

city in the U.S. and the largest in

Texas to join Rebuild America. 

The event drew wide support

and participation from city government, public and affordable housing, community

groups, Houston school districts and the business community. 

Garman joined community and business leaders in offering remarks and

commended Mayor Brown for his vision and commitment to make energy efficiency

a standard practice in Houston. Students from Houston’s Chavez High School, a

magnet school with a focus on environmental science and energy, presented the

Assistant Secretary with posters created by students in recognition of Energy

Awareness Month – October. 

Prior to the event, the Assistant Secretary toured Houston’s Fifth Ward, where 62

percent of residents live below the poverty level. Stephan Fairfield, president of

the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corp., and community residents showed

the progress already underway in the area. Rebuild America will lend support to

efforts to revitalize the Fifth Ward and other communities deemed “Super

Neighborhoods” across Houston. 

Following the tour of the Fifth Ward, Garman accompanied officials of Enron Corp.

for a tour of their new “green” headquarters building currently under construction in

downtown Houston. Enron has received the DOE/U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency ENERGY STAR® Label for Buildings for the recent renovation of its current

headquarters building and plans to apply for the label for its new building.

One of the City of Houston–Rebuild America Partnership’s key goals is to comply

with recently passed Texas Senate Bill 5, which calls for a five percent reduction in

electricity consumption each year for the next five years in communities with air

quality that do not meet federal standards. Additional plans call for Houston’s Super

Neighborhood Councils to work with the city to determine the energy-efficiency

programs that will benefit their communities.

For more information, contact Rebuild America Program Representative Mike Myers

at 512-280-7569 or mt4myers@aol.com.

Assistant Secretary David Garman commends Houston

Mayor Lee P. Brown at a ceremony on October 4.

Georgia Tech

Breaks Ground

on New Project
2 U.S. Department of Energy

US Energy Capital

Corporation

Since joining the Rebuild

America Business Partners in

March of 2000, US Energy

Capital Corporation has been

steadfast in its support for the

program and its many community

partnerships in the Southeastern

region. Represented by the

company’s President Jim

Borland, US Energy Capital has

referred various companies to

Rebuild America, increasing the

variety and scope of products and

services available to partnerships. 

Currently, Borland is leading

US Energy Capital in efforts to

completely renovate K-12 schools in the Rockdale County

School System in Rockdale County, GA. The initiative began

last September when Borland and several Rebuild America

representatives, including Business Partner Lithonia

Lighting, a founding Business Partner, held an introductory

meeting for county and city officials, the Rockdale County

School System Board and the Chamber of Commerce. Ruel

Parker, school system superintendent, and Linda Waters,

assistant superintendent for operations, liked what they heard

and became a Rebuild America community partner shortly

thereafter. 

Visit www.rebuild.org and check out the new features and

components that have been added to the Rebuild America

Web site. There is an improved home page, new online

energy and financial calculators, and an enhanced key metric

reporting and data collection process that community

partnerships will find helpful. 

The homepage showcases events, boosting the visibility of

partnerships, Strategic Partners and Business Partners. Event

listings include the location of the event and online

registration. To submit your event, email

rawebmaster@rebuild.org.

Other key changes include links to “Top News” and links

for featured Strategic and Business Partners. These links

provide increased visibility and help individual partners

support the program, while recognizing their contributions in

supporting community partnerships. 

New energy and financial calculators have been added that

will assist users in determining financial costs associated with

US Energy Captial President

Jim Borland has been

instrumental in building a 

base of Business Partners for

Rebuild America.

PROFILE

Earlier this year, several Rebuild America representatives

met with Waters and discussed the benefits of changing the

specifications of electrical, mechanical and other systems for

the newly constructed Peeks Chapel Elementary School to

make it a school that is energy smart. These discussions are

expected to progress through the fall season.

The school’s efforts have led to a retrofit plan for the entire

school district, which includes 10 elementary schools, three

middle schools and three high schools. The new partnership

quickly began identifying areas in the 16 schools that are

energy inefficient and set out to upgrade all 1.4 million

square feet of the school system. Working with US Energy

Capital and other Rebuild America Business and Strategic

Partners, Rockdale County Schools hope to obtain systemwide energy savings of 35 percent to 40 percent overall.

“The ability to draw on the resources available through the

Rebuild America network of Business Partners makes it

easier to identify, organize and complete energy-efficiency

projects,” says Borland. 

In addition to the Rockdale County projects, US Energy

Capital has participated in other Rebuild America events,

such as Regional Peer Exchanges, National Forums and

Business Partner summits. Most recently, Borland attended a

“train-the-trainer” workshop conducted at Lawrence Berkeley

National Lab in California for Powercheck software (see

pages 4-5 for more information on Powercheck). He is

anxious to offer the same seminar to Rebuild Community

Partners and other interested groups in the eastern part of

the country.

For more information on the seminar or US Energy Capital’s

energy upgrade financing programs, contact Jim Borland

directly at jimborland@usenergycapital.com, 800-562-1659 or

check out their Web site, www.usenergycapital.com.

energy projects. These calculators (Fuel Conversion, Energy

Intensity, Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return and Life

Cycle Cost) offer cost-benefit analyses, rate of project return

and vehicles for project comparison.

An automated data collection form will check reporting

partnerships against national energy project benchmarks and

inform the regional team offices of submitted project entries.

This process can be used by partnership representatives to

instantly update project results.

In addition, increased reporting options on these projects

will be available this fall when the newly redesigned site is

launched to enable real time metrics collection and display

of partnerships’ results. 

Stay tuned: In the next Partner Update we will review the

new site launch features and enhancements. 

For more information contact Scott Igoe, Rebuild America

Webmaster, at rawebmaster@rebuild.org.

Rebuild America Web Site Adds New Features 
Here in the headquarters of Rebuild America, and

throughout our system of community-based

partnerships, we are all at a loss. When we think 

about the horrific moments of September 11 and 

the dreadful days that followed, we are left with a 

range of emotions: shock, sadness, outrage, fear,

disbelief, resolve.

This devastating attack on thousands of innocent

people has also done much to bring us together. Every

day since that grim Tuesday, we’ve witnessed countless

acts of heroism, compassion and generosity.

In addition to the enormous human tragedy, those of

us in the Rebuild America community may have been

affected in another way. The destruction of these

landmark buildings, symbols of America’s financial

might, at the hands of terrorism adds to the enormity 

of the catastrophic human loss. We’re dedicated to

creating better working, learning and living

environments for people. We share a commitment to

make buildings better by improving their utility, 

comfort and operation. To see buildings used as 

a vehicle to human destruction compounds our 

sense of loss. 

Because of who we are and what we do, however,

we in the Rebuild America community have a unique

opportunity to make our own small contribution to

restoring what has been lost. Energy efficiency has

always made sense. Today, in the wake of this disaster,

efficiency makes more sense than ever before. We now

import 65 percent of our nation’s oil for use in making

such vital things as gasoline, other fuels and countless

petrochemical products.

And energy efficiency is likely to be an important

element in any new energy policy we craft, as we act to

protect ourselves from future assaults on our way of life.

That’s where Rebuild America can help.

October is Energy Awareness Month. It’s an

opportunity for every Rebuild America partnership to

showcase the role energy efficiency plays, not just in

saving money, creating jobs and stimulating economic

activity, but in ensuring our national security and

protecting our way of life.

I encourage every partnership to redouble its efforts

to achieve efficiency gains and to spread the word

about the benefits of energy efficiency. This would be

a fitting tribute.

Daniel Sze is National Program Manager of Rebuild

America.

View From DC

By Daniel Sze

Building America

Fulfills Affordable

Housing Dream

Two blocks from Dr. Martin Luther King’s boyhood home in

Atlanta, GA, stands a home dedicated as the “I Have a Dream

House.” This house fulfills a dream of the U.S. Department of

Energy’s (DOE) Building America program. It costs owners

about $300 a year – less then a dollar a day – for heating and

cooling, and uses 57 percent less energy for heating and cooling

than does a comparable house in the Atlanta area. 

“This house illustrates how DOE and its building industry

partners are re-engineering the American home and supporting

community redevelopment through energy-efficient affordable

housing,” said Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham.

Its structural insulated panel (SIP) walls are factory-built with

foam insulation sandwiched between layers of oriented-strandboard. SIPs tighten the building envelope and allow builders to

install downsized heating and cooling equipment, resulting in

lower energy bills, reduced construction waste and increased

labor productivity. They are also three times stronger than

conventional materials. Plus, the anticipated savings from using

smaller heating and cooling equipment went towards the

purchase of high-performance ENERGY STAR® windows. 

DOE’s Building America helped design the house. EarthCraft

House, a program of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders, and

Southface Energy Institute provided advice on green building to

the Historic District Development Corporation, the nonprofit

developer for the project. Other project partners include the

Engineered Wood Association, Structural Insulated Panel

Association, Georgia-Pacific Corporation and two Building

America teams, Building Science Consortium and Integrated

Building and Construction Solutions. No taxpayer money was

used to subsidize the construction of the “I Have a Dream

House.”

For more information, contact EarthCraft House Project

Director James Hackler at earthcraft@earthcrafthouse.com.

U.S. Department of Energy 3

The “I Have a Dream”

House in Atlanta, GA,

can be heated and

cooled for less than 

$1 a day.
4 U.S. Department of Energy

An effort is underway in the

Volunteer State, backed by Gov.

Don Sundquist, to retrofit

Tennessee government

buildings, particularly

deteriorating older buildings,

with energy-efficient technology. 

While the reasons behind the

effort are many, state entities,

particularly the public university

system, are turning to energyefficiency upgrades as a way to

renovate buildings where

operators have deferred

maintenance for many years.

Since the State of Tennessee

joined Rebuild America in 1997,

for example, the Tennessee Board of Regents’ (TBR) higher

educational system has moved towards making campus

buildings energy-efficient. At Middle Tennessee State

University (MTSU), where much of this work began, many

buildings have fallen into disrepair because of deferred

maintenance. 

“As is the case with many universities, the key facilities

problem at MTSU is the accumulation of deferred buildings

maintenance over a period of many years,” said MTSU

Energy Director Joe Whitefield.

At MTSU, the university’s budget provided limited funds

for maintenance on the campus’ coal-fired electric plant. The

facility had deteriorated, was inefficient and was a heavy

polluter. In 1998, the university opted to use its limited

funds to construct a 5 megawatt cogeneration plant, which

provided heat to the campus as well. Lower energy costs

resulted from the capital improvement.

MTSU’s project is merely an example of Tennessee’s

commitment to energy efficiency. The state has long been

involved in energy efficiency, having created the State

Building Energy Management Program within the state’s

Department of General Services in 1977. Dave Edmunds,

director of the program, and Herb Stonebrook increased

the program’s influence in recent years, resulting in the

commitment of five government agencies to energy-efficient

retrofits.

Whitefield was also instrumental in enhancing the state’s

broad energy-efficient building initiative. As an employee of

the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge National

Laboratory, he became the Rebuild America coordinator for

the state and began working with Stonebrook and Edmunds.

Managing Energy Use

Smartly in Tennessee

New Construction

Software Delivers

Simulation Accuracy

and High Detail

Thanks to new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

software, developing energy-efficient buildings just got

easier with a new tool that allows developers and building

planners to more accurately simulate energy use in

buildings before construction or renovations begin. With

more precise predictions about building performance prior

to commencing work on a project, developers can install

the most appropriate energy-efficient technology.

Dru Crawley of DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Energy Office says the new EnergyPlus software merges

the best features of previous government-developed

building simulation programs, BLAST and DOE-2. The

new product will assist partners of Rebuild America and its

sister program, Building America – which focuses on new

energy-efficient residential construction. Energy Secretary

Spencer Abraham released the software in April 2001.

Unlike older programs, EnergyPlus allows building

simulators to consider data they previously could not, such

as heat balance calculation, moisture absorption and

desorption, building occupant comfort, advanced window

systems such as electrochromic and low-e, ventilation

airflow and realistic system controls. The new computer

program can share data with all the major CADD design

software packages – achieving “interoperability.”

Government talk of merging the old programs began in

1994 at a Department of Defense workshop. DOE seized

the opportunity in 1996 to merge the two programs, but

soon found that it would be cheaper, quicker and result in

a better product to start from scratch. Bringing in people

from the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research

Laboratory, University of Illinois, Lawrence Berkeley

National Laboratory, Oklahoma State University, Florida

Solar Energy Center and GARD Analytics, DOE moved

forward with combining resources and talent to mesh the

best features of BLAST and DOE-2. The result is the all

new EnergyPlus software.

According to a DOE paper on the software, users

agreed that “a more flexible and robust tool with additional

capabilities [was] needed. ... Designers need tools that

provide answers to very specific questions during design.

They want tools that provide the highest level of simulation

accuracy and detail reasonably possible but that don’t get

in the user’s way.” EnergyPlus delivers this to its users. 

EnergyPlus is available free of charge for download at its

Web site, www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/energy_tools/

Continued on page 10 energyplus/.

Workers install data loggers on

the Andrew Jackson/Rachel

Jackson State Building to

capture information for

calculating future energy-use.
U.S. Department of Energy 5

Greenville County, located in upstate South Carolina and

home to the City of Greenville, is embarking upon a series

of energy-saving measures that will achieve nearly $100,000

in annual energy savings with plans to reinvest that money

into future energy-efficiency projects.

The effort started when County Facilities Manager Ronnie

Roberts began to investigate performance contracting and

other energy reduction measures. A brochure on the U.S.

Department of Energy’s (DOE) Rebuild America program and

a visit with the South Carolina Energy Office generated more

interest in Greenville’s own project.

After gathering appropriate information, and contacting

Rick Baldauf of the South Carolina Energy Office and

Charles Young of Rebuild America, Roberts approached the

County Administrator requesting authorization to enter a

partnership with Rebuild South Carolina. The request

included having an energy audit performed on one of the

largest local government facilities.

Formerly an old shopping mall renovated in 1987,

Greenville County Square features 290,000 square feet of

local government office space and is the county’s hub of

government operations. When the building was first

renovated, the county used top-of-the-line energy products,

including fluorescent light bulbs. But much of that

equipment is now outdated. As a result, the county’s energy

bills have soared in recent years. Roberts says Greenville is

reeling from an energy bill that climbed to $1.3 million per

year – $400,000 alone for Greenville County Square. Property

management feels the energy projects will reduce energy

bills, stabilize costs and have investment paybacks.

Phase I of the Greenville County Square retrofit is ready to

begin. Greenville County and South Carolina Energy officials

selected the lighting retrofit project because of its potential to

provide quick returns on the investment. The retrofit will

replace 4,700 light fixtures with state-of-the-art electronic

lamp ballasts at a cost of $280,000 to $300,000 – saving

$88,000 the first year. “It provides the quickest return and

potentially some of the biggest dollar savings,” Young says.

The county plans to pursue an aggressive path to energy

efficiency following completion of Phase I improvements.

Tentative plans include energy audits performed in the Law

Enforcement/Detention Center Complex, and General

Sessions and Family Court facilities. Implementation of

energy management systems in all facilities and upgrades to

the county’s heating, ventilation and cooling systems are

expected.

While current work focuses on Greenville County Square,

Roberts anticipates that energy-efficiency projects will catch

the attention of others in the community. Projects could

expand to other facilities and agencies within Greenville

County. Young, Baldauf and county officials are excited

about using savings from energy projects to expand the

county’s efforts and reduce energy consumption in countyowned and operated buildings.

For more information on Rebuild South Carolina’s

Greenville County project, contact Rick Baldauf at

rbaldauf@ogs.state.sc.us.

Government Retrofits in Greenville County

BUILDING RETROFIT

Rebuild America is offering a new free CDROM that features low- and no-cost energysaving tips, known as “Power Checks”. The

program shows users how to maximize the

energy efficiency of their homes and offices by taking simple,

but smart steps and making minor, but worthwhile

investments in energy products.

The software complements other U.S. Department of

Energy residential guides for consumers, such as Energy

Savers, and is also available in Spanish.

During the interactive computer program, host Dr.

Sartorstein and his sidekick “E2 the owl” guide viewers

through the energy audit of fictitious buildings in Anytown,

USA, calculating potential savings from these simple tips.

For example, Dr. Sartorstein advises users to turn off lights

when leaving the copier room and to use daylight to

illuminate rooms whenever possible, explaining that small

changes like these can save Anytown nearly $120,000.

Dr. Sartorstein and E2 also showcase residential energy

savings, educating software users on Power Checks around

the house, such as replacing incandescent bulbs with

compact fluorescent lamps, installing programmable

thermostats and using window coverings. Following these

tips plus four other Power Checks, the average home in

Anytown can save hundreds of dollars through energy

efficiency. 

In addition to the Power Check tips, the program provides

users with energy-saving exercises in the Play Pen section of

the CD-ROM.

For free CD-ROM copies of Power Check or Energy Savers 

(en espanole tambien), contact EREC at 800-363-3732.

Energy Efficiency Starts with Power Checks
6 U.S. Department of Energy

BUILDING RETROFIT

As Wisconsin transitions to a

“public benefits” format for energyefficiency programs, Wisconsin

Focus on Energy is expanding

energy-efficiency programs beyond

commercial, government and school

buildings to include single and multifamily dwellings. With this new

residential focus, Wisconsin will

concentrate on retrofitting and

building new apartments and

condominiums in line with ENERGY

STAR® ratings, working with the U.S.

Department of Energy (DOE) and

the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) to help low- and middleincome consumers take advantage of energy and dollar savings

offered through ENERGY STAR and Rebuild America.

The new state-wide focus on the residential sector stems from

a series of pilot projects that have been ongoing in parts of the

state for a couple of years, says Don Hynek of the Wisconsin

Division of Energy. Several other plans are also now in the

works and will be unveiled over the next four months.

For example, the state’s residential administrator, the

Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation, is working across

the state to educate appliance sales staff and consumers on the

virtues of simple energy-efficiency technology. The program

involves training store employees, salespersons and consumers

on basic ENERGY STAR products. Program staff are also helping

stores host individual energy-smart events, such as efficient

lighting blitzes at local hardware stores.

Other efforts concentrate on new construction and

renovations to existing homes and apartments. In the

northeastern part of the state, Wisconsin is teaching builders

Wisconsin Targets Homes

for Energy Efficiency

Continued on page 8

Builders learn about the dynamics of infiltration and depressurization at

Wisconsin's "Cure For the Common Callback" Conference for new home

builders.

State engineers test ENERGY

STAR® refrigerators installed at

a Milwaukee low-income

residence to ensure optimum

efficiency.

Florida Housing

Exceeds Standards 

Using redesigned and enhanced versions of existing

floor plans, DOE’s Building America Consortium for

Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) and Mercedes

Homes, have come together to create two new

production home models that exceed ENERGY STAR®

standards. This marks the start of three new energy- and

resource-efficient housing developments planned for

Central Florida by Mercedes Homes.

The new homes are based on popular floor plans

already in the Mercedes line, with an added focus on

increasing energy efficiency and reducing construction

time – without increasing labor or materials costs. 

A total of 175 homes will be built in 2001, and

Mercedes, which builds 1,200 homes per year in the

Florida market, has adopted the new design and material

enhancements as its building standard in Florida.

Steven Winter Associates, the building systems research

firm that heads up CARB, worked with the builder to

produce and test eight prototype homes. The effort

yielded model-specific design and specification packages

expected to save Florida homebuyers an average of 30

percent on annual energy costs in comparison to Model

Energy Code-compliant construction.

For the builder, the new models represent a significant

departure from the concrete block construction prevalent

in the Florida market, to a “poured-in-place” concrete

wall approach that uses innovative aluminum forms.

After initial successes using poured concrete walls in

prototypes, Mercedes made a capital investment in a

sophisticated aluminum form system and hired an inhouse form and concrete crew to engage in productionscale building. The investment paid off, as the time

required for setting up the forms, pouring concrete, and

stripping the forms away from the finished walls

stabilized at three days – a savings of three full days of

labor in comparison to standard block-wall installation.

Window installation is also quicker, because concrete

window forms allow windows to be inserted directly into

the concrete, without wood bucks or blocking. Plus,

interior partitions are framed using steel studs, which

have a high recycled content and are not prone to the

splitting, warping and inconsistencies of board lumber.

Savings were also achieved with a more efficient

building envelope, which allows for smaller HVAC

systems in all six models. The HVAC savings equal

roughly $400 per house, which compensate for the $300

construction expense of high performance windows. 

The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings is

one of five Building America teams sponsored by the U.S.

Department of Energy. For more information visit

www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/building_america/carb.shtml.
New President for

Rebuild Hawaii 

U.S. Department of Energy 7

Garman Named New

Assistant Secretary

David K. Garman was

nominated by President George

W. Bush to serve as Assistant

Secretary for Energy Efficiency

and Renewable Energy on April

30, 2001 and was confirmed

unanimously by the United States

Senate on May 25, 2001.

Secretary of Energy Spencer

Abraham swore Garman in on

May 31, 2001.

Assistant Secretary Garman

previously served in a variety of

positions on the staff of two U.S. Senators and two Senate

Committees during a 21-year career on Capitol Hill. Most

recently, Garman served as chief of staff to Alaska Senator

Frank Murkowski, ranking member of the Energy and

Natural Resources Committee. Garman also served on the

professional staff of this committee and the Senate Select

Committee on Intelligence.

Throughout his career, Garman has focused primarily on

energy and environment policy. Even during his tenure on

the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, he worked in

the newly emerging area of “environmental intelligence and

security,” focusing on issues such as global climate change,

transboundary pollution and regional environmental threats

from the former Soviet Union. While on the staff of the

Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Garman’s portfolio

included energy research and development, science and

technology, and global climate change.

Garman served as a U.S. Senate observer at nearly all

major negotiations held under the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change from 1995-2000, including

the November 2000 climate talks in The Hague, Netherlands.

Garman holds a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University,

and a Masters of Science in Environmental Sciences from

Johns Hopkins University. He is married to Kira L. Finkler,

counsel on the Democratic staff of the Senate Committee on

Energy and Natural Resources. He drives a dark green

Toyota Prius.

Rebuild Hawaii has seen a lot of changes in recent

months, all in keeping with the island’s commitment to

reduce energy consumption despite its high reliance on

imported oil. Most recently, Rebuild Hawaii welcomed

Honolulu City Councilman Steve Holmes aboard as its new

president. Holmes’ varied experience with local government

will benefit the partnership on all levels and keep its energyefficiency commitments on track. 

“Rebuild Hawaii will focus on the community through

energy-efficiency improvements made to buildings,” says

Holmes. “These improvements save money, create jobs,

promote economic growth and protect the environment,” 

he adds. 

In his first move as president, Holmes introduced updates

to Building Energy Efficiency Standards, which include

assistance from the State Department of Business, Economic

Development and Tourism, Energy Division. The bills were

signed into law in August by Mayor Jeremy Harris and have

enjoyed wide acceptance by energy utilities and the building

industry. The improved standards will allow builders and

architects to offer more efficient and cost-effective products

and services. 

To date, Rebuild Hawaii has reduced energy consumption

in targeted buildings by about 30 percent, resulting in

cumulative savings of $194,000 annually. Projects have

included lighting retrofits of 27 county fire and police

buildings and complete retrofits of the two main public safety

buildings. The investment for this project was $1.4 million

and will yield a projected $140,000 in annual energy costs.

In addition to building upgrades, Rebuild Hawaii is

committed to exploring all available types of renewable fuel

as it continues to generate 30 percent of its electricity from

diverse sources such as geothermal, wind, solar and run-ofriver hydropower.

For more information contact April Coloretti at

acoloretti@co.honolulu.hi.us. 

Looking for an energy-efficiency expert

to address your next meeting? Tap

into the Rebuild America Network of

Experts by visiting www.rebuild.org.

Honolulu City and County Mayor Jeremy Harris, seated, joined by (left to

right) John Ogrodny, Jeff Mikulina, Howard Wiig, Councilmember Steve

Holmes, Richie Mudd, Karen Nakamura, Steve Golden, Sharon Narimatsu,

Jackie Mahi Erikson and Eileen Yoshinaka at a bill signing in August. 
Ford City Enlists

Rebuild America in

Revitalization Effort

8 U.S. Department of Energy

Through a partnership with Rebuild America, Ford City,

PA, is turning its economy around. 

The town, located one hour northeast of Pittsburgh on the

Allegheny River, long depended on PPG Industries – a

leading glass company – for jobs and a stable regional

economy. So when the company closed its doors in the

early 1990s, Ford City faced hard times. Town leaders

believe a revitalization program focused on energy efficiency

is key to the town’s future success. 

At an early July event celebrating the town’s new

partnership with Rebuild America, Ford City Borough

Council President Lou Vergari and Mayor John Zanettti

welcomed the community to a “You Can Come Home

Again” town meeting to announce Ford City’s revitalization

plans. Don Mains, executive director of the Ford City

Development Corporation, outlined the $7 million

revitalization project. The plan includes an energy-efficiency

retrofit of about 80,000 square feet of business incubator

office space, and the creation of a video conference center,

museum and café.

PPG Industries donated its long abandoned waterfront

plant and office complex to the project. Now local officials

plan to redevelop the site of the turn-of-the-century glass and

window manufacturing plant, as well as the surrounding

waterfront, in an effort to attract new business to the area.

A number of leading organizations are also participating in

the renewal efforts, including the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and

Urban Development, and other state and federal agencies.

The whole community is behind the project. As part of

the kick-off event, the U.S. Department of Energy hosted a

workshop for Ford City architects, engineers and community

leaders. Topics included building performance; green

building practices; energy-efficient windows; lighting,

heating, and cooling technologies; and the latest in

alternative power systems, including fuel cells.

Vergari and Rebuild America’s Michael Myers signed a

Rebuild America agreement, while the National Renewable

Laboratory’s (NREL) Pat Kelly and PPG Industries’ John

Ruch confirmed the company’s commitment to Ford City’s

revival. 

Speakers at the kick-off event included: John Zanetti; Ray

Boarts, Ford City Community Development Corporation;

Richard Dennis, National Energy Technology Laboratory;

Greg Laface, Laface & McGovern Associates, Inc.; Michelle

Mondazzi, Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Building

Performance and Diagnostics; Mel Powers, Rebuild America;

and Alison Tribble, Efficient Windows Collaborative. Other

participants included Craig Hustwit, NREL; and Jim McTish,

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

For more information on the Ford City partnership, contact

Mike Myers at Mt4myers@aol.com or Susan Guard at

susan.guard@pro.doe.gov.

techniques to improve energy efficiency and buyers how to

verify the savings in both dollars and energy. DOE also is

involved in this venture, but Hynek says that Wisconsin is

“going one step beyond guidelines” by proving that houses

are energy-efficient through performance testing by thirdparty consultants – an extra step not required by ENERGY

STAR.

The State of Wisconsin partnership also is putting more

funds into its new construction program, as it strives to

identify and remedy market flaws blocking energy-efficient

construction from becoming mainstream in the marketplace.

While those details are still being hammered out, 15 percent

to 20 percent of the Focus on Energy residential funding will

be for new construction. 

Finally, the state plans to fund a program aimed at

residential retrofits for consumers who can not afford energyefficient technology, yet do not qualify for federal or state

assistance. “We want to pick up where low-income

weatherization programs leave off,” Hynek says. “Energy

efficiency should be available to all Wisconsinites, and we

are trying to create a seamless family of programs that

reinforce each other.”

The State of Wisconsin clearly is boosting its partnership in

Rebuild America, working in conjunction with EPA.

For more information on Wisconsin Focus on Energy, please

contact Don Hynek at don.hynek@doa.state.wi.us.

Continued from page 6

Wisconsin Targets Homes for Energy Efficiency

Ford City Mayor John Zanetti (left) and Rebuild America representative

Mike Myers discuss the town’s renovation plans prior to the public

announcement of the new partnership.
U.S. Department of Energy 9

NEW CONSTRUCTION

Rebuild America’s sister program Building America and its

Strategic Partner ENERGY STAR® helped Venture, Inc., a

community action group, break ground on 17 new,

affordable, energy-efficient homes in Pontiac, MI. While not

Venture’s first foray into energy-efficiency, this project posed

a unique challenge because the new homes had to be

energy smart, while construction costs had to be low.

Payson Tilden, Venture project manager, says the City of

Pontiac approached Venture in 1999 to address the pervasive

poverty in the northeast sector of the city that prevented

families from purchasing new homes. Using city and state

funding, Venture put together a plan, in conjunction with

Building Science Corp. of Westford, MA, to construct 17 new

houses, refurbish and sell two existing homes, renovate 40

owner-occupied houses, and spruce up the neighborhood. 

This project is much larger than Venture’s first work in the

area of energy efficiency. In Hazel Park, MI, Venture built

four energy-efficient modular homes. 

Now, Venture is incorporating massive energy-efficiency

investments with the installation of ENERGY STAR appliances.

The 17 new three-bedroom, two-bath homes include an

insulated concrete-form basement, mechanical ventilation,

extensive air sealing, compact fluorescent lighting, efficient

heating and duct systems, and ENERGY STAR appliances. The

New, Affordable,

Energy-Efficient

Homes in Pontiac, MI

Continued from page 1

Georgia Tech Breaks Ground

Rebuild America partnership. The partnership 

was solidified soon after, and officials developed a committee

of architects, engineers, facility managers and Georgia Tech

faculty, involved with sustainable design, to examine green

building issues for the new campus buildings.

The Technology Square project includes over 615,000

square feet of building space, plus a parking garage for over

1,500 vehicles. The total project budget is $180 million.

Project managers are seeking Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design (LEEDTM) certification for a significant

portion of the project, including the Dupree College of

Management, a building comprised of 239,360 square feet of

space, and approximately 25 percent of the parking garage.

LEED is a nationally recognized energy-efficiency standard

that measures building components such as water use and

electricity consumption, as well as the use of innovative

homes will be made available to first-time homebuyers when

Venture completes construction in September 2002. 

The success that Venture is having in Michigan reaffirms

the good work of Rebuild America, Building America and

ENERGY STAR, proving that partnerships are the cornerstone of

energy-efficiency improvements.

Venture is a subsidiary of the Oakland Livingston Human

Service Agency (OLHSA), a full-service community action

agency with over 60 different programs including Head Start

and AIDS Support Services. OLHSA created Venture in 1992 as

a Community Development Housing Organization – a U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development designation –

so the agency could apply for special federal housing funds. For

more information on Venture and energy-efficiency

homebuilding in Pontiac, MI, contact Payson Tilden at

tildenpays@aol.com.

practices in new architecture and the overall impact these

buildings will have on their existing environment.

Mike McDonald of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

and Rick Diamond of the Lawrence Berkley National

Laboratory provided technical assistance for daylighting, as

well as DOE-2 software, a device for energy-efficient building

modeling that allows the user to key in individual building

information for comparative analysis. The DOE developed

software was released commercially and distributed to

building contractors and architects for design purposes.

Georgia Tech expects to save 15 percent to 25 percent a

year in energy costs through LEED and other energy-efficient

practices. Actual savings will be quantified when design and

energy modeling is completed. Construction will start in

November 2001 and is slated to finish by August 2003.

Continued on page 11

A backhoe readies the land for Venture’s construction of affordable

energy-efficient homes in Pontiac, MI.
10 U.S. Department of Energy

Working with the

U.S. Department of

Energy’s Building

America program

and the

Consortium for

Advanced

Residential

Buildings (CARB),

Cambridge Homes

developed a full

line of sustainable, energy-efficient housing for the new active

adult lifestyle community located in Crest Hill, IL.

Designed for those at least 55 years young, Cambridge

Home’s Carillon Lakes community, with 942 homes, will be

the first large-scale adult community in Illinois to receive an

ENERGY STAR® certification for every home. The homes will

also exceed Model Energy Code standards by 30 percent.

“The energy efficiency of these homes is especially

meaningful because a number of people who are 55 and over

live on fixed incomes,” said Richard J. Brown, chief

executive officer of Cambridge Homes. “Saving hundreds of

dollars a year on utility bills is a significant advantage to these

homeowners.”

Among the energy-saving features common to all the homes

is a design enhancement known as “inside the envelope”

ductwork. This CARB innovation keeps HVAC ducts within

the conditioned space, thereby reducing energy costs.

Insulated crawl spaces and basement walls also contribute to

a more energy-efficient building envelope, as does R-38 attic

insulation and high-performance low-E glass. Another feature,

the Honeywell set-back thermostat, can be easily programmed

to track occupancy schedules, so energy isn’t wasted when no

one is in the house.

In addition to providing a hedge against rising energy costs,

the Carillon Lakes homes are environmentally friendly. Each

home employs panelized construction, so that lumber waste is

minimized. 

“The homes in Carillon Lakes will be better for the

environment on two levels. Residents will be using less gas

and electricity, and there will be more efficient use of lumber

as well,” Brown said. 

Cambridge Homes and CARB are working together on a

second age-restricted community in the Chicago area,

employing the same energy-efficient methods and products.

The new community, Forest Glen, is located in Carol Stream

and consists of 60 town homes. Model homes should be

complete in late 2001.

CARB employs innovative design strategies and sustainable

building components to improve the quality and performance of

a broad range of housing sizes and types. For more information

visit www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/building_america/carb.shtml.

NEW CONSTRUCTION

These three led a team that developed an action plan for

Tennessee that provided a framework for energy retrofits,

helping to standardize the process for energy-efficiency

projects for approval by the State Building Commission

(SBC). The SBC approved the action plan in August 1999

and state agencies are implementing projects through

voluntary partnerships modeled after the national Rebuild

America program.

Tennessee’s successes are apparent, with commitments

from partner agencies to retrofit 50 million square feet of

space in government buildings – broken down per agency:

• Department of General Services – 5 million square feet

• Tennessee Board of Regents (including MTSU) – 

24 million square feet

• University of Tennessee – 18.5 million square feet

• Dept. of Environment and Conservation – 1.3 million

square feet

• Tricorp (Dept. of Corrections Industry) – 8,200 square

feet

According to Sundquist, Tennessee will reduce energy use

and improve efficiency in much of the state government’s

building space with the potential to save the state $11.7

million annually. In August, the governor also formed an

Energy Policy Work Group, charged to find ways to improve

energy efficiency. “By leading through example, state

government can show the public and private sectors that

these new technologies make sense for our environment and

our bottom line,” said Sundquist.

View the state energy action plan at:

http://www.state.tn.us/finance/cpm/action.pdf.

For more information contact Herb Stonebrook at

hstonebrook@mail.state.tn.us or Charles Young at

charlesyoung@aspensys.com.

Continued from page 4

Managing Energy Smartly

Building America and Illinois Builder Produce

Active Adult Housing

Energy-efficient

town homes at

Carillon Lakes, an

Illinois active adult

housing community.
U.S. Department of Energy 11

George James

George James is the Building America

program manager in the Department of

Energy’s Office of Building Technology, State

and Community Programs.

Building America works with the residential

building industry to develop and implement

innovative building processes and

technologies, saving builders and

homeowners millions of dollars in

construction and energy costs.

Vital Statistics

A resident of Washington, DC, for almost 30 years, he lives in

our nation’s capital with his wife Martine.

How long have you been with Building America?

From the beginning – I’ve been with the program since its

inception in 1995.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?

I really believe Building America has started, and is part of, an

evolution toward better housing in America.

What brought you to Washington, DC?

I was working with Aerojet-General Corporation and Aerojet

Liquid Rocket Company in California when I was asked, in 1971, to

lead the feasibility study for the National Air and Space Museum.

Once the site was chosen – it was between DC and California, and

DC won – I moved on to the National Science Foundation, where I

worked for 11 years as a Physical Scientist.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

When I was 14 years old, I started the Rocket Research Institute.

My parents weren’t too keen on it, but it’s proven to be a success.

The Institute continues to work with young people who have an

interest in space science. Kids need to get involved in something

tangible. It’s important. The engineers, educators and safety

professionals who volunteer their time with the Institute give kids

that opportunity.

What is your dream job?

What I do right now. Years back I had the chance to learn

through a scholarship with Frank Lloyd Wright. He believed that

all people should have a decent, affordable and comfortable home

– one they may have even helped build. Building America gives

me the chance to further that dream.

What is your dream vacation?

My job and my interests are my vacation. I’m solving problems,

influencing positive change, investing in people, making a true

difference. But it would be nice to tour France, my wife’s 

native country.

Snap Shot

Georgia Tech intends to budget for and seek

LEED certification in all future buildings

constructed on the campus. “The long-term

savings in energy costs, as well as providing a

better quality building environment for our

students and faculty, are goals we want to

achieve,” says Miller. 

Georgia Tech’s reputation within the Atlanta

community has generated a lot of support for the

project, particularly from the Midtown Atlanta

business community. Business partners, alumni

and corporations closely tied to Georgia Tech are

also showing support, not only for the Institute,

but for the Atlanta community as a whole. The

combined effort has made good progress in

revitalizing downtown Atlanta.

Technology Square is not Georgia Tech’s first

energy-efficient endeavor. An on-campus science

lab was specified according to the LEED system.

The rating for the building is pending, but

architects expect it will be recognized with a silver

certification, the second highest rating in the LEED

system. Three existing buildings are also

undergoing energy audits and retrofits.

For more information on the Technology Square

Project, contact Bill Miller at

william.miller@facilities.gatech.edu. To learn more

about LEED software visit the U.S. Green Building

Council Web site at www.usgbc.org.

Continued from page 9

Georgia Tech Breaks Ground

An architect’s rendering of Georgia

Tech’s Technology Square project in

downtown Atlanta. New energyefficient buildings include the College

of Management and the continuing

education center. 
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-efficiency

initiatives of the Office of Building Technology,

State and Community Programs.

REBUILD AMERICA 

Office of Building Technology, 

State and Community Programs

U.S. Department of Energy

1000 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20585-0121

Address Correction Requested

Upcoming Events

High

Performance

BUILDINGS

New Partnerships

October

15-18 PowerMart 2001, Houston, TX.

Visit www.ftenergyusa.com.

17-19 Business Partners Summit and Atlanta Peer

Exchange, Conyers, GA. 

Contact Doug Avery at davery@lbl.gov.

18-19 Fuel Cell 2001 Research and Development, 

Palm Harbor, FL.

Visit www.srinstitute.com/cr207.

24-26 2001 Energy Service & E-Commerce

Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Visit www.aeecenter.org/Shows.

29-31 Chicago Regional Peer Exchange, St. Louis, MO.

Contact John Devine at john.devine.ee.doe.gov.

31 Power 2001, Scottsdale, AZ.

Visit www.wbresearch.com/power20001az.

November

5 Grants & Funding for School Technology,

Chicago, IL.

Visit www.eschoolnews.org.

5-6 California Air Tech 2001, Anaheim, CA.

Visit www.aqmdconferences.org.

6 NAESCO 18th Annual Conference, Miami, FL.

Visit www.naesco.org.

7 National School Boards Association’s

Technology & Learning Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Visit www.rebuild.org/calendar. 

13-15 Seattle Regional Peer Exchange, Seattle, WA.

Contact Amy Tilton at atilton@aspensys.com.

26 Brownfields Redevelopment: Nuts and Bolts for

Local Government, Chicago, IL.

Visit www.hud.gov/local/chi/chienv2.html.

28-29 2001 Business Energy Solutions, Orlando, FL.

Visit www.aeecenter.org.

To submit news or story ideas, contact: 

Maureen O’Brien, 202-466-7391, or email

mobrien@pcgpr.com

NEW! Marketing and Comunications Rebuild

America Help Line 202-466-7868

DOE and Houston officials gather to celebrate the new City of HoustonRebuild America Partnership.

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

• Proctor Academy, NH 

• Panama City Housing 

Authority, FL

• Tamalpais Union High School

District, CA

• Chuathbaluk Tradition Council, AK

• Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

• Rebuild Leslie, AR

• Town of Anthonyville, AR

• Idaho Energy Authority

• Energy Smart Hamilton 

County, OH

• Berlin Housing Authority, NH

• Thompson Public School 

System, CT

• Town of Sterling, CT

• University of New Hampshire

• Stafford Public Schools, CT