New Green Buildings and Energy-Efficient Retrofits John Morrill & Joan Kelsch Arlington County Government MWCOG Energy & Air Quality Conference, April 5, 2004

Opportunities in three areas v Green buildings for County gov’t v Green building incentives for private developers v Energy-efficiency improvements in existing buildings

Arlington, Morrill & Kelsch, MWCOG, April 5, 2004 Voluntary certification program by the U.S. Green Building Council A leading-edge system for designing, constructing, and certifying the world’s greenest buildings.

LEED  defines ‘green’ (1) Minimum standards (prerequisites) plus points awarded for smart choices in: site selection  materials & resources water efficiency  energy/atmosphere indoor environmental quality  innovation

LEED  defines ‘green’ (2) Points (credits) required for certification: Certified: credits Silver: credits Gold: credits Platinum: credits

LEED  defines ‘green’ (3) Energy & atmosphere credits are prominent Significant prerequisites (commissioning, CFC reduction, energy performance) plus 17 additional credits available for: further improvements in energy efficiency, use of renewable energy and green power, ozone protection, add’l commissioning, on- going measurement & verification

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)  Arlington built Virginia’s first LEED  certified building, the Langston-Brown High School and Community Center. This is a LEED  Silver project.

Langston-Brown School & Community Center v 50,000 sf replacement of 23,500 sf bldg v Demolition waste diverted for recycling, rather than landfill v Stormwater management including cisterns, porous pavement, bioretention, and stormceptor v Extensive daylighting, light shelves, solar shading for energy benefits

Arlington, Morrill & Kelsch, MWCOG, April 5, 2004 Green Building Programs for Private Development 1.Require LEED Scorecard submission 2.Require LEED professional and specific number of LEED credits 3.Green building density incentive 4.Green Building Fund contribution

Arlington, Morrill & Kelsch, MWCOG, April 5, 2004 LEED Scorecard for Development Projects  For projects not seeking USGBC certification: uEach project team must include a LEED- accredited professional uEach project must include the LEED Scorecard listing specific “green” components of the project, with explanation of each credit uCounty negotiates final LEED credits with applicant

Arlington, Morrill & Kelsch, MWCOG, April 5, 2004 LEED Scorecard for Development Projects vSpecific number of LEED credits req’d (usually 15-20) vLEED Reports due at specific permit applications vIf LEED requirements not met, County withholds permits

Arlington, Morrill & Kelsch, MWCOG, April 5, 2004 Green Building Incentive Program vDeveloper can apply for bonus density if project meets LEED requirements vIncludes all types of building (not just commercial office) vFAR bonus offered ranges from.15 for Certified to.35 for Gold/Platinum

Arlington, Morrill & Kelsch, MWCOG, April 5, 2004 Green Building Incentive Program vEnforcement v Developer posts a bond that is released when the USGBC issues certification v If the project does not meet the certification, bond is forfeited to the County

Arlington, Morrill & Kelsch, MWCOG, April 5, 2004 Green Building Incentive Program Participants  Navy League Building is now under construction at 2300 Wilson Blvd 10,000 additional square feet v National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) building recently approved in Ballston 16,000 additional square feet

Arlington, Morrill & Kelsch, MWCOG, April 5, 2004 Green Building Fund v If developer does not apply for LEED certification from USGBC, the project contributes to Arlington’s Green Building Fund v Contribution equals 3 cents/square foot 200,000 sq ft building contributes $6,000 v Fund to be used for green building education and outreach

Energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings (1) Changes in energy use from 1999 to  Central Library: electricity  30% v Argus House: electricity  32% v Solid waste/Traffic admin: electricity  14% v Madison Comm. Ctr: gas  13% electric  17% v Lubber Run Comm. Ctr: gas  26% elec.  19% v Residential Program Ctr: gas  9% elec.  11%

Energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings (2)

Energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings (3)

Energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings (4)  Improved operation & maintenance v Lighting retrofits v Energy Star  equipment v Employee education (modest amt so far) v In-house staff and contractors so far v Large potential savings remain

Importance of paying attention to both new construction and existing stock  Arlington government had 50 occupied buildings totaling 1.49 million sf, using 25.4 million kWh per year v those same 50 buildings used 9.6% less electricity (saving 2.4 million kWh) v During 1997 and 2003, Arlington built, bought, or leased 11 buildings totaling 265,000 sf, using over 6 million kWh/yr

For more information Energy in existing buildings, air quality: John Morrill, energy manager, Arlington’s green buildings activities: Joan Kelsch, environmental planner