Government Units Take Interest in Efficient Building Initiatives

Nov 28 - State Journal, The

States and municipalities nationwide are building green in the interest of energy and resource efficiency. At least 12 states are mandating or encouraging the use of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards in government-funded construction since the green building rating system was launched by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council in 2000.

While West Virginia promotes energy efficiency, a large part of green building, some say more can be done.

Energy Efficiency

Architects, engineers, businesses, schools and other institutions can get help with energy efficiency from the West Virginia Development Office as part of its partnership in the federal Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR program.

Training in two important ENERGY STAR tools, Portfolio Manager and Target Finder, is available through the WVDO's Energy Efficiency Program, according to WVDO business development specialist Kelly Bragg.

Target Finder helps architects and engineers design their buildings to ENERGY STAR certification standards, Bragg explained. Portfolio Manager helps businesses and schools rank their building energy use against national standards. Buildings that score above 75 percent may be ENERGY STAR certified.

And a development office Lighting Grants Program offers a free lighting audit and 50-50 match grants toward the purchase of ENERGY STAR lamps and ballasts for schools, local governments and nonprofit hospitals.

"Since 1995, the Energy Efficiency Program has audited 436 buildings and identified a possible annual savings of $2.5 million," Bragg said. The program has provided nearly $500,000 in funding for lighting upgrades.

As of January this year, three West Virginia buildings were ENERGY STAR certified: Monongah Elementary School, the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg and Giant Eagle grocery store in Morgantown.

Green Building Initiatives

Governmental interest in green building initiatives has developed quickly during the past few years.

The governors of Maryland and New York issued executive orders encouraging or mandating LEED certification in 2001, the year after the standards were introduced. New Jersey's governor followed in 2002, Maine's in 2003 and California's in 2004.

This year has seen an explosion of interest. The state of Washington adopted a green certification law for statefunded construction in April, the first such state law. And at least seven other states have issued green building mandates this year.

Likewise, cities across the nation are issuing new legislation, revised building codes and tax incentives to support green construction. Universities, too, are adopting green building initiatives.

It's in all taxpayers' interest for publicly funded buildings to incorporate the green principles of water and energy efficiency and durable, low maintenance materials, points out the U.S. Green Building Council: A 2 percent upfront investment brought savings of 20 percent of construction costs during the lifetime of the building in one 2003 study.

And it makes sense for governments to act as the lead market for recycled, recyclable and sustainably harvested building materials, according to the U. S. Green Building Council. The idea is to create a "ripple effect" that will bring down prices of existing green products and encourage the development of new ones.

The state of West Virginia has no plans to encourage or require LEED certification in publicly funded buildings, according to WVDO Energy Efficiency Program Manager Jeff Herholdt.

Even without requiring green building certification, West Virginia state and local governments could do more to encourage energy efficiency, according to Dave Bassage, administrator of the state Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Innovation.

"One simple way governments at any level could encourage green building of public facilities is to include at least energy consumption projections into building cost estimates," Bassage said. "The amount of energy required (to operate a building) can vary widely depending on how the building is built, yet these expenses are rarely included in the decision-making process."