District Energy - 2007 Third Quarter

Members
Speak Out

Zero Energy

Buildings:

The end of district heating

and cooling?

David W. Wade, PE, President, RDA Engineering Inc.

Editor’s Note: "Members Speak Out" runs in each issue of District Energy magazine. Its purpose is for a member to briefly share his/her district energy experiences and opinions – and obtain feedback from fellow members. If you have comments on this column, please email David Wade at the address below - or email IDEA with your response for publication in the next issue.

In recent weeks, the news media have reported professional and trade association goals for cutting future building energy use by up to 50 percent in the next three years. The Senate’s Clean Energy Act of 2007, which is under consideration, proposes energy-efficiency standards for commercial buildings that call for a 30 percent decrease in energy consumption by 2015 and a 50 percent decrease by 2022. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the nation’s chief building energy code standards organization, has a stated long-term goal of net zero energy-use buildings. By 2015, the organization hopes to have standards in place for producing commercial buildings that consume 70 percent less energy than buildings built in 2000.

Many respected civic and professional organizations are joining the commitment to building energy conservation. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has joined the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to advocate that all new buildings be carbon

neutral by 2030, using zero fossil fuels to operate. The AIA’s policy is to promote sustainable design and conservation practices to achieve by 2010 a minimum reduction of 50 percent of the current consumption level of fossil fuels used to construct and operate buildings. In support of these efforts, more than 532 mayors representing more than 66 million Americans have signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Among other actions, this agreement commits participating cities to urge their state governments and the federal government to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target for the United States suggested in the Kyoto Protocol.

For campus communities, the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment has been signed by 302 presidents of U.S. higher education institutions. This commitment is a pledge to begin immediately reducing greenhouse gas emissions and buy renewable energy.

The federal government, the country’s largest building owner, continues to be under executive orders requiring significant energy-use reductions. Private businesses, too, are voluntarily initiating LEED^®( Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards for new buildings and becoming more sensitive to the public’s desire for green products and services.

Energy conservation is undoubtedly good for our nation’s long-term well-being. I am greatly encouraged by the renewed

interest in energy-use reduction in buildings exhibited by these and other initiatives. In fact, I have not seen this much interest in building energy conservation in 20 years. Calls for “zero energy buildings,” however, make me pause. Simply reading that headline brings to mind futuristic-looking buildings with solar collectors, wind mills, etc., as power sources. I envision miles of piping and electrical distribution wires rendered obsolete by buildings that don’t need energy.

Fortunately for energy suppliers, the zero energy portion of the headline really refers to zero fossil energy consumption, achieved through innovative design, energy conservation, waste energy recovery and the purchase of energy from renewable energy sources. A move to zero energy buildings should be seen as a great opportunity for district energy rather than as a move to reduce district energy importance. No other utility is as intimately involved with customer buildings or offers a better opportunity to tailor energy supply to customer wants and needs. District energy systems are uniquely suited to help customers achieve their conservation goals and, by working together with them, select fuel sources that will ensure a sustainable energy future.

Here are a few suggestions for system operators wishing to support the zero energy quest. Become knowledgeable about programs such as LEED, the President’s Executive Orders, ASHRAE Standard 90, the new ASHRAE Standard 189 (Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings), the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and the

A move to zero energy buildings
should be seen as a great oppor-
tunity for district energy rather
than as a move to reduce district
energy importance.

American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Review proposed legislation and goals set by federal, state and local communities for renewables and energy conservation.