Inside
Insights
Is Sustainable
Maintainable?
It’s not easy staying green
Steve Tredinnick, PE, Vice President of Energy Services, Syska Hennessy Group
ments that they actually won’t work properly. But what is going on and how does
this happen? Is everyone jumping on the
green band wagon for just for a label, or a
fancy plaque and the promised monetary
benefits that a green designation will
provide? What can we do to correct it?
A study released in March 2008
found that about 42 percent of
the LEED for New Construction
(LEED-NC) buildings fell short of
their energy targets.
Editor’s Note: “Inside Insights” is a column designed to address ongoing issues
of interest to building owners, managers
and operating engineers who use district
energy services.
Ilove the fall, not only because it is football season and I can watch a gazillion
games over the weekend – much to the
chagrin of my wife – but also because I
enjoy the crisp autumn air, visiting apple
orchards and pumpkin farms, and watching
the trees change to rich colors of orange,
gold and red. Awesome! (This is where the
northern clime really shines. It gives us a
treat before we have to hunker down for
the winter months.)
Unfortunately, fall is also when the
greens of spring and summer eventually
wither and turn brown, which is analogous
to the brown on the top of my head turning
gray. (I have two teenagers now.) Not so
awesome. I am mindful, however, of the
sage advice of a mentor, former IDEA
president and torchbearer for the district
energy industry (who shall remain nameless,
but you can probably figure it out) that
“hair of any color is better than none”!
But I digress.
So if Mother Nature’s colors tend to be
an ever-changing hue, can anything really
remain green? That is precisely the concern
of some industry leaders, such as ASHRAE
President Bill Harrison, and his consternation does not pertain to leaves or hair color.
As stated in his incoming message to the
membership (“Maintain to Sustain –
Delivering ASHRAE’s Sustainability Promise,”
August 2008, ASHRAE Journal), there is a
great deal of focus on the design of green
high-performance buildings, but after a
few years of operation some are about as
successful as the greening of Al Gore’s
Tennessee residence: They actually use more
energy than before or than anticipated – not
quite what sustainability is all about.
There are many examples of LEED®-
certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings that are not performing as calculated and are really using
more energy than comparable non-LEED
buildings. A study released in March 2008
found that about 42 percent of the LEED
for New Construction (LEED-NC) buildings
fell short of their energy targets. Wow.
That is kind of staggering. In other words,
only 58 percent of the buildings met their
efficiency goals. Some of this could be
point-grabbing or simulating a building
system with so many efficiency enhance-
As my bio states, I also am active in
ASHRAE at the society level where, though
my involvement mostly pertains to district
energy and central plants, I am aware of
the society’s strategic plans. (The organization’s recently updated strategic plan can
be found at www.ashrae.org/aboutus/
page/248). The current plan outlines goals
and how ASHRAE should be flexible to
accommodate industry changes and needs.
Not surprisingly, ASHRAE desires to be the
world leader in green building design,
energy efficiency and high-performance
building design. In that vein, President
Harrison has tasked the technical membership of the society to accomplish the following, with an emphasis on operations,
maintenance and training:
Establish Technical Resource Group (TRG)
7 on Tools for Sustainable Building Operations, Maintenance and Cost Analysis –
including the development of guidelines
for high-performance building and operations and maintenance procedures.
Form TRG- 4 on Sustainable Building
Guidance and Metrics, concerned more
with development of design guidance
and performance metrics on sustainable
buildings.
Have the local ASHRAE chapters reach
out to educate the membership of sister
societies (e.g., Building Owners and
Managers Association International, International Facility Management Association,
American Society for Healthcare Engineering, Chartered Institution of Building
Services Engineers, and APPA: The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers.)
as well as other organizations (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American
