I attended a class/discussion on geothermal energy today. The room was full of architects, engineers, installers, drillers, manufacturers, politicians and people just interested in the ideas. The morning outlined the many benefits. The EPA says it is the best way to heat and cool a space. They said that back in 1993. I am concerned that our government has not started to provide incentives or education about this topic. My paper is on green design and the cost or lack of education behind it. For this specific topic of green design, the cost and the lack of education are major factors. The morning consisted of installers, drillers, and manufacturers showing us the cost comparison. The payback time can be five years. (Solar can take a lot longer in many applications.) It was very encouraging. After lunch, the politicians started. People from Pulte homes gave their two cents on why they never incorporate it into their 500,000 plus homes they have built. They said if people can't see it, they don't want to pay for it. The code experts for the New England states explained the regulations. The federal tax credit for this type of energy is $300. What does that cover? The cost to fill out the paperwork? The regulations are almost non-existent yet vary immensely from state to state. For a technology that has been around as long as I have been alive, I would have thought there would be some consistency in regulations. Solar and wind power provide tax incentives to people that install them. Why has geothermal energy been left out? So, essentially, I just wanted to see what anyone else was experiencing in their states. I had never seen the data to back up the use of geothermal energy before today. I would love to advocate it to clients but the current regulations and lack of tax incentives make the higher cost a hard sell. Anyone with experience?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
WHY CONSUMERS DON’T CHOOSE GREEN-first draft
Here is a copy of my first draft/notes/ideas.
Purchasing a new home is one of the most expensive purchases a person will ever make. Whenever a new client comes into our office, they start listing off the requirements. They want four bedrooms, two and a half baths, two car garage, large kitchen and 4000 square feet. No where in that list is a requirement for sustainable products, an energy efficient home, solar power, etc. Why is it that consumers don’t ask for green homes?
After looking into the many resources the world wide web offers, it’s quick to see they have been caught in a web of myths, truths and everything in between. Green design is talked about everywhere. The problem is that not all of it is true. Some of the information out there is very outdated, which is a large concern when it comes to cost. Over the last 10 years costs have gone down over 20% on average for green products. It is becoming more affordable everyday. As an architect, I feel it is my duty to separate the truths from the myths and educate my clients on what it means to be green (and how they are keeping green in their pocket).
What is sustainable, green design: The United Nations Environmental Programme defines sustainable as “…meeting the needs of the people today without destroying the resources that will be needed…by persons in the future; based on long range planning and the recognition of the finite nature of natural resources…” I have some other definitions to discuss here. This paragraph really defines what I am talking about.
I want to discuss the example of the first LEED certified building in the Northeast. It is still on the market. It is a 4500 square foot dream house located in a sustainable development. Why has it not sold? (I am still looking into this more. I have tried talking to the real estate agent but they aren’t really interested in me) The rest of the development offers more affordable homes (not LEED certified but green) and those have almost all sold out. So does this tell us that the ones looking for green homes are the most cost conscientious? Are they after the long term savings? Why are some people choosing green and others are not?
My many discussions with friends, clients and colleagues has led me to believe that everyone is still afraid of higher costs, both in the beginning and in the long term maintenance. I have been able to research both of these and simply put, the costs are not necessarily higher.
Many different studies have been done in the past five years regarding the cost of green design. Davis Langdon did a cost analysis of 138 buildings, 93 non-LEED and 45 LEED. The found there is “no one size fits all answer to the question of the cost of green.” Most of the buildings were able to achieve their LEED goals with out any additional funding. The ones that did require additional funding used it for features such as a photovoltaic system. (This study is great, it actually goes in depth into each point of the LEED certification costs to see where the costs go)
There is another cost analysis study that I am trying to find a free version of (it’s $49 to download) that specifically address residential green design. It covers 33 green projects and shows that the average increase at start up is 2% with a return on investment of 5-20% per year.
Green can be mainstream. Commercial examples of Toyota Plant, Disney, Washington State Government buildings, etc…. How we can transition this acceptance into residential. Prove there isn’t extra cost and people will follow?
So, not that we have proven that the cost is not the reason for a lack of desire for a green building, I have come to the conclusion that education is what is necessary. Integration is also vital. Everyone must work together early on in the project on everything. Everyone, early, everything.
Educate the architect: The construction industry is so set in it’s material choices that most architects don’t even question what kind of wall system to put in. Residential, oh, that a 2x6 exterior, blah, blah, blah. Instead, we need to start looking at what else can be done. Preparing ahead of time- designing the building smarter will allow more money to be spent on other things. Changing the orientation to passive heating/cooling will allow for a smaller HVAC system which will free up some of the budget to be spent elsewhere. Spend more money on upfront design.
Educate the consumer: Showing the return on investment is a great first step. Creating a zero-energy home. Showing them what the products look like. There are a lot of model homes for green design located all across the country. Tax incentives, mortgage incentives.
Educate the builder: Simply using different materials is a huge step for many builders. The trades have become very accustomed to using certain products a certain way. Putting together a source for green building materials and methods would be very beneficial. The USGBC does a lot of this already but not many people in the field take the time to look online at new products and techniques. How can we educate the builder?
The key steps to creating an affordable, residential green building can be put into six categories (Residential Green Building Guidelines).
1. Emphasize the four R’s.
a. Reduce
b. Reuse
c. Recycle
d. Renewable (sounds pretty familiar, right?)
2. Use Energy, Water and Resources Efficiently
3. Healthy Indoor Air Quality
4. Affordable Community
5. Development creates a sense of well-being
6. Building remains reasonably affordable (this is where the extra maintenance costs come in)
A great quote I want to use is from Neal Pierce of the Washington Post: “It seems obvious: the reason only a tiny percentage of new American buildings and retrofits aren’t green isn’t cost. It’s lack of ingenuity or knowledge of new construction techniques- architects and builders wed to the ‘same-old,’ lenders leery of anything unconventional…The fault also lies with national leaders unwilling to tell us in clear terms that a nation secure economically and environmentally and against foreign threat, means energy savings across the board—efficient and sustainable buildings included. It’s a message our current president apparently doesn’t comprehend, at least won’t articulate.”
I don’t want to get into the politics of it all but at the same time, if the President of the United States encourage more sustainable buildings, I am sure more would be done. The tax credits and incentives are hard to find if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for. Did you know you can get a special reduced mortgage?
I think this is the scope of what I am looking at for this paper. I could go on and on about all of the ways we can incorporate green design into residential construction, but that is another paper with a longer time frame.
Intro:
Why we don’t choose green
Definition
What is green
Cost Analysis
It’s not why we aren’t choosing green
Education
The truth behind us not choosing green
Integration
Architect, builder and client working together
Key steps we need to focus on
4 r’s, etc.
Plans for the future
How we can educate, integrate and get green design more mainstream
The resources I have found so far include:
(Most of these are from the web since I really wanted to see what is out there to educate consumers.)
www.usgbc.com
Davis Langdon analysis
Building Green in a Black and White World
Residential Green Building Guidelines
Costs and Benefits of Green Affordable Housing
www.natiogic.com: More on the Cost of Green
Neal Pierce articles from the Washington Post
www.cnn.com (money section devotes many articles to green)
Newsweek
www.buildinggreen.com
www.greenbiz.com
www.fanniemae.com (energy efficient mortgages, no it doesn’t mean less paperwork)
Purchasing a new home is one of the most expensive purchases a person will ever make. Whenever a new client comes into our office, they start listing off the requirements. They want four bedrooms, two and a half baths, two car garage, large kitchen and 4000 square feet. No where in that list is a requirement for sustainable products, an energy efficient home, solar power, etc. Why is it that consumers don’t ask for green homes?
After looking into the many resources the world wide web offers, it’s quick to see they have been caught in a web of myths, truths and everything in between. Green design is talked about everywhere. The problem is that not all of it is true. Some of the information out there is very outdated, which is a large concern when it comes to cost. Over the last 10 years costs have gone down over 20% on average for green products. It is becoming more affordable everyday. As an architect, I feel it is my duty to separate the truths from the myths and educate my clients on what it means to be green (and how they are keeping green in their pocket).
What is sustainable, green design: The United Nations Environmental Programme defines sustainable as “…meeting the needs of the people today without destroying the resources that will be needed…by persons in the future; based on long range planning and the recognition of the finite nature of natural resources…” I have some other definitions to discuss here. This paragraph really defines what I am talking about.
I want to discuss the example of the first LEED certified building in the Northeast. It is still on the market. It is a 4500 square foot dream house located in a sustainable development. Why has it not sold? (I am still looking into this more. I have tried talking to the real estate agent but they aren’t really interested in me) The rest of the development offers more affordable homes (not LEED certified but green) and those have almost all sold out. So does this tell us that the ones looking for green homes are the most cost conscientious? Are they after the long term savings? Why are some people choosing green and others are not?
My many discussions with friends, clients and colleagues has led me to believe that everyone is still afraid of higher costs, both in the beginning and in the long term maintenance. I have been able to research both of these and simply put, the costs are not necessarily higher.
Many different studies have been done in the past five years regarding the cost of green design. Davis Langdon did a cost analysis of 138 buildings, 93 non-LEED and 45 LEED. The found there is “no one size fits all answer to the question of the cost of green.” Most of the buildings were able to achieve their LEED goals with out any additional funding. The ones that did require additional funding used it for features such as a photovoltaic system. (This study is great, it actually goes in depth into each point of the LEED certification costs to see where the costs go)
There is another cost analysis study that I am trying to find a free version of (it’s $49 to download) that specifically address residential green design. It covers 33 green projects and shows that the average increase at start up is 2% with a return on investment of 5-20% per year.
Green can be mainstream. Commercial examples of Toyota Plant, Disney, Washington State Government buildings, etc…. How we can transition this acceptance into residential. Prove there isn’t extra cost and people will follow?
So, not that we have proven that the cost is not the reason for a lack of desire for a green building, I have come to the conclusion that education is what is necessary. Integration is also vital. Everyone must work together early on in the project on everything. Everyone, early, everything.
Educate the architect: The construction industry is so set in it’s material choices that most architects don’t even question what kind of wall system to put in. Residential, oh, that a 2x6 exterior, blah, blah, blah. Instead, we need to start looking at what else can be done. Preparing ahead of time- designing the building smarter will allow more money to be spent on other things. Changing the orientation to passive heating/cooling will allow for a smaller HVAC system which will free up some of the budget to be spent elsewhere. Spend more money on upfront design.
Educate the consumer: Showing the return on investment is a great first step. Creating a zero-energy home. Showing them what the products look like. There are a lot of model homes for green design located all across the country. Tax incentives, mortgage incentives.
Educate the builder: Simply using different materials is a huge step for many builders. The trades have become very accustomed to using certain products a certain way. Putting together a source for green building materials and methods would be very beneficial. The USGBC does a lot of this already but not many people in the field take the time to look online at new products and techniques. How can we educate the builder?
The key steps to creating an affordable, residential green building can be put into six categories (Residential Green Building Guidelines).
1. Emphasize the four R’s.
a. Reduce
b. Reuse
c. Recycle
d. Renewable (sounds pretty familiar, right?)
2. Use Energy, Water and Resources Efficiently
3. Healthy Indoor Air Quality
4. Affordable Community
5. Development creates a sense of well-being
6. Building remains reasonably affordable (this is where the extra maintenance costs come in)
A great quote I want to use is from Neal Pierce of the Washington Post: “It seems obvious: the reason only a tiny percentage of new American buildings and retrofits aren’t green isn’t cost. It’s lack of ingenuity or knowledge of new construction techniques- architects and builders wed to the ‘same-old,’ lenders leery of anything unconventional…The fault also lies with national leaders unwilling to tell us in clear terms that a nation secure economically and environmentally and against foreign threat, means energy savings across the board—efficient and sustainable buildings included. It’s a message our current president apparently doesn’t comprehend, at least won’t articulate.”
I don’t want to get into the politics of it all but at the same time, if the President of the United States encourage more sustainable buildings, I am sure more would be done. The tax credits and incentives are hard to find if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for. Did you know you can get a special reduced mortgage?
I think this is the scope of what I am looking at for this paper. I could go on and on about all of the ways we can incorporate green design into residential construction, but that is another paper with a longer time frame.
Intro:
Why we don’t choose green
Definition
What is green
Cost Analysis
It’s not why we aren’t choosing green
Education
The truth behind us not choosing green
Integration
Architect, builder and client working together
Key steps we need to focus on
4 r’s, etc.
Plans for the future
How we can educate, integrate and get green design more mainstream
The resources I have found so far include:
(Most of these are from the web since I really wanted to see what is out there to educate consumers.)
www.usgbc.com
Davis Langdon analysis
Building Green in a Black and White World
Residential Green Building Guidelines
Costs and Benefits of Green Affordable Housing
www.natiogic.com: More on the Cost of Green
Neal Pierce articles from the Washington Post
www.cnn.com (money section devotes many articles to green)
Newsweek
www.buildinggreen.com
www.greenbiz.com
www.fanniemae.com (energy efficient mortgages, no it doesn’t mean less paperwork)
Sunday, September 2, 2007
The Cost of Green Design
The web has more information than a person even knows what to do with it. I have been researching my topic this way in hopes of realizing why consumers don't choose green. The amount of material out there claims everything from it's cheaper to build green to it's 20% more expensive to build green. I have finally found some reliable resources, mostly issued from the green building council and state agencies, that have taken a real look at what these actual costs are. What I am finding is that there is no easy way for a consumer to make an educated decision when building a new home. There are more myths than truths. In order to make a green home, everyone needs to be on the same page. The client, the architect, the builder all need to work together to set priorities for the budget. Looking at siting, plantings and window placement will allow for a smaller HVAC system allowing more money to be spent on, say, solar energy. This type of planning ahead will allow for a "cheaper" design in the end. I want to look at these options and how working together will actually create a cost efficient design for the client. The myth that green buildings are more expensive will be proven inaccurate. Green building, when planned correctly, can cost the same upfront and save thousands in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)