In light of the positive news from AIA concerning progress toward its 2030 Commitment targets, it’s nice to see the AEC community showing resolve in this highly charged, post-Paris Climate Accord pullout political environment.
The number of firms involved in AIA’s voluntary pact to slash energy consumption in buildings grew to more than 400 in July. A select number of design practices have already exceeded the initiative’s ambitious target of a portfolio-average predicted energy savings of 70% or greater. To date, more than 330 individual projects designed by 2030 Commitment signatories met or exceeded this target.
If AIA’s estimates are accurate, the environmental and economic impacts of 2030 Commitment projects are significant. The collective potential energy savings from 2016 projects represents 16.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, or the equivalent of operating five coal-fired power plants in a given year. The projects also represent more than $1.4 billion in annual energy cost savings.
Impressive, right? But is it enough?
Perhaps not when you consider the types of projects AIA members (and most other AEC firms) work on: primarily new construction, mid- to large-size in scale.
The sleeping giant in the race to slash total energy consumption in the U.S. buildings market is the existing building stock—especially small to mid-sized commercial buildings (50,000 sf or smaller). Retail stores, gas stations, banks, office buildings, schools, auto sales centers—these structures make up 94% of the commercial property stock and represent half of the total square footage. Collectively, they consume 44% of the energy used in all buildings in the U.S., according to DOE.
There is an enormous opportunity to effect change on a wide scale through the deep energy retrofitting of existing commercial buildings. Yet to date, very little progress has been made, according to Jennifer Thorne Amann, Buildings Program Director with Washington, D.C.-based American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. In a new white paper, Thorne Amann breaks down the numbers: Of the 332 zero-energy and ultra-low-energy buildings tallied by the New Buildings Institute, only 35 are retrofit projects. Of these, nine were verified as ZEB.
An estimated two billion sf of commercial floor space—2.2% of the total square footage—is retrofit each year, with an average energy-use reduction of 11%. “While this retrofit rate would cover roughly one-third of the existing commercial building stock by 2030, unless the resulting energy savings substantially improve, these retrofits will fall far short of the energy savings goals adopted by states and cities,” says Thorne Amann.
Read her white paper: http://tinyurl.com/ACEEEwp
Related Stories
| Jun 11, 2012
SimplexGrinnell highlights integrated suite of web-based technologies at NFPA Expo
eservices platform uses the power of the Internet to deliver more value to customers.
| Jun 8, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions provides consulting for renovation at Tufts School of Dental Medicine
Project receives LEED Gold certification.
| Jun 7, 2012
Stantec publishes 2011 corporate Sustainability Report
Stantec's fifth annual Sustainability Report was prepared in accordance with the internationally recognized G3.1 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, developed by the Global Reporting Initiative.
| Jun 6, 2012
SOM urges Chicago tenants to partner with landlords to cut energy use
Tenants can exceed building energy challenge targets recently announced by Mayor Emanuel.
| Jun 1, 2012
New BD+C University Course on Insulated Metal Panels available
By completing this course, you earn 1.0 HSW/SD AIA Learning Units.
| Jun 1, 2012
AIA 2030 Commitment Program reports new results
The full report contains participating firm demographics, energy reduction initiatives undertaken by firms, anecdotal accounts, and lessons learned.
| May 31, 2012
AIA Course: High-Efficiency Plumbing Systems for Commercial and Institutional Buildings
Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam.
| May 31, 2012
2011 Reconstruction Awards Profile: Ka Makani Community Center
An abandoned historic structure gains a new life as the focal point of a legendary military district in Hawaii.
| May 31, 2012
5 military construction trends
Defense spending may be down somewhat, but there’s still plenty of project dollars out there if you know where to look.
| May 30, 2012
Construction milestone reached for $1B expansion of San Diego International Airport
Components of the $9-million structural concrete construction phase included a 700-foot-long, below-grade baggage-handling tunnel; metal decks covered in poured-in-place concrete; slab-on-grade for the new terminal; and 10 exterior architectural columns––each 56-feet tall and erected at a 14-degree angle.