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12/31/08 8:18 AM by Duane Jonlin

If we are serious about the urgency of the need to begin conserving significant energy right now, and if the benefits of energy conservation accrue to society generally, then energy conservation should be no more "voluntary" than accessibility, fire safety or seismic safety. One exception, to allow flexibiliity for unusual situations, is that energy perfomance below the new code minimums could be allowed upon payment of an additional permit fee, and money from those fees would then be provided as incentives for projects that perform well above code minimum. Along with allowing some flexibility, this would fund innovative design approaches for higher-performing buildings. A phased or stepped introduction to more stringent energy codes might be appropriate, but only if the details of the phases are published at the very beginning. A performance-based code option would be ideal for a stepped approach, as the target energy performance could incrementally change each year. Increments in prescriptive codes should be limited to several critical components, keeping as much of the code as possible consistent from year to year.

12/16/08 8:02 PM by Dr. Arun Jhaveri

In order to accomplish the MINIMUM 20% Building Energy Reduction Goal for all Existing Buildings in Seattle by 2020, it is absolutely critical that both the Building Owners and Occupants, in technical/financial coordination with the City Staff, Utilities, and Technical Consultants, develop a realistic Action Plan of Implementing Life Cycle Cost-Effective Energy Efficiency Measures, resulting in quantifiable Energy/Cost Savings, monitored by these entities.

12/15/08 1:37 PM by Jennifer Lail - DPD Green Buildings

KEY QUESTIONS: ? Can a voluntary approach meet the Mayor?s 20% efficiency goal? ? Which policy elements, if any, should be mandatory for new and existing buildings? ? How could we best measure whether voluntary components are successful? ? If phasing is considered, at what point should mandatory measures replace (or reinforce) voluntary policies?

  3 total comments