Tour
of Baltimore Green Building Shows Response to High Energy Prices
Baltimore—A
new report released by Environment Maryland Research & Policy Center finds that the country's energy
consumption could be cut by 11 percent through simple building efficiency
measures. Nearly half of the energy we
use in the United States—10
percent of the energy in the world—is consumed powering the buildings in which
we live and work, and much of that energy is wasted. “Building an Energy-Efficient America: Zero Energy
and High Efficiency Buildings” describes the many opportunities for increasing
energy efficiency in buildings and makes recommendations for what local, state
and federal officials can do to secure huge energy savings in new and existing
buildings.
“With global warming looming and energy prices soaring, we
need to be doing all we can to save energy,” said Environment Maryland Policy
Associate Michael Sherling. “We already
have the technology to slash our energy use in buildings, or even eliminate fossil
fuel use altogether. We need to take advantage of these
innovations and bring our homes and businesses into the 21st Century.”
“Building an Energy-Efficient America” describes policy
steps that states and the federal government must take in order to realize this
potential:
- Building energy codes should be improved and
enforced. National model codes should be 30 percent more efficient by 2010 and
state codes should match or exceed the model codes.
- Federal, state, and local governments should
adopt policies that encourage building far beyond code and retrofitting
existing buildings for increased efficiency.
- Policies should be designed to encourage on-site
renewable power.
- Political leaders should set the goal for all
new buildings to be zero net energy by 2030.
The energy savings that can be achieved through these
cost-effective policies cannot be understated.
- By 2020 we could reduce annual United States energy consumption by
11 percent through simple building efficiency measures such as more efficient lighting,
water heating, and appliances, and by designing new buildings to be more energy
efficient.
- Strong energy codes alone, adopted nationally
and adequately enforced, would reduce national energy consumption by 2 percent
by 2030.
-
One quad of energy gained through building
efficiency would cost $42.1 billion. This much energy would cost three times as
much gained through new coal plants, and five times as much through new nuclear
plants.
“An enormous amount
of energy is wasted in buildings, and capturing this energy is vital in order
to set America
on a new path to a cleaner, smarter energy future” said Stan Sersen, President of
the Baltimore Green Building Institute.
The first step hinges on an upcoming vote in September, when
officials from towns and cities across the country will be coming together to create the 2009 International
Energy Conservation Code (IECC) – the national model code most states use to
shape how new homes are constructed.
They’ll be voting on whether to include the 30% Solution, which would
require new houses to be 30 percent more efficient.
“Gas and electricity bills could be obsolete by the middle
of this century, and we can start by taking advantage of the large savings that
are already at our fingertips,” said Delegate Cheryl Glenn (Baltimore, District
45). “We need to make a commitment and work towards that vision of clean,
efficient, homegrown energy by making the most of the opportunities in front of
us right now.”
Another key step
towards modernizing our buildings is renewing the national energy tax credits. This package includes tax deductions and
bonds to help homeowners, builders and business owners construct buildings that
waste less energy and take advantage of solar power. The tax credits are set to expire at the end
of this year and have passed the U.S. House numerous times but have been
continually blocked by Senate Republicans.
Passing these tax credits would not only preserve support for clean
energy investment, one of the fastest-growing areas of our economy; the tax
credits would also help consumers save money by encouraging energy efficient
building. We thank Senators Mikulski and
Cardin for supporting these tax credits in previous votes.
“This is one of the most important energy votes of the
year,” said Mary Sloan Roby, Executive Director of the Herring Run Watershed
Association. “Mayors who send their officials to vote for the 30%
Solution won't just be saving their citizens money, they'll be helping the
entire country reduce energy waste and global warming emissions,” she added.
Many states are
already leading the way with building codes, incentives, and rules that set
strong minimum standards for efficient building and encourage efficiency far
beyond the minimum.
- Maine recently passed its first statewide
residential building energy code, which requires that the state continually
incorporate each update to the model code as its energy efficiency increases.
- Oregon enacted tax credits for energy-efficient
building practices in 2007, which can amount to thousands of dollars and large
percentages of the incremental costs.
- California, as part of its ground-breaking Million
Solar Roofs legislation, mandates that solar panels become a standard option
for all new houses by 2011.
The groups at today’s press conference
called on the state to enact new policies to encourage and require low-energy
building construction. These include mandating regular updates to the energy efficiency
requirements of building codes, using the latest standards developed by national
architectural associations; reducing energy consumption per square foot of
floor space by 15% by 2010 and 50% by 2020; and training contractors and local inspectors on energy efficiency.
Environment Maryland calls on
decision makers to make a commitment to do everything it will take to move
our country forward, and put ourselves on track to make all new buildings
zero-energy by 2030. In the short term,
this means passing the 30 Percent Solution, renewing the energy tax credits,
and updating Maryland’s
building codes.
