The Weekly Bulletin to 7/11/14

Summer is now in full swing, but the green buildings haven't stopped rolling.

First of all, big news is that the property-assessed clean energy (PACE) finance legislation we have been working on with Senator Brian A. Joyce has PASSED yesterday at the Statehouse. Senate Bill 2255 (replaced S.177) earned unanimous approval on a roll call 38-0 vote. The bill goes to the House - so we still have work to do but it is looking like the rejuvenation of PACE in Massachusetts is moving forward. We can expect to see a lot more renewable energy, energy retrofits and resiliency investments in the coming years. I haven't found any news item on this yet, but we will report to you all as soon as we see something.

Newly LEED Certified Buildings since the beginning of July include:

• 300 Concord Road in Billerica MA, certified LEED EB:OM v2009. This is a 378ksf office building. Congrats to Gary Thomas (LEED Project Admin) at CBRE and the entire team.
• UMass Amherst - Hampshire Dining Commons (40,000sf) just attained Gold in LEED NC v2009. Congrats to Dee Spiro at Bergmeyer and that team on a great job.

The UMass Amherst Hampshire Dining Commons

Upcoming events for the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter:

• 7/16 (Wednesday) at 4:30pm - Credential-maintenance webinar on Green Schools (and new construction) in Boston. The story of the Hood River Middle School. 
• 7/17 (Thursday) at 5:30pm - Healthcare Focus Networking Night at Spaulding Rehab Hospital in Charlestown. Join our sponsor, AtSite, to hear about the facility, designed for resiliency, with our tour guides from the architects, Perkins+Will.
• 7/23 (Wednesday) at 6pm - our Oceanview Summer Social in Boston - put on by our Emerging Professionals and open to all. Come for free appetizers from our event sponsor Forbo Flooring. It will be a great time!

Thank you for your support. See you soon.

Another picture at UMass Amherst: any guesses?

To Net Meter or Not to Net Meter...

By Craig Foley, ReMax Leading Edge

H. 4185 "An Act relative to net metering and solar power" is a compromise between Massachusetts utility companies, the solar power industry, and the state regulating bodies that administer the SREC program, MA DOER, as well the state body that regulates utility rates, the the DPU.

The bill makes five changes to existing solar policies:

1. Net metering would be unaltered and its cap eliminated.
2. Virtual net metering customers would be reimbursed at a lower rate to cover their use of the distribution system.
3. The solar renewable energy credit (SREC) incentive system would be replaced by a performance-based, declining tariff incentive.
4. All utility customers would be subject to a minimum bill.
5. Governor Deval Patrick’s ambitious target of 1,600 megawatts of installed solar capacity would become a legally binding mandate. (The 2007 goal of 250 MW of solar capacity, originally set for 2017, was reached in 2013; we now have over 500 MW of installed solar capacity in MA).

The main purpose for the bill is that the state's grid has approached the previous ceiling of a 3% cap on net metering relative to peak load of each of the Massachusetts utility companies. If your project does not qualify to be included within the cap, it cannot earn utility payments for the excess (net) energy it produces. Without expanding, or removing the cap as H.4185 would allow, the rapidly expanding solar PV industry in MA could come to a grinding halt. The bill trades removing the cap for allowing the DPU to find a suitable minimum bill for all utility customers in the Commonwealth to support grid reliability. It also replaces the SREC program with a new declining tariff incentive; both the specific details on the minimum bill charge and the tariff would be fleshed out at a later date.

The bill is complicated with many question marks about the specific details on how this would affect rate-payers left unanswered. There is no question, however, that removing thenet metering cap is seen as a priority by legislators, state commissioners, and the Governor. 

Given that the bill is as complex as it is, it is questionable whether it will be passed by the end of this legislative session at the end of the month. That being said, there is support of the bill by much of the solar industry, environmentalists, the commissioners at MA DOER and the DPU, and the utility companies - a rare blend of bedfellows.

Residential Committee Presentation on LEED v4 Changes from Will D'Arrigo

By Peter Sun, Residential Green Building Committee

During June 9^th USGBC meeting Will D’Arrigo from Conservation Services Group gave members a comprehensive review of LEED for Homes v4. Many changes were made to the latest version of LEED for Homes and members had an opportunity to discuss these changes.

The effects of the adjustments to the LEED rating system has yet to be seen but overall LEED seems to be raising the bar on sustainable development compared to code driven development. For example, the Location and Transportation credit category now includes a prerequisite on floodplain avoidance; presumably, to address flooding and sea level rise. In category Location and Transportation (LP), prerequisite 1: prohibits building on FEMA 100 year flood plain unless the building is elevated. If the building is outside the United States then you must use a local equivalent program. The 100 year flood does not mean the frequency is every 100 years, rather it means that in any given year there is 1% chance of it occurring. According to FEMA, flooding is the most destructive natural disaster type in America. More recently, Hurricane Arthur not only delayed July 4^th fireworks celebration but also caused flash flooding in Westport, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Wareham, and Plymouth. Below is a flood map displaying flood zones in Boston.    

Another change to the LEED rating system was the Energy and Atmosphere category prerequisite: Minimum Energy Performance. The new prerequisite required newly built homes to meet Energy Star V.3. for Homes, have at least one Energy Star qualified appliance installed in each unit, and to thermally insulate ducts. The discussion on Energy Star Homes was lively, as member Caitriona Cooke from Conservation Services Group highlighted the fact that there has been a drop in Energy Star for Homes certification since it upgraded from v2.5 to v3 due to more stringent requirements. This is of importance to LEED because in LEED for Homes v4 Energy and Atmosphere credit category it requires Energy Star for Homes v3 & a HERS rating of 70. The discussion mentioned how builders reacted to the step up in requirements for Energy Star for Homes v3. Other changes mentioned include rating system selection and point floor structure.

Other changes to the rating systems were introduced and each member got an opportunity to express their views and opinions.  

The next Residential Green Building Committee meeting will be July 14th at 5:45pm at 281 Summer Street in Boston. See you there!

Mini Grants Available for Green Apple Day of Service Projects

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The USGBC MA Chapter will again participate in Green Apple Day of Service (GADOS) to advance healthy, sustainable schools in 2014! 

In 2013 Massachusetts had 50 projects registered across the State, including 15 Boston Public Schools. Projects ranged from a ribbon cutting ceremony to introduce a therapeutic walking path, to a Green Apple Week that surveyed the school for energy conservation opportunities. 

For 2014 the USGBC MA Chapter is offering mini-grants that will provide $400 for qualified GADOS projects. There are currently 6 mini-grants provided by NSTAR for energy saving GADOS projects and 1 from Capitol Waste Services for any GADOS project. See our GADOS Mini-Grant webpage for information about eligibility and to apply. 

Note that Green Apple Day of Service projects don't need to happen on September 27th – there is flexibility in choosing a day for your event. More GADOS information and resources can be found by visiting the USGBC MA Green Apple Day of Service webpage.

For questions about the GADOS Mini-Grants contact Steve Muzzy, Green Schools Program Manager at smuzzy@usgbcma.org


Many thanks to our GADOS Mini-Grant Sponsors

Granny Smith

Pippin