Incentives for Green Buildings in Jacksonville?

[Metro Jacksonville]

Incentives for Green Buildings in Jacksonville?



The Environmental Protection Board has drafted a Green Building Ordinance which will offer incentives to projects that have made a commitment to building responsibly.  Do you think local incentives should be given for green projects?

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http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/644

[jeh1980]

  I heard about those green buildings before. I think it's a sweet idea Bring'em on!

[ELeroyReed]

For those that would prefer to e-mail their written comments on the issue, you can send them to Christi Veleta, Programs Administrator for the Environmental Protection Board, at veleta@coj.net.

Be sure your voice is head on this subject!  Green building reduces the burden on our landfills, our natural resources, improves health and well-being of those in the building, and decreases energy use.

Can't go wrong with that, eh?

Ellen Leroy-Reed, LEED AP
Public Advocacy Chair
US Green Building Council, North Florida Chapter

[Jason]

Ellen,  in your opinion what would you say is the single most important aspect of a LEED certified building and are there any relatively easy/inexpensive ways to retrofit existing buildings to become "more green"?

[ELeroyReed]

The most important aspect of LEED certification in my opinion?  Arguably,  (and it certainly depends on the goal of the building owner) energy efficiency.  It's the one aspect of green building that crosses over into all of the LEED credits.  A project can realize a reduction in energy use not only by optimizing their building's efficiency, but also by encouraging alternative transportation (use less vehicle energy), by sourcing regional materials (decreasing embodied energy), by using recycled materials (for the same reason)...  the list goes on.  It also depends on how you view energy efficiency.  If you're looking just at the bottom line costs of running the building, or if you're looking at energy use on a global level...

What can we do for very little cost in existing buildings?  Develop green housekeeping programs that improve the indoor air quality for the building's occupants.  Implement a green procurement program so that recycled and regional materials are a priority.  Ensure that the building's HVAC systems are in good, working order and filtered properly.  Install lighting fixtures that have motion or light sensors (so that they turn off when no one is using the space, or turn off when daylight is sufficient to light the space).  Provide task lights for individuals instead of lighting a huge room.  Consider low-flow (or waterless) options in restrooms. 

Also, my idea of 'little cost' may conflict with your idea of 'little cost'.  And, when you weigh in Life-cycle costs, the up-front cost of installing low-flow toilets may see realized savings in water costs over a few years.  Depends on how your budget works.  Hiring a commissioning agent to ensure that your building systems are running optimally may save you buckets of money if your systems are burning energy from inefficiency.  Just depends...  :-)

In my opinion, taking small steps to 'green' a building is better than taking no steps at all.  I'm excited to see that more people are taking those small steps because it will make the bigger steps easier in time.  And, it's great to see these discussions taking place!  Thanks so much for asking the question. 

Regards,

Ellen Reed, LEED AP

[Ocklawaha]

Green buildings in Jacksonville? We have the green lights on top of some over at the Fuller Warren, then there is the BOA(*) building which is black, Modis and CSX are sort of blue... but green? Wouldn't that look sort of "1950's medical clinic modern", Oh I dunno, too Funky for me!

(*) Old Hippies Note: this is Bank of America, and NOT "Black Oak Arkansas"...

All kidding aside, I love GREEN buildings, other countries are light years ahead of us (that's US) in this area. In Colombia or Germany one "LIVES GREEN" and would not THINK of tossing a used AAA battery in the trash. No one would dare put glass in the metal container. Everyone drinks bottled SPRING water. The buildings bring in the outside, the heat in the cool times and the cool on the hot days. The buildings breathe, they take on their own life, in some cases in the tropics it is hard to define when one is inside or outside. Again, we talk of third World... Folks, those little countries in the Andes and from Panama to Chile, they are so far ahead of us, we couldn't get a radar fix on them! Perhaps it's high time we join the party... LEAD ON JACKSONVILLE! DO IT!

Ocklawaha

[raheem942]

green saves gren so i for change no mater what the essinatal cost will be

[Jason]

What can we do for very little cost in existing buildings?  Develop green housekeeping programs that improve the indoor air quality for the building's occupants.  Implement a green procurement program so that recycled and regional materials are a priority.  Ensure that the building's HVAC systems are in good, working order and filtered properly.  Install lighting fixtures that have motion or light sensors (so that they turn off when no one is using the space, or turn off when daylight is sufficient to light the space).  Provide task lights for individuals instead of lighting a huge room.  Consider low-flow (or waterless) options in restrooms. 

The Florida Energy Code is now starting to require lighting control systems of many different variations to do just that.  As an electrical designer I deal with increasingly stricter guidlines with respect to energy consuption by the lighting and power systems.  These new code revisions have certainly pushed this state toward greener building practices and therefore the lighting industry is "forced" to continually research and implement more effecient fixtures and systems.  With the use of occupancy sensors, building automation, and daylight shedding, newer buildings are more effecient by default.  I, for one, love the concept of only illuminating the area of task versus flooding the entire space with light that is simply wasted.  My firm's mechanical department is also increasingly tasked with implementing more effecient HVAC equipment and systems that consume less energy as well. 

Thanks to the state and local codes we are already enjoying buildings of a higher standard then before.  The problem I see, at least in the short-term, is that taking these systems to the next level is much more expensive and doesn't seem to be offering the paybacks that would be expected by most.  Incentives would be a fantastic way to offset the steep upfront costs of implementing these systems.  What other ways are you familiar with there to help increase payback and garner further support of these sometimes costly green practices?

[RiversideGator]

If the photo above is an example of a "green" building, then I say bring on the pollution.