Environmental Goals & Building Regulations
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On Thursday, February 28, the monthly Boulder Tomorrow membership breakfast meeting welcomed three speakers to discuss the City of Boulder's environmental policy goals and the city's evolving regulations on commercial buildings. Over 40 attendees at the Spice of Life Events Center heard details from Johnathan Koehn, Manager of the city's Office of Environmental Affairs; Neil Poulsen, the city's Chief Building Official and Jeff Wingert with the W.W. Reynolds Company.
Koehn began with an overview of the city's greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals articulated in the Climate Action Plan (CAP). The city's analysis of GHG sources indicates commercial buildings produce 38% of the city's total, more than any other category. By 2012, the CAP calls for a 500,000 KwH reduction in energy use by the commercial sector. "We have to be innovative to address the needs of businesses," said Koehn. "We have some robust expectations from City Council and the City Manager; we are prepared to move forward but we want your feedback."
By comparison, Koehn described that the residential sector contributes 17% of the city's GHG emissions and has been receiving the bulk of programming efforts so far. "Commercial is the track we need to step onto and we need to figure out how we can better get at that sector. We have our work cut out for us." Poulsen agreed that often the emphases on energy efficiency programs are focused on residential property. "Commercial property is the sacred cow of energy programs. We made a lot of changes in residential construction regulations this year, and now we have a mandate from City Council to look at the commercial side."
Koehn said the city is developing a foundation to support the commercial sector's GHG reduction efforts through methods such as formal workshops, programs, energy audits, rebates and the Trade Ally Network, an organization of contractors and service providers offering expertise and best practices for commercial property owners. Paulsen described the current regulations for energy efficiency focus on the building envelope, mechanical systems, water heating and electrical power and lighting. "These are pretty simple standards compared to residential," he said. Staff will be looking at these categories for potential increased standards for efficiency ratings, more in line with the requirements recently implemented residential Green Points program.
In considering new regulations and programs to incent GHG reductions, Koehn said coupling incentives with regulatory requirements is very important. Numerous options such as density bonuses, parking space reductions and fee rebates are already on the table. "We are looking to develop a code that is implementable, not too draconian and practical," he said. "We want to hear from you on how to design this. We're finding there is very little out there in terms of commercial codes for us to model, we are leading the pack."
Koehn and Poulsen provided the audience with examples of their efforts to solicit concerns as well as provide clarification on the city's goals. For example, the Office of Environmental Affairs is working with the Planning & Development Services to develop a code, and a lot has been learned by the process that developed the residential code. They are working with the Consortium of Cities Energy Strategies Task Force and the Governor's Energy Office. Staff also hears from business community members on the Climate Action Plan Advisory Group.
Koehn said there is no intention to make LEED standards the city's code, although the standards in LEED are used as a guide. (LEED is "Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design" a nationally accepted system of benchmarks for green design, construction and functionality.) Koehn requested the audience consider two key questions: What concerns and questions do you have about the city's effort to create green commercial regulations, and what other issues should staff consider during their research? "We want to know so we can be sensitive to your concerns," said Koehn. Discussion later in the program addressed these points.
Jeff Wingert provided details to W.W. Reynolds' recent development at 1155 Canyon, which was designed with LEED Silver certification standards. He stressed that the effort up front in design maximizes LEED potential, and this kind of development is a win-win for the city and his company. "It is important to recognize the value that is created by this design for both residential and commercial property," said Wingert. "We see this as a hedge against rising energy costs and lowered operating costs leads to better base rent rates. The design is also more marketable for residential sales and as a lease incentive."
