CWEB.049/Jan. 26, 2000
Puget Sound Energy's Home Comfort Control pilot program will test a high-tech residential thermostat setback system that could have broader applications as an energy conservation/load-management technique and provide a gateway to other home automation services.
Home Comfort Control will use Puget's wireless automated meter-reading network to trigger periodic thermostat turndowns in 200 participating homes in Kent, WA. Customers will be able to override the setbacks manually or via the Internet when they are away from home. The pilot also will test adjustment of some hot-water heaters.
Puget plans to launch the program by the end of January and continue it through March, in partnership with CellNet Data Systems, Carrier Electronics and Silicon Energy Corp.
"We do see this as a potential for the next generation of conservation programs" as well as "a way to shape load," said Puget project manager Jerry Thomas. "We see this also as a way for the customer to have access to home automation, where a lot of very large dot-com companies have been heading." Although this test focuses on space heating and hot water, the technology "could be used to control a number of devices in the home," he noted.
Puget's primary interests in the program are to learn how the system works in practice and to determine potential benefits to customers and the utility.
"So far we haven't been made aware of any programmatic result where load-management schemes like this that control the interface with individual homeowners have delivered substantive value for broad-based utility load-management impacts," said Syd France, Puget conservation implementation manager. "On the other hand, we think it's just a matter of time before the technology reaches the point where we can have some substantive impacts for everybody."
New Application, Existing Technologies
In Home Comfort Control, said Thomas, "We're using existing technology in a way that has not been brought together before."
One of those technologies is Puget's CellNet-developed wireless automated meter-reading system, which is now in place for more than 600,000 of the IOU's 1.4 million electric and gas meters. "We really see strategically and financially the benefits of this automated meter-reading," said Thomas.
Exploring ways to take advantage of the wide-area network supporting the meter-reading system, Puget selected CellNet, through a bidding process, to work on Home Comfort Control. "Signals to the 'smart thermostats' will be relayed through CellNet's two-way wireless network," according to a Puget press release. Carrier Electronics will supply digital display thermostats for participating homes, and Silicon Energy is providing the Web-based software allowing remote thermostat access. Total cost of the test was unavailable, although Thomas described the venture as a joint effort. "I think Carrier and CellNet have just as high ambitions [as Puget] for long-term functionality and marketability and who knows what kinds of applications of this stuff," said France.
Thermostat setbacks for the 200 homes will take place about 10 times a month, for up to four hours and by no more than 6 degrees each time. "The goal of this is to find ways to trigger setback events without compromising the comfort" of customers, said Thomas. "We will not be just blindly doing setbacks," but will take into account outside temperatures, time of day and utility load period.
He emphasized customers can choose to override the setbacks any time, at home by pressing a button or elsewhere through a Web site. "The customer is always, 24 hours a day, in control of the heating and cooling system . . . It's a conservation program that the customer can actually opt in or opt out," if, for example, family members are home sick.
Customer Side
Thomas in early January reported "extremely high" preliminary interest in Home Comfort Control among Puget customers in Kent, south of Seattle. The community's demographics mirror those of Puget's entire service territory, he noted.
The utility plans to split the 200 participating single-family homes equally between electric and natural gas central heating systems. About 10 to 20 homes also will have their hot-water heating systems connected to the test, according to Thomas. "Those are the two biggest energy users in the home, a very large percentage of residential heating load . . . We feel we'll get the largest bang for the buck." Energy savings will be monitored and included in a post-test report.
Participating customers don't need Internet access, but Thomas noted Puget's suburban Seattle service territory is one of the most-wired in the nation. "Even for people without the Internet, they've got the ability to monitor and control their comfort and participation, real-time, on the thermostat." Those who join the test will receive a free new thermostat, a $50 participation fee and up to $50 more based on $2 to $3 "credits" each time they choose not to override setbacks.
"If we've found a way to reduce load, lower a customer's bill and the customer never even looks at the thermostat, we've got a winner," said Thomas.
Although this test focuses on single-family homes, he added that the system could eventually be adapted for commercial and industrial customers as well.
"We're committed to the technology to the point if the pilot is successful, if customers accept it, the technology works and the benefits both to the environment and the utility offset the cost, then there will be a widespread deployment within our service territory," Thomas said.
Cautionary Notes
Puget has confidence in the individual technologies lined up for the test, but Thomas acknowledged their combination has yet to be proven "in a field situation with real people and real-world conditions."
In addition, a few customers have wondered, according to Thomas, "'Is this a Big Brother move? What else can you control in my home? Is there a camera hidden in the system?' The answer to all those things is obviously no . . . This really does empower the customer to make a choice on how they're using their energy. Will that be perceived as a benefit or a nuisance? Preliminary reports are that it will be a benefit. Recruiting has gone extremely well."
But Doug Kilpatrick of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission takes a somewhat more skeptical view.
Kilpatrick acknowledged the technology is promising for utility load control, to help shape peaks and ease distribution system constraints. It could benefit ratepayers by reducing utility costs, he noted.
But as for a valued customer service, "That's sort of a stretch at this point," Kilpatrick said. Having the utility reset a home thermostat "doesn't sound like a service. It kind of sounds like a bother." Energy and money savings would be nominal for an individual customer. And using the Internet to turn down a thermostat while, for example, working late would likely only cross the minds of energy-conscious people.
"I have personally some questions about how this really might go in terms of a service for customers," said Kilpatrick.
Puget, too, is yet unclear whether this could be a value-added customer service, according to France.
Kilpatrick did note prospective niche applications, such as for homebound people with disabilities and in newer energy-efficient homes where thermostat setbacks wouldn't make it too cold for comfort. There could also be other home automation opportunities. Puget's pilot approach "seems like a reasonable way to start," he said.--Mark Ohrenschall
Bonneville Power Administration's future pursuit of conservation--specifically, how much and by what means--was debated Jan. 12 before the Northwest Power Planning Council in Tacoma.
Representatives of utilities, BPA, state government, conservation advocates and the energy efficiency industry weighed in on the Council's draft issue paper, "Bonneville Conservation Acquisition 2002-2006." Among the Council's suggestions is a minimum BPA target of 150 average megawatts of cost-effective conservation over the next five-year rate period. Some commenters at the Tacoma meeting thought 150 aMW mark too low, while at least one person considered it sufficient.
On the topic of how BPA should pursue conservation, some support emerged for the Council's draft recommendation to use competitive bidding. But another Council suggestion fell flat: modifying BPA's proposed energy conservation/renewable energy wholesale rate discount to function as a platform for more efficiencies by Bonneville customers.
The Council will incorporate these and other comments into a final issue paper.
The Number
The Council's proposed BPA conservation target of at least 150 aMW--roughly 30 aMW annually from fiscal years 2002 to 2006--reflects the projected Bonneville customer share of the average amount of regionally cost-effective energy savings the Council identified in its 1998 conservation and power plan.
Among those who think 150 aMW is about right is Jake Fey, energy services manager for Tacoma Power. "We don't take any exception to the number proposed," he told the Council.
Arguing for more were Jim Todd of Seattle City Light and Steve Weiss of the Northwest Energy Coalition.
"We believe Bonneville should take a robust and not a timid approach to conservation acquisition," said Todd. BPA's fears of losing load through rate-based conservation acquisition are "excessive and unrealistic," he argued. "BPA power is very attractive on the market and we have every reason to believe it will be more attractive in the future, not less."
Todd also thinks the Council's assessment of cost-effective conservation potential is too low, especially in the industrial sector. And he believes BPA would consider 150 aMW a maximum--not a minimum--in conflict with the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act's ranking of cost-effective conservation as the highest priority resource.
"We think Bonneville's share is probably more in the 250 megawatt range than the 150 megawatt range," NWEC's Weiss told the Council. The 150 aMW figure doesn't incorporate so-called pre-subscription sales, he said, and potential industrial sector savings and the value of energy efficiencies to transmission and distribution systems are underestimated. Weiss also supported fuel-switching and peak-shifting initiatives.
Weiss further criticized the Council's draft paper for its absence of renewable energy, which BPA could and should use as a means to augment its power supplies to meet anticipated higher loads.
Howard Schwartz of the state of Washington Energy Policy Group had this to say: "I think [up to 250 aMW] is going to be on the high end," although "a pretty defensible case could be made for it." He thinks the Council needs to further refine the number.
Stan Price, executive director of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council, called 150 aMW "a lot. If we can get that, great. We may talk about an even higher number." He advocated some urgency in the pursuit of "whatever the number becomes . . . We would encourage Bonneville engaging this issue immediately if not sooner, in order to maximize the opportunity to realize the potential." NEEC member businesses do the analyses, installations and other work "to make conservation savings happen," he noted, and those are "not a trivial pursuit."
Bonneville, meanwhile, is on board for at least the Council's draft recommendation. "BPA is fully committed to meeting or exceeding the 150 average megawatt target," said BPA's John Pyrch.
The Means to The Number
The Council draft paper suggests BPA can reach conservation goals through the conservation/renewables discount, low-income weatherization, market transformation via the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and initiatives to "augment" power supplies to meet anticipated higher loads. Specifically, the Council staff recommended BPA enhance the discount and use competitive bidding to gain energy savings.
Discount modification, however, gained no favor at the Tacoma meeting. "We do not support the staff recommendation to expand the BPA conservation and renewable program into an acquisition program," said Jim Sherrill of Parkland Light and Water. "We would be quite opposed to that, and we oppose anything that causes any delay in the BPA rate case" now under way for 2002-2006.
Fey concurred: "We've worked long and hard to work to a certain arrangement" with the discount. "We don't need to . . . muddy the water once again with sticking conservation acquisition in there."
Weiss called it "very difficult" to change the discount at this point, and in any case he doubts it will lead to substantial savings: "It's not a worthless program, but it's not going to acquire very much."
On the issue of BPA competitive bidding for efficiency initiatives, Sherrill voiced support--"A third-party provider is probably a good way to go"--while Fey and Weiss thought utilities should have first crack. Utilities would likely work with conservation contractors, Fey said, but, "If we're going to be obligated to reduce our [power] from Bonneville, we need to have contractual control."
Tacoma would consider BPA-backed bond-financed conservation, similar to a previous arrangement with BPA in the 1990s. "We're willing to offer something," he said, but, "We're not willing to go out and invest a lot of time competing, especially with what might be a limited amount of opportunities available."
Fey and Puget Sound Energy's George Pohndorf both spoke in favor of the Council paper's endorsement of Bonneville taking a "middle ground" approach to conservation, paying for savings to the extent a customer kept its load on the BPA system. This would strike a compromise between a conservation-as-long-term-investment approach and, alternately, pursuing conservation in a manner similar to short-term power purchases.
Pohndorf said Puget's current conservation strategy--focusing on information-based initiatives and limited utility payments for energy-saving measures--resembles the middle-ground approach. Despite some prior skepticism, "What we're finding, to our satisfaction, is [customers] actually are responding in a great number of cases in the last three years without much of a carrot."--Mark Ohrenschall
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Portland General Electric squeaked past its 1999 energy efficiency goal by an estimated .02 average megawatts.
The investor-owned utility announced in mid-January that its efficiency programs saved an estimated 6.2 aMW last year, barely exceeding the 6.18 aMW target from its least-cost plan. Most of those savings--nearly 4.9 aMW--accrued in the commercial and industrial sectors, with the remainder coming from the residential sector and Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance ventures.
PGE's 1999 numbers, though, are down considerably from the utility's conservation peak earlier in the decade. "We have ramped down," acknowledged PGE energy efficiency operations manager Shelley Martin.
From 1992 through 1994, according to the Northwest Power Planning Council's 1996 Green Book of utility conservation, Portland General reported total first-year savings of 50.3 aMW, with 21.3 aMW in 1994 alone. However, PGE conservation numbers have since fallen sharply. A 1998 Northwest Energy Coalition "utility scorecard" report showed that PGE's conservation investments as a percentage of total retail revenues fell from 2.46 percent in 1995 to about 1 percent or less in 1996 through 1998.
Although PGE has significantly lessened its conservation spending, the IOU hasn't abandoned the demand side, believes NWEC's Steve Weiss. "To their credit, I think they . . . seem to have a genuine real good effort." In addition, Weiss said the IOU is giving significant consideration to the transition to a public-purposes funding structure coming to Oregon in 2001 with electric industry restructuring.
"We know that the restructuring legislation will have an impact [on PGE energy efficiency efforts] but we don't know what that impact will be," said Martin. Portland General is "maintaining a flexible position to ensure minimal impact on our customers."
As for the recently announced PGE purchase agreement by Sierra Pacific Resources, "PGE and Sierra Pacific are in the same type of business and share similar values," said Martin. "PGE will remain locally managed and will continue to serve Portland residents and businesses with energy efficiency programs."
Meeting Customer Needs
Describing PGE's energy efficiency philosophy, "The goal is to meet the customer's needs," Portland General's Carol Brown told a utility energy services meeting in McMinnville, OR, in November.
The utility still offers some financial incentives for customers to gain added energy efficiencies, Martin noted. In the commercial/industrial sectors these include PGE funding for equipment upgrades (notably lighting), industrial processes, Earth 
Smart buildings and building commissioning. "What we try to do is tailor our programs and what we have to offer to meet the customer's needs," said Martin. PGE averages paying about 25 percent of the incremental cost of energy-efficient retrofits.
PGE also wants to provides customers with valuable and credible information from its energy efficiency staff of about 40.
"On the commercial and industrial side, it's not money for some people," Martin said. "What they're needing . . . is maybe an energy study." PGE representatives will visit businesses and examine energy-saving opportunities, or review proposals from other parties. "This is where the objective third party comes into play quite a bit," she noted. For example, PGE design assistance "has proved to be extremely valuable" through the Earth Smart commercial program.
1999 By The Numbers
More than three-fourths of PGE's reported 1999 energy savings came from commercial and industrial customers. The 4.88 aMW total resulted from 264 projects.
PGE has worked with, among other large customers, Intel Corp., Tektronix and The Boeing Co. A PGE news release reports that Intel expects to save almost 5 million kilowatt-hours annually from efficiency measures. Tektronix anticipates energy savings of nearly 3 million KWh from optimized cooling tower fan operations and a new, more efficient air compressor. Boeing's Portland facility installed energy-efficient lighting with anticipated annual savings of 7.2 million KWh.
PGE credits about one-fourth of the total commercial/industrial efficiencies to its industrial retrofit commissioning and industrial process programs. Most of the overall savings in those sectors came from lighting retrofits, according to Martin. PGE also operates an Earth Smart program for new construction and major renovations.
New construction for businesses typically takes years, and PGE anticipates many efficiency projects in this category will come through in the near future. "What we really did last year was beef up in the pipeline for this year and next year for new construction," Martin said. "We laid a lot of foundation and groundwork for future acquisition."
In 1999, Portland General also tallied .99 aMW of savings from Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance programs within its service territory, from ventures on lighting, clothes washers, windows, building operator training and manufactured housing.
On the residential side, PGE reported .34 aMW of improved efficiencies from 1999, and participation by more than 9,500 customers. The utility helped weatherize more than 1,200 homes and replaced more than 3,300 less-efficient water heaters. And local builders in 1999 agreed to construct 194 new homes to PGE's Earth Smart standards, although Martin said the savings won't start materializing until this year.
Looking ahead, PGE plans to keep its 2000 energy-saving target at the same 6.18 aMW as in 1999.--Mark Ohrenschall
Solar energy will serve as power supply and educational tool for selected Montana schools under a new renewable energy initiative funded by Montana Power public-purposes money.
Six middle and high schools in Montana Power distribution service territory will host grid-connected solar photovoltaic installations of up to 4 kilowatts per school. Participating schools also will integrate solar energy into their curriculum, as part of the Sun4Schools project led by the National Center for Appropriate Technology. Both the hardware and the curriculum are scheduled to be in place by next school year.
"It's exciting that it's involving kids," said Sun4Schools project leader Cathlene Svejkovsky of NCAT. "As our 
future energy users, we're hoping to have a real impact on them. It's more than just a visual; it's really going to involve the students, and I think that's the most important part of it."
Sun4Schools is one of a six NCAT solar programs funded by the universal system benefits charge collected by Montana Power under the state's 1997 electric industry restructuring act. Others involve a PV installation on the NCAT building in Butte, a residential PV group purchase project, solar design guidelines, solar demonstrations for low-income residences, and a Montana renewable energy Web site, according to NCAT.
Svejkovsky said the school solar initiative is not unique, as many U.S. states have similar programs. But she is unaware of such a program in the Northwest, or of any solar PV installations on Montana schools.
"We were looking for a project that would give us the most bang for the buck," she explained. "We wanted to do the demonstration, but also a more longer-lasting component, which is the curriculum." NCAT responded to a Montana Power request for proposals, and received funding for the six aforementioned solar projects. Sun4Schools has an overall budget of slightly more than $200,000.
"As natural centers of community activity, schools provide an excellent opportunity for students and the broader community to become more familiar with energy issues in general and solar energy technologies in particular," according to a Sun4Schools written summary. The combination of demonstration and curriculum can provide a learning experience, increase awareness, protect the environment, save money for schools and help overcome renewable energy market barriers.
School Criteria
Svejkovsky and NCAT are soliciting applications for potential school participants through Feb. 15. Newspaper articles around the state have drummed up some interest, she reported.
Any middle school or high school within Montana Power territory can apply for Sun4Schools. "There will be site considerations" for selection, according to Svejkovsky. Those include electrical system condition, sufficient roof area for PV, southern exposure, building structural integrity and accessibility.
The PV systems will be purchased and installed at no cost to participating schools, although they must accept full ownership (including any legal and financial obligations) and maintenance responsibilities. Schools also must be willing to work out net-metering agreements with Montana Power. As for the actual equipment, NCAT plans to seek bids for fixed PV systems in the range of 3-KW to 4-KW capacity. A 4-KW system should produce about 6,500 kilowatt-hours annually, a relatively small portion of a typical school's total load, although local variations will occur. Svejkovsky described Montana as having "pretty high solar potential," although more so in the central and eastern sections than the west.
Participating schools also need to commit to solar education. "Applicants will be judged on how they will use that solar demonstration as a learning tool, both for students in the school and the community at large," said Svejkovsky.
The curriculum has yet to be developed, but she plans to tap the abundant solar energy information available from government agencies and solar organizations. "It's going to be a matter of compiling a variety of existing materials into a nice stand-alone curriculum component." One likely learning opportunity: energy production by the PV systems will be monitored and available on the Internet at least daily.
Schools will have some flexibility to modify the curriculum, but, "They do have to agree to implement it in their classrooms and we're hoping that they'll do it as a complete unit," perhaps in science classes. The curriculum also will be available to other Montana schools not joining the solar demonstration project.
In addition to solar education in the classroom, schools will be required to have at least one community open house annually for five years.
After the application period closes Feb. 15, an evaluation team will select the winners by mid-March. Signed contracts should be done by April 15, and system installations are expected to be finished by mid-August, and quite possibly earlier. The curriculum will be sent out before school starts in Montana for the 2000-2001 year.--Mark Ohrenschall
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A software program from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory can help inform decisions on energy-saving retrofit projects.
Facility Energy Decision System (FEDS) offers detailed outputs on retrofit opportunites for facilities ranging from a single building to a huge complex to multiple sites. It provides a number of special features in its analysis, including life-cycle costs, fuel-blindness, impacts on peak demand, alternative financing options and environmental impacts. The software is intended for use by energy and facility managers, architects, engineers, consultants, utilities and government energy agencies.
PNNL created FEDS in the early 1990s, but only recently has the Richland, WA-based federal lab earnestly promoted the software as a comprehensive, easy-to-use and objective source of information on potential efficiency retrofits.
"Up until the last six months it's never been widely marketed," said PNNL's Rosemarie Bartlett. "Now we feel it's a pretty robust product with great features and we're making more of a push" to spread the word.
FEDS is available free to federal agencies and their contractors, partners in the Rebuild America program, and state and local governments. Others can purchase the software for $750 per copy. Training is also available.
FEDS in Use
Approximately 1,300 licensees now have FEDS software, according to Chip Larson, PNNL's national products and services manager for Rebuild America.
Many Rebuild America partners use FEDS to analyze numerous buildings in a facility for retrofit potential, he said. The software also has helped establish priorities, verify claims by outside parties and assess financial ramifications. Federal agencies have used FEDS to balance occasionally conflicting requirements to reduce energy consumption and save money.
At Lousisiana State University, FEDS has been incorporated as an educational tool. "The goal for the university is not so much energy efficiency as training students in how to work with people who are responsible for buildings, and to apply the academic knowledge they have learned," Larson said. "These students, once they are familiar with the software, will end up using that as one of their many tools."
In the Northwest, FEDS identified energy-saving opportunities for a police station under design for the city of Richland, WA, and specifically, alternatives to a domestic hot water loop system and controls. With this added information, the design team opted for a local gas water heater for showers and point-source heaters for other water uses, saving an estimated 12 percent in energy costs, according to Larson. Some lighting controls also were added to the final design.
As another regional example cited by Larson, four U.S. Coast Guard reservists were trained on FEDS software and then used it to assess retrofit potential at Coast Guard facilities along the West Coast.
Software Development
"The software was originally developed by folks here at the laboratory working on several military bases that had thousands of buildings and usually just one master meter," said Bartlett. "They had really no clue where energy was being used, or how to go about figuring out what to do to become more energy efficient."
PNNL wanted off-the-shelf software, she said, but found three limitations among available programs. One was the lack of life-cycle cost analysis, a federal requirement. Another was inability to gauge retrofit effects on peak demand, an important aspect because demand charges can be substantial. A third problem was fuel-bias.
FEDS addresses each of these three concerns, Bartlett said. The software now also includes analysis on different types of financing arrangements, such as equipment leases, utility and third-party loans, and performance contracting. Another feature accounts for the impacts of retrofits on emissions of six different pollutants.
How FEDS Works
"FEDS determines the optimum set of cost-effective retrofits from a current data base of hundreds of proven technologies," according to the software's Web site. "These include retrofits for heating, cooling, lighting, building shell, and hot water. Replacement or modification of the equipment for a retrofit operation varies from complete replacement to functional enhancements to fuel switching.
"FEDS relies on a minimum of user interactions and input to operate," it continues. "It begins with your entry of readily available energy data and building information about your installation. Next FEDS asks about your location, consumption, energy price data, building types, characteristics, operating hours, and utility incentives. From this information, FEDS developes a building prototype and inferred engineering parameters. The software calculates electrical demand and energy consumption and determines the cost effectiveness of potential retrofits . . . FEDS provides the user with the engineering parameters necessary to perform a comprehensive analysis."
FEDS comes up with what Larson called "a conservative, realistic number" for energy savings. He recommends using FEDS first, then moving to the likes of DOE-2 for the design process.
"It's a very powerful tool," said Bartlett. "Folks that have had to try to do this analysis using spreadsheets and so forth realize it would take them months."
FEDS may not be ideal for decision-makers interested only in quick paybacks, Larson acknowledged. "On the other hand, it can show them the best opportunities in the short run even if they choose not to do it from a long-term perspective." He thinks utilities can find value in FEDS as a customer service.--Mark Ohrenschall
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A widely supported and comprehensive green building program for Portland is all ready to go--now it just needs money.
The city of Portland's Green Building Initiative received unanimous support from the City Council Dec. 15, following nearly a year of preparatory work. The initiative focuses on expanding market demand and making green building easier to accomplish, through a four-point strategy of organization and policy development, demonstration projects, technical resources and outreach, and financial incentives.
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| Courtesy of Portland Green Building Initiative |
Now the trick is securing the planned $320,000 annual budget, which includes provisions for 5.5 full-time-equivalent city employees. "The next few months will be critical to see if we can get this thing funded," said project coordinator Rob Bennett of the Portland Energy Office. City general funds are one potential source, although he said those are "very tight this year." Grants also will be sought.
"We do have a lot of enthusiasm. We've gotten so much support," said Bennett. "And the City Council's been very supportive. I'm real hopeful they'll give us the green light and allow us to promote what's going to become the norm in the next five to six years, and get people excited to do their part to promote green building and environmental stewardship."
Already, he said, four major Portland-area development companies have expressed interest in doing green building projects, while many other smaller developers and builders have sought information on green building.
Bennett hopes to launch the program by September, with funding in hand. If the full budget isn't acquired, "It's absolutely a possibility we'll have to scale it down . . . At the very least it could be just an outreach and promotional effort, to try to tie-in folks to existing resources."
Seeking Sustainable Building
Portland's Green Building Initiative began in earnest a year ago, Bennett said, as "an attempt to create a local effort in supporting green building practices." A half-dozen meetings early in the year, involving 165 people altogether, identified nearly 60 different potential strategies to foster green building. City Council then asked for a two-year action plan, which was crafted after more public meetings and further research.
The city's Green Building Advisory Committee played a significant role, according to the initiative's Web site. That committee includes people from the fields of development, building, architecture, engineering, environmental advocacy, city government and energy efficiency (the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance).
Portland is not pioneering a municipal green building program; Bennett said many other cities actively promote the practice, notably Austin, Texas. "We're not exactly on the cutting edge," he said. "Where we differentiate ourselves is we try to be more holistic and try to make it part of our comprehensive planning efforts, so it's something that works in concert with our transportation and land-use planning."
Green Building Program Plans
Portland's Green Building Initiative seeks to capitalize on the accelerating momentum for green building, and to propel it further in the Rose City.
It defines green building with 12 points, including, "Using energy-efficient systems and products." Other defined attributes: life-cycle costing, efficient use of resources, waste elimination, water conservation, reduced building footprints, proper site orientation and design, natural daylight, ventilation, indoor air quality, alternative transportation, minimized rare metals and synthetic compounds, reduce/reuse/recycle for construction materials, advanced telecommunications technology and planning for future flexibility and expansion.
Two principles guide the city's initiative: "1) Expand market demand by educating building industry professionals and the public about the benefits of green building; and 2) Make green building practices easier to implement by reducing regulatory and financial barriers and developing technical services and resources for building industry professionals."
The initiative lists a number of green-building advantages--financial (such as better worker productivity and reduced operations and maintenance expenses), growth management coordination, habitat preservation and restoration, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, and stimulated markets for green building products and services.
Primary barriers identified to expanded green building are lack of information, along with regulatory and financial obstacles, according to the initiative. "Because of the current rapid pace of construction, the sooner these obstacles are removed, the greater the economic, social, and environmental benefits," reads the program Web site. "By leveraging existing resources and developing innovative partnerships to provide training, outreach, and technical resources, the City can accelerate the adoption of cost-effective green building practices as the standard in Portland."
The Portland program offers four specific strategies in a two-year action plan.
The first is organization and policy development, including a city green building policy, a city facilities ordinance with phased-in requirements, and a city procurement standards ordinance. This strategy also would address voluntary guidelines for private-sector developments.
Four demonstration projects would be undertaken as well: two fire stations, a large private development downtown, and an affordable housing project.
The third strategy involves technical resources and outreach. This would encompass green building guidelines and rating criteria, information for building professionals, businesses and homeowners, targeted trainings, a resource guide, marketing materials and an annual conference/trade show.
And the fourth strategy would develop green building financial incentives for builders and developers, including grants, a green building budget set-aside for city facilities, streamlined permitting, zoning incentives, access to utility and government loans and rebates, and a low-interest revolving loan fund. "Utilities will be a big part of it, with their rebates and services," Bennett noted.
As monies are sought to fund the Green Building Initiative, Portland city staff will work on policies and ordinances, in consultation with the advisory committee. "There are things we can do with limited staff," said Bennett. "The thing we can't do is offer services."--Mark Ohrenschall
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[Publisher's note: The following editorial was written in the Jan. 21 issue of Energy NewsData's California Energy Markets by its editor and NewsData Associate Publisher Arthur O'Donnell. It marks the untimely passing of Chuck Imbrecht, longtime chair of the California Energy Commission. Many Northwest regional workers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy fields will recognize how important Imbrecht's canny political leadership was to those causes in California and beyond the borders of the Golden State. We think many Con.WEB readers will want to read O'Donnell's appreciation of Chuck Imbrecht. --Cyrus Noë]
With great sadness, California Energy Markets marks the passing of Charles Imbrecht, former chair of the California Energy Commission. Chuck was found dead Jan. 18 in an apartment he kept in Pasadena. He was 50 years old. The cause of death was formally recorded as a heart attack, but the sad and tragic truth of the matter was that Imbrecht died from the disease of alcoholism.
You cannot imagine how difficult it is for me to write those words. This newsletter has a policy of putting its emphasis on policies rather than personalities, and as professional journalists, each of our staff members can take pride in the fact that we have the freedom to do our jobs without pressures to sensationalize the news or revel in scandal--not because the energy business is devoid of scandal, but because that's not our job.
But because of my own too-close and all-too-frequent exposure to the terrible nature of alcoholism and its harmful consequences for friends, family and professional colleagues, I cannot dismiss it or ignore it in Imbrecht's case.
Ask anyone who knew or worked with Imbrecht and, after the lengthy pause to collect their thoughts, they will start by saying, "It's a very sad story. . ."
For nearly 14 years as chair of the CEC, Imbrecht was the embodiment of the best and most progressive in energy policies, not just in California but in the world. Gifted with a remarkable intelligence and encyclopedic understanding of the energy system, Imbrecht held a position that few others could ever aspire to. He was internationally renowned as an expert and universally recognized as a savvy political pragmatist who helped keep the CEC alive in the face of numerous attempts to eliminate or eviscerate it by unfriendly parties in the Legislature and the generalized anti-government sentiments of the same Republican administrations that appointed him to the agency.
And yet, Imbrecht's career was destroyed by his disease. The precipitating incident was a drunk-driving arrest in December 1996, in which Imbrecht was also discovered to be in possession of marijuana. It wasn't the first such incident, and unfortunately, it proved not to be the last. For years, colleagues and friends had tried to help him into recovery, and his political superiors had him on notice about his behavior. The arrest led to his resignation, and, when he pleaded guilty as charged, to a jail sentence.
The rest of the story is partly told in a Jan. 19 Los Angeles Times obituary (available on the Times' Web site). The most important parts of the story--Chuck's struggle for recovery--will be known only to his closest friends and family. CEM expresses its heartfelt sympathies to them for their loss.
For my part, I would prefer to honor Imbrecht for his achievements in the energy policy arena. California Public Utilities Commission president Dick Bilas, who was a friend and colleague of Imbrecht's on the CEC during a particularly crucial and tumultuous period, told me he felt Chuck's lasting legacy will be in the areas of "energy efficiency, promotion of renewable resources and his deep concern about providing lower costs and greater competitive choices for California's energy consumers." On a personal note, Bilas echoed many others' comments that Imbrecht was a wonderful mentor. "I learned a lot from him."
I choose to remember Chuck Imbrecht for his good humor and great vision for California. Even today, as I review old speeches he made and testimony he offered in a variety of legislative and regulatory settings, I'm struck by how farsighted Imbrecht could be. In a 1995 talk about California's evolving restructuring policies, Imbrecht argued for creation of the California Independent System Operator--and he clearly outlined the exact same operational issues that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission just this week enunciated in its order on Cal-ISO's congestion management rules.
There is no question that the death of Chuck Imbrecht is both a personal loss for those of us who remain as well as a great loss to the public at large and for the competitive energy industry he helped create.--Arthur O'Donnell
Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit program has undergone some changes, according to a December news release from the Oregon Office of Energy.
Among the announced changes: the $40 million annual program cap has been replaced by a $10 million limit on eligible costs for each project; businesses can carry forward unused tax credits for up to eight years beyond the standard five-year tax credit period; and businesses investing in BETC qualifying measures may be able to get a cash payment rather than a tax credit in certain circumstances.
The BETC--equalling 35 percent of projects costs--is available for any Oregon business that invests in energy conservation, recycling, renewable energy or less-polluting transportation fuels. More than 5,000 energy tax credits have been granted in Oregon through the BETC for investments that save or generate energy worth $100 million annually.
For more information, call the Oregon Office of Energy at 1-800-221-8035 or (503) 378-4040, or visit the BETC Web site.
Seattle company Essential Foods has received a "Special Recognition Award" from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Wise program.
This award goes to firms that have "excelled in innovation, leadership, results and planning in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through cost-effective energy management projects," according to a November news release announcing the award.
Essential Foods, which makes organic vegetarian food, "has tried to maximize its greenhouse gas reductions and has promoted environmental ideals and networking opportunities with other small businesses," according to the award text.
"The company . . . has adopted an array of innovative transportation and refrigeration initiatives, including the combination of existing delivery routes, the production of organic foods locally as an alternative to importation, and the replacement of traditional refrigerated trucks with light pickups and insulated, refreezable food transportation boxes," the text said. Essential Foods expects to conserve 35,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2000, a yearly cost savings of $1,000.
Speaking at a Climate Wise forum in July at The Boeing Co., Essential Foods general manager Adam Hewey said his company has installed compact fluorescent lights, low-flow toilets and energy-efficient windows, and avoids air-conditioning when ovens are on. "These are very simple things that save a lot of money," he said.
Hewey also noted that Essential Foods has chosen to remain in Seattle's centrally located Fremont neighborhood, which makes for a higher rent but also makes it easier for employees to walk, bicycle or ride buses to work.
"Essential Foods was chosen for their comprehensive approach to environmental concerns in all aspects of their operations," said Susan Ode of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. "What stood out was the desire of the company to be a great community member as it pursues a profit with environmental benefits."
Essential Foods was approached in 1998 to become a partner in Climate Wise, which is locally supported by Seattle City Light. Hewey said he initially questioned how a small business could fit in a program that includes many giant corporations (other recognition award winners included IBM, Johnson & Johnson and Bethlehem Steel). But after having worked with Climate Wise, "Things have sort of blossomed," he said. "Our agenda is to show other small businesses how easy it is to create an action plan and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."--Mark Ohrenschall
A number of Northwest organizations are actively involved in the upcoming 8th National Conference on Building Commissioning, scheduled for May 3-5 in Kansas City, MO.
The conference will include sessions from technical and owner perspectives, as well as sessions on market transformation, diagnostic and management tools, legal issues, commissioning and sustainability, retro-commissioning, building commissioning infrastructure and more.
Conference contributors include the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and Portland Energy Conservation Inc., while among supporting organizatons are the Northwest-based Building Commissioning Association, Portland General Electric, Seattle City Light and the Washington Department of General Administration.
For more information, visit the conference Web site.
Regional efforts to integrate environmentally responsible design methods and materials into buildings--including energy conservation--are eligible for display, discussion and publication this spring in Seattle as part of Earth Day 2000.
The AIA Seattle Committee on the Environment, with Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light, presents What Makes it Green? 2000.
Categories for consideration include energy conservation, site preservation, waste limitation, materials recycling, indoor air quality and integration of green design in the design process.
"Nominated projects need to meet a minimum criterion of building in an environmentally responsible way that is beyond current industry standards," according to the program.
Summary proposals are due March 1 to AIA Seattle.
For more information, including entry forms, visit the What Makes it Green? 2000 Web site.
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