Green Building Competition for NYC

New York City is the leader in so many fields, why not in green building design? The City of New York and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have teamed up to sponsor the third Green Building Competition for New York City. This national competition is meant to draw professionals and students from across the environmental field to present their innovative green building design projects and ideas for New York City. This year’s theme is integration. The competition is specifically seeking out projects and proposals that epitomize fully integrated, sustainable buildings that assimilate the surrounding community. For example:

• INTEGRATE CONSTRUCTION…projects that utilize whole building design principles to optimize utilization of material, natural and financial resources

• INTEGRATE OCCUPANCY…projects that incorporate post occupancy concerns into the project’s overall objectives

• INTEGRATE COMMUNITY…projects that incorporate green buildings into the existing landscape and fabric of the community, highlighting environmental, economic, and social contributions.

Submissions will be judged according to several design criteria, many of which are applicable to residential development, including:

Mitigate urban heat island effect (vegetative roofs, high albedo roofing and paving materials).

Develop and implement a site protection plan prior to construction in order to protect, rescue or salvage top soil and trees/vegetation; mitigate dust, smoke, noise, odors; and control wastewater runoff.

Optimize buildings energy performance. Specifically, demonstrate achievement of EPA’s Energy Star for Buildings or equivalent.

Produce on-site renewable power.

Purchase green power.

Reduce or eliminate the use of potable water for landscape irrigation and
other uses the do not require potable, water—including, but not limited to,
water features, equipment washing, and toilet flushing

Implement water conservation design features (water-conserving fixtures,
grey water system)

Reduce storm water runoff from site, roof, building surfaces

Optimize construction and deconstruction waste minimization and
recycling efforts

Provide facilities for the storage and collection of recyclables

Incorporate materials that are resource efficient (recycled content, reused
materials, easily reusable and/or easily recycled matierials)

Incorporate materials with reduced life cycle impacts ( low embodied
energy, sustainably harvested or rapidly renewable, locally extracted and
manufactured, biodegradable upon disposal)

Incorporate low-emitting materials (adhesives and sealants, paints and
coatings, carpet systems, composite wood and agrifiber products)

Maximize daylight and views (glazing, solar access, dimmers, monitors,
atria).

Increase and monitor outside air ventilation.

Promote controllability of systems (lighting and thermal comfort).


Incorporate and expose natural systems or materials to build upon
biophilia principles in buildings.

Submitted designs may refer to buildings that have already been built, buildings that have been designed or are under construction, or buildings that are purely conceptual. So here's a chance to share the methods and designs you used to green your home, or, if you haven't done so yet, to let your imagination run wild and design the greenest home you can think of for NYC.

Solar Water Heaters

Solar water heaters—also called solar domestic hot water systems—can be an energy-efficient, cost-effective way to generate hot water for your home. Solar water heating systems consist of storage tanks and solar collectors. There are two types of solar water heating systems: active, which have circulating pumps and controls, and passive, which don't.

For residential use, the most common type of solar water heater is known as a flat-plate collector. Glazed flat-plate collectors consist of insulated, weatherproofed boxes that contain a dark absorber plate under one or more glass or plastic covers. These systems can be either direct or indirect circulation systems. Direct circulation systems pump household water through the collectors and into the home, while indirect circulation systems pump a non-freezing, heat-transfer fluid through the collectors and a heat exchanger, where water is heated with heat from the heat-transfer fluid. In areas that freeze during the winter, such as New York City, the indirect circulation system is the more appropriate option.

Solar water heaters are very reliable, and can be used exclusively (sometimes with a gas or electric tankless water heater as a backup) or in conjunction with other systems as pre-heaters. The good news is that these systems usually only cost around $1500 to $3500, and can pay for themselves in four to eight years. You can shop for solar water heaters online at solarhome.org, solarroofs.com, and nextag.com.

Renewable-Energy Tax Credit

First, the good news:

On April 10, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that included a one-year extension of the renewable-energy production tax credit. Under the bill, the tax credit would be extended for one year through 2009 for producing electricity from wind, biomass, hydropower, and geothermal means. Both businesses and homeowners would also be able to offset 30 percent of the cost of installing solar or fuel-cell equipment with a one-time tax credit. Supporters hope it will stimulate $20 billion worth of renewable-energy projects.

The provision also provides for homeowners to get credits for energy-efficient furnaces, windows and insulation; builders to get a deduction for constructing energy-efficient homes; and businesses to get savings for making energy-efficient upgrades.

Now, the not-so-good news:

The bill must still pass the House and be signed by the President, who has not been supportive of it. The House is currently working on a more restricted version. So if you'd like to see tax incentives for residential green energy, call or write your Congressperson and the White House!

In local news:

Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC also contains provisions for a green-roof tax credit. While it has not yet been passed by the State Legislature, it could be effective by July if it passes by the end of June (the last day of the current session). If not, it'll have to wait till 2009 (so call your Legislator!). The tax incentive would amount to $4.50/sq ft.

Green Doors (and Windows)

Today I thought I'd give you some tips on how to choose an energy-efficient door. Doors, like windows, can affect the heating and cooling load of a building. If you're looking for an energy-efficient door, the first thing you should do is check the Federal Energy Management Program's performance table for doors, which will tell you the recommended U value and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), which vary by climate region. (U-value is a measurement of how quickly heat conducts through the entire door assembly, including the frame. The lower the U value, the more resistant the door is to heat transfer. SHGC is a measure of how much radiant energy can pass from the outside through the door. If a door has a SHGC rating of 0.50, that means that the door admits 50 percent of the heat energy that strikes the door.) In the New York City area (which is at the edge of the Northern climate region), the recommended U-factor is 0.35 or less, while any SHGC is considered acceptable.

Once you've figured out the U value and SHGC, you're ready to go shopping. As you look at your door options, you should be looking for the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) label, which will contain information on U value and SHGC, as well as air leakage and condensation resistance. You can also refer to the NFRC's Certified Products Directory Search for a comprehensive list of certified doors. In addition, Energy Star-rated doors are very energy-efficient.

On a similar note, you can also make your existing windows more energy efficient without replacing them. Insulating films are available that can reflect up to 70 percent of the sun's heat in the summer and retain almost 55 percent of the home's heat in the winter months. These window films is can also block up to 99 percent of UV rays, meaning there is less fading to your window treatments, interior furniture, and flooring. 3M has an excellent reputation in the window film business and their 3M Scotchtint Sun Control Films are a leading product in this category. They also offer 3M Scotchtint Plus All Season Films, or Low E Films, which give you protection from heat loss in cold weather environments. They will both need to be installed by 3M dealers and you should get a minimum of 20 years life from these films.