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Pennsylvania Creates a $500 Million Alternative Energy Fund
Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell has approved a bill that establishes a $500 million fund to support alternative energy projects. Special Session House Bill 1 authorizes the Commonwealth Financing Authority to borrow $500 million, most of which will be split into six funding sources relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy: $80 million in grants and loans for solar energy projects; $100 million in grants, loans, and rebates for up to 35% of the cost of solar energy projects at residences and small businesses; $165 million in grants and loans for alternative energy projects, excluding solar energy, at businesses and local government facilities; $25 million for wind and geothermal energy projects; $40 million to help start-up businesses involved in energy efficiency technologies; and $25 million in grants and loans to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing homes and small business buildings. An additional $65 million will go toward pollution control technologies and to help low-income families pay their energy bills.
The bill defines alternative energy projects as projects that employ alternative fuels; biomass, wind, solar, and geothermal energy sources; waste energy; waste coal; clean coal technologies; and other energy sources included in the state's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act. It also includes facilities that manufacture products or parts for alternative energy, alternative fuels, energy efficiency, or energy conservation, as well as research and development facilities for alternative energy and alternative fuels.
In addition to the $500 million fund, the bill creates a Consumer Energy Program that is funded at $15 million for the next 3 fiscal years, then gradually decreases to $8 million by the 2015-2016 fiscal year, for a total of $100 million. Of that, $92.5 million will support loans, grants, and rebates for up to 25% of the cost of energy efficiency improvements to homes and small businesses, while $5 million will support low-interest loans for energy efficiency improvements to homes. An additional $50 million will be available over the next 8 years to support tax credits for 15% of the cost of alternative energy projects, capped at $1 million per year for each project. See the governor's press release (http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=2999&PageID=431162&mode=2&contentid=http://pubcontent.state.pa.us/publishedcontent/publish/global/news_releases/governor_s_office/news_releases/gov__rendell_signs_bill_establishing__650_million_energy_fund_to_support_conservation__spur_renewable_energy_development.html) and the full text of the bill (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=PDF&sessYr=2007&sessInd=1&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billNbr=0001&pn=0086).
California Establishes Statewide Green Building Standards
The California Building Standards Commission adopted a statewide green building code, which the state claims as a first in the nation. The new California Green Building Standards Code contains standards for single-family homes, health facilities, and commercial buildings and will encourage builders to reduce the energy use of their structures to 15% below the energy use that is achieved with the state's mandatory energy efficiency standards. The standards also address on-site renewable energy use, water consumption, green building materials, indoor air quality, and other measures. The new standards will become mandatory for housing in 2010 but are currently optional for all buildings, allowing time for the building industry and local building code officials to adjust to the new standards. After 2010, the green building standards will updated annually. See the press release (http://www.scsa.ca.gov/news/pdf/Press_Release_071708.pdf) from the California State and Consumer Services Agency and the Green Building Standards Code (http://www.bsc.ca.gov/prpsd_stds/default.htm) on the Building Standards Commission Web site.
California may also be the first state to launch a map-based directory of state-owned facilities that have achieved or are pursuing LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Under an executive order signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2004, all new and renovated state-owned facilities must meet LEED Silver certification requirements, the third-highest level of certification available. You can check the state's progress in a Google Maps interface or view an Excel spreadsheet of the state's green building data. See the Green Building Directory (http://www.greenbuildings.dgs.ca.gov/default.asp).
DOE Unveils Initiative to Promote Energy Efficiency in Hospitals
DOE launched the EnergySmart Hospitals initiative, with the aim to increase the use of energy efficient technologies in hospitals across the United States. The EnergySmart Hospital initiative will provide hospitals with design strategies, advanced energy design guides, technology assessments, case studies, training sessions, and an interactive Web site to help hospitals increase their energy efficiency. The initiative intends to improve energy efficiency in existing hospitals by 20% and to help develop new hospitals that are 30% more efficient than the current building standards. It will also support hospitals in meeting the challenge of lowering costs while delivering quality patient care and maintaining healthy healing and work environments.
The nation's 8,000 hospitals are among the most energy intensive commercial buildings in the United States, with more than 2.5 times the energy intensity and carbon dioxide emissions of commercial office buildings. Last year, hospitals spent more than $5 billion on energy. Unlike many other commercial buildings, hospitals must remain fully operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provide services during power outages, natural disasters, and other events that would force other facilities to close. See the DOE press release (http://www.energy.gov/news/6428.htm) and the EnergySmart Hospitals Web site (http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energysmarthospitals/).
ASHRAE Hosts Briefing, Introduces Congressional Caucus
A new assessment report to the U.S. Congress and a new Congressional caucus, both addressing high-performing buildings were unveiled at a briefing with ASHRAE as the lead sponsor.
Rep. Judy Bigger (R-IL) and Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), co-chairs of a newly formed High Performance Building Congressional Caucus kicked off the briefing for Congressional staff.
Congress drafted Section 914 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to address not just more energy efficient buildings but rather high-performance buildings that combine the objectives of reducing resource energy consumption and improving the comfort and productivity of building occupants. Congress maintains that achieving both these goals would have a positive economic and societal impact.
Former ASHRAE president Bill Coad served as chair of the committee that wrote the assessment to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Energy on high performance buildings. Overseen by the National Institute for Building Sciences, the report contains seven recommendations to assist in encouraging the creation and operation of high-performance buildings. Coad spoke at the briefing, along with Get Moy, current chair of the High Performance Building Council.
In addition, the recent formation of the High Performance Buildings Congressional Caucus was announced. The Caucus was formed in part to address the recommendations outlined in the assessment report. The caucus will work to heighten awareness and inform policymakers about the major impact buildings have on health, safety and welfare. ASHRAE is one of organizations of the private sector coalition supporting the work of the caucus.
More details on the caucus and its supporting coalition are available at http://www.hpbccc.org.
