1. Becoming a Green Community
Discussion with
Board of Selectmen
Michael Greis
Green Needham Collaborative
23 November 2010
2. At several points in this presentation, there are buttons
that link to other slides in the presentation containing
additional information on the point being discussed.
Unfortunately, slideshow.net does not support those links
directly. So, when you click the links, a browser window
will open showing the slides in a PDF file. Simply return to
your original browser window or tab to continue with the
presentation.
3. Agenda
• Benefits of becoming a Green Community
• Green Community Requirements
• Where we stand
• Meeting the remaining requirements
4. Why?
• It’s the right thing to do
• It’s the smart thing to do
• It saves money
• We’re already doing much of it
• What we’re not doing, we’ll have to do
5. Benefits of being a
Green Community
• Climate Change, the Environment, Health
– Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
– Cleaner, greener environment
– Reduced health care costs and decreased mortality
• Comfort and quality of life
– More comfortable homes, offices and schools
• Long-term Sustainability
– Minimize and control volatile energy costs
• Economic Development
– Lower cost of owning and operating facilities makes Needham more
attractive to businesses
– Green / LEED / Energy Efficient building is now the commercial baseline
– Homes are less expensive to own and more attractive to buyers
– Prospective residents want to make a smart choice of community to live
in – a sustainable, energy-efficient, green community reinforces their
choice of Needham
6. Benefits of being a
Green Community
• Saving energy, saving money
– Municipal energy reductions save taxpayer dollars and promote
confidence in municipal government
– Residents save money and reduce life cycle costs of owning
homes
– Businesses save money and reduce facility costs
• Savings benefit the local economy
– Massachusetts has no local energy production
– The dollars spent on energy leave the community and the region
• Oil used by Needham residents represents a transfer of wealth to
OPEC of $14.6 million each year
– Money not spent on energy by the municipality, residents and
businesses can be spent to benefit the local economy
• 10% of the FY 2011 energy budget = 4 teachers + 2 firefighters
7. Benefits of being a
Green Community
• Funding – Green Community Grants
– Funding from RGGI Auctions ($8-9 million yearly)
– Not subject to budget process, legislative
appropriation or 9C cuts
– Peer Towns received $150,000 – 200,000
– Will become more competitive as additional
communities qualify
• Funding – preference for other grant programs
– October 2010 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
8. Benefits of being a
Green Community
• Supports and advances stated goals of the
Selectmen
– financial sustainability
– energy savings
– effective use of resources
– increasing town revenue
– economic development
– improving health and welfare
– instituting environmentally sound practices
9. Benefits of being a
Green Community
• Creates a social norm and promotes a
community identity that:
– Builds buy-in for Selectmen and Town Manager goals
on sustainability
– Encourages further actions by citizens, businesses
and Town employees
– Enhances Needham’s image as a smart place to live
and do business
10. Green Community Requirements
• As-of-right Siting
– for renewable energy R&D, Manufacturing or Generation in
designated areas
• Expedited Permitting
– within one year via local permitting or MGL Chapter 43D
• Municipal Energy Use Baseline & Reduction Plan
– target 20% from baseline within 5 years
• Fuel-efficient Vehicles
– purchase subject to availability
• Minimize Life-cycle Costs
– adopt Stretch Energy Code (780 CMR 120 AA)
11. Green Community Requirements
- where we are
• As-of-right Siting
– Planning Board and Planning Director prepared to proceed with
overlay for RTS
– Location for prospective wind turbine and solar array
• Expedited Permitting
– Planning Director & Board feel our process enables us to meet
this requirement
• Municipal Energy Use Baseline and Reduction Plan
– Energy baseline complete and monitoring in place
– Town Manager ‘s 5% Energy Challenge 2009-10
• Fuel-efficient Vehicles
– Already seek efficient vehicles and have purchased hybrids
• Minimize Life-cycle Costs – adopt Stretch Energy Code
– Needs Town Manager & Selectmen support, Town Meeting
approval
12. Stretch Code Communities
- 35 designated Green Communities in May, 2010
- Many of the rest will be applying this month
Many of our peer communities are already on this list…
-Newton
-Natick
-Lexington
-Brookline
-Concord
-Sudbury
-Arlington
-Hopkinton
-Dedham
13. Massachusetts Energy Codes
• Meeting energy codes is not a new requirement
– IECC 2006, since 2008
• A new code is in effect as of July 1, 2010
– IECC 2009 - 10% more energy efficient than IECC 2006
• Stretch Code
– 20% more energy efficient than current MA code (IECC 2009)
• Green Communities Act requires adoption of new IECC
energy codes
• Stretch Code will become the base code
– IECC 2012 will be adopted in 2013
14. Stretch Code Coverage
• Residential
– New construction and additions
– Renovations
• Commercial
– New construction and additions > 5,000 sf
– Renovations exempt
– Specialized facilities (supermarkets, labs, warehouses)
• < 40,000 sf – exempt
• > 40,000 sf – covered
15. What’s different about the stretch
Energy Code?
• Reduces the cost of owning and using buildings
• Empowers the property owners to achieve energy
savings by making decisions and trade-offs that meet
their needs
• Provides quality assurance that owners are getting what
they pay for
It is results-oriented - focused on
performance, not prescriptive requirements
16. Performance code
versus Prescriptive code
Prescriptive codes don’t
guarantee good results
For example, small air gaps
created by faulty installation
can reduce the R-value of
insulation by 50% or more
Performance testing
ensures that
homeowners get the
results they are
paying for
17. Advantages of Performance-based code
- Property owner
- Makes the decisions
- Can make design trade-offs
- Quality assurance of the
work and the results
-Code official
- Compliance & inspections
essentially same as base code
- Retains authority
- 3rd
party professional rating
reduces disputes
18. Bottom line:
Reducing life-cycle costs
Building to the stretch code provides significant
bottom-line financial benefits to the property
owner – the building costs less to own and use
Residential:
- Small or even no cost premium
- 30% reduction in energy costs
- Net cash savings – up to several thousand dollars per year
Commercial:
- Average 2% cost premium yields immediate 30% savings in energy &
water
- Rates of return of >30% common
- Often cash flow positive from day 1
19. Path to Adoption
• Selectmen and Town Manager commit to becoming a
Massachusetts Green Community
– Adopt energy reduction plan
– Commit to buying energy efficient vehicles
– Adopt Stretch Energy Code (subject to TM vote)
• Planning Board prepares and approves:
– As-of-right zoning
– Commitment to expedited permitting
• Annual Town Meeting - May, 2011
– Vote to adopt zoning by-law changes
– Vote to adopt Stretch Energy Code
• Town Manager submits Green Communities
Designation form to DoER
20. Green Needham Collaborative:
– www.GreenNeedham.org
• Green Needham Collaborative Blog
– www.GreenNeedham.org/blog
• 10% Energy Challenge
– challenge.GreenNeedham.org
22. Green Building Study, Sponsors USBGC & others – Greg Kats, Lead Author
http://www.goodenergies.com/news/-pdfs/Web%20site%20Presentation.pdf
23.
24. Cash flow for 3,500 sq home
(including all rebates and incentives)
-Net cost of improvements:
-$7,314
-Annual cash flow to owner
-$2,338
Without rebates & incentives:
- Net cost of improvements:
- $10,614
- Annual cash flow to owner
- $1,102
Cash Flow scenario prepared by Mark Sandeen, Lexington GWAC