News & Updates

New SEEC Website Design & Updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Don Knapp — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:10:00 +0000

SEEC
June 7, 2013

The Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative partners are pleased to unveil a new website design for californiaseec.org. The updated website features a new Getting Started section to help local government staff more easily understand SEEC tools and resources. It also contains an updated Resource Library with tools, resources and trainings that can be easily browsed by topic or resource type.

Please note: In updating the site, we have also updated the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Please review these pages. By continuing to access the website, you agree to the updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Recycling and Composting Emissions Protocol: Public Comment Period Open

Don Knapp — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:33:59 +0000

ICLEI has released a draft of the Recycling and Composting Emissions Protocol (RC Protocol) in recognition of the contribution recycling and composting can make to greenhouse gas reduction efforts, and the high degree of influence that local governments have in this area. ICLEI is requesting public comments on the draft protocol through April 29, 2013.

The RC Protocol represents the new national standard for measuring emissions benefits of recycling and composting at the community level. The RC Protocol complements ICLEI's Community Protocol by providing additional guidance on accounting for the emissions benefits of recycling and composting activities in a community.

The RC Protocol is intended to help local governments account for the overall net emissions benefits of recycling and composting activities in their communities, as well as to estimate additional emissions reductions that occur outside the boundary of a community inventory.

Learn more on the ICLEI USA website >>

New Energy Efficiency Implementation Resource Guide Available

Don Knapp — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:45:47 -0800

Nov. 20, 2012

ICLEI has developed a new, no-cost resource for California local governments via SEEC. The Energy Efficiency Implementation Resource Guide will help you find information needed to create highly effective programs and policies to substantially increase energy efficiency in your jurisdiction. The guide is structured to connect you to the most helpful resources from expert organizations on energy efficiency strategies for government operated, residential, and commercial buildings.

Learn More >>

New SEEC On-Demand Trainings on Climate Action and Greenhouse Gas Accounting

Don Knapp — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:42:28 -0800

Nov. 14, 2012

Learn how to use the Community Protocol—the new national standard for conducting your greenhouse gas inventory—with these short web trainings

Through the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative (SEEC) website, access these no-cost trainings to help your local government develop a Protocol-compliant inventory or begin a climate action plan. And don't miss our latest in-person trainings in your region (see below). All these trainings were developed by ICLEI USA for SEEC.

Greenhouse Gas Inventory Trainings On Demand	Climate Action Planning Trainings On Demand
–Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quick Start Training	–Getting Started with Climate Action Planning
–Government Operations Inventory: Concepts and Data Training	–Climate Action Planning and CEQA: Resources and Answers for Local Governments
–Introduction to the Community Protocol Training
–Community Protocol Steps and Requirements Training
–Community Protocol Methods I Training
–Community Protocol Methods II Training
–Government Operations Inventory Master Data Workbook Training
–Setting an Emissions Reduction Target Training

Mayor Villaraigosa, UCLA Release Groundbreaking Climate Forecast for LA Region

Don Knapp — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:50:00 -0700

ICLEI USA
June 22, 2012

A groundbreaking climate change study predicts a serious temperature increase for the Los Angeles region. Temperatures will rise by an average of 4-5°F by the middle of this century, tripling the number of extremely hot days in the downtown area and quadrupling the number in the valleys and at high elevations.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and UCLA released the study, "Mid-Century Warming in the Los Angeles Region," on Thursday, June 21. To meet the challenge of adapting to climate change, the City of Los Angeles commissioned UCLA, with funding from the Department of Energy, to forecast what the Los Angeles regional climate will look like in 30 to 50 years.

View the Study Results

"The changes our region will face are significant, and we will have to adapt," says study author Alex Hall of UCLA. “Every season of the year in every part of the county will be warmer. This study lays a foundation for the region to confront climate change. Now that we have real numbers, we can talk about adaptation.”

"This is the best, most sophisticated climate science ever done for a city," added UCLA Professor Paul Bunje.

Previous global climate models have proven too coarse for Los Angeles City and regional planners with 100-200 kilometer resolutions. The new UCLA study forecasts temperature changes from 2041 to 2060 down to a two kilometer resolution. With forecasting focused down to the neighborhood level, City and regional planners can begin preparing for Los Angeles' climate future.

Here is more info pulled from the C-Change.LA website:

“Mid-Century Warming in the Los Angeles Region” is the first study to provide specific climate-change predictions for the greater Los Angeles area, with unique predictions down to the neighborhood level.

This temperature study is the first of the five part series of releases coming from the Climate Change in the Los Angeles Region project. Providing a range of climate impacts that cover the best and worst case emissions scenarios for the Los Angeles region by the coming midcentury, it shows that even the best case scenario will lead to significant warming due to emissions that are already moving through the Earth’s atmosphere.

The report, the most sophisticated regional climate study ever developed, was produced by UCLA with funding and support from the city of Los Angeles (news release), in partnership with the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC).

Results

This groundbreaking new study shows that climate change will cause temperatures in the Los Angeles region to rise by an average of 4-5°F by the middle of this century, tripling the number of extremely hot days in the downtown area and quadrupling the number in the valleys and at high elevations.

The study looked at the years 2041–60 to predict the average temperature change by mid-century. There may be highs or lows across that time but on average the Los Angeles region will be warmer.

All areas across the Los Angeles region will experience warming in the coming midcentury. Los Angeles will begin to observe a gradual rise in annual average temperatures over the next 30 years.

The actual amount of temperature increase shows in degrees of warming. And there are several ways to look at these averages that exist across the twenty-year period.

An important aspect of this study is that it shows where different areas will experience different degrees of warming.

According to the study, coastal areas like Santa Monica and Long Beach are likely to warm an average of 3 to 4 degrees. Dense urban areas like downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys will warm an average of 4 degrees, and mountain and desert regions like Palm Springs and Lancaster will warm 4 to 5 degrees.

When we think of temperatures, we tend to think of our sensory experience of weather. The degrees of warming observed in this study have a very different meaning than morning temperatures versus afternoon temperatures that we may experience in a single day. The average rise in temperatures across not only a year but two decades, means that the climate itself has shifted.

Southern Californians should expect slightly warmer winters and springs but much warmer summers and falls, with more frequent heat waves.

Number of Hot Days

The number of days when the temperature will climb above 95 degrees will increase two to four times, depending on the location. Temperatures now seen only on the seven hottest days of the year in each region will occur two to six times as often.

This study zooms in so close that it is able to observe global climate influences on the level of the neighborhood. We now know the likelihood of how many fo these hot days to expect in each of our neighborhoods.

Coast, Inland, Mountains

Warming over the ocean and coastal areas is slower due to the high heat capacity of water, meaning that water can actually absorb a lot of energy without changing temperature very much. Think of a bathtub filled with cool water. Now, in the bathroom where that bathtub sits, imagine there is warm air in the room. The water in the tub will not become warm due to the warm air in the room, it could, but it would take a very very long time. It is the temperature of the air in the room that will be changed by presence of cool water. The air would actually begin to cool. In other words, it takes much longer for air temperatures to affect water temperatures than the other way around.

It is not only the temperature influence of a cool body of water that can cool the air, the very act of evaporation diminishes the likelihood of extreme high temperatures. This is why areas that already tend to be dry will warm faster and more intensely as the study reveals. Water has the ability to break, or buffer, the heat through evaporation, up to a point.

The mountain ranges, even small ones, act as a barrier to shared airflow from the coast. This is a likely contributor to the greater increases in hot days that are shown for areas on the inland side of Santa Monica Mountains, like Woodland Hills, where there is less opportunity for ocean influence. The San Fernando Valley will warm about 10% more than the L.A. Basin. Along this same track, areas show more warming the further they are away from the coast.

Mountains not only impact valleys and inland areas, they also experience degrees of increased average temperatures similar to desert areas. This does not mean that the mountains will be as hot as desert areas, it means that they will experience a similar amount of increase to their average.

The study shows that both mountains and deserts will experience an average warming of about 5°F. For example, today’s temperature at the top of the San Gabriel Mountains reads 70°F, by the year 2041, that same location, during a similar time of year, will be 75°F. Similarly, where today’s temperature in Bakersfield is 95°F, 30 years from now it will be 100°F.

The Range of Likely Outcomes

Global Climate Models are based on emissions scenarios. This study utilized information from the the best and worst-case-scenario for emissions. This allows the study to observe the full range of likely outcomes. This is important because, even if the world has unanticipated — and perhaps unrealistic — success in drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or best-case-scenario, the greater Los Angeles area will still warm to about 70 percent of the predicted levels of business-as-usual, or worst-case, scenario.

In other words, no matter what, significant warming will still occur by the approaching midcentury time period. This is because a certain amount of greenhouse gases are already ‘committed’ to the system.

However, by observing this range, the study enables us to have a clearer picture on the challenges to come.

Submit Feedback on the Draft California Climate Change Adaptation Policy Guide

Don Knapp — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:30:16 -0700

California Natural Resources Agency
April 12, 2012

The California Natural Resources Agency, in partnership with the California Emergency Management Agency and with support from California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), are developing an Adaptation Policy Guide (APG) to provide a decision‐making framework intended for use by local and regional stakeholders to aid in the interpretation of climate science and to develop a systematic rationale for reducing risks caused, or exacerbated, by climate change. The APG is not intended to provide a prescriptive set of strategies. Instead, it will provide a framework to guide decision makers through the critical considerations necessary for adaptation policy development.

Public Review Draft

Public comments on the Draft APG are being sought, and the document is now available for public review. To view the Draft APG, please choose the link below:

Draft California Climate Adaptation Policy Guide >> (pdf)

Public comments will be collected beginning April 9th, concurrent with the Draft APG’s announcement at the Impacts and Adaptation Local Government Conference. This public review will close on Monday, May 18th. Please send in your comments, via e-mail, using this link.

The Draft APG will then be revised and finalized for release by the end of June 2012. Please visit this web page soon for updates.

During this review phase, two public meetings will be held to provide the opportunity for direct input on the APG: one in southern and northern California. Please check the above website link ("Learn More") for meeting details.

New SEEC Climate and Energy Management Suite Released

Don Knapp — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:46:32 -0700

March 30, 2012

The Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative is proud to release the SEEC Climate and Energy Management Suite, an all-in-one suite of online tools to help California local governments complete their community-wide GHG inventory or climate action plan.

Users can access two primary online modules:

Community Inventory Assistant

Performing a community-scale GHG inventory is now far easier for California local governments, thanks to the Suite's powerful, user-friendly features developed by ICLEI.
A no-cost tool, with no software to install -- it's all online.

Climate Action Planning Assistant

Save time and money and create a more targeted, cost-effective climate action plan by exploring the Suite's library of emissions reduction measures and calculating their potential impact on your community.
Utilize an interactive scenario planner to add reduction measures and visualize the impact they will have toward meeting your GHG reduction goal.

New Guide for Local Officials: CEQA and Greenhouse Gas Impacts

Don Knapp — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:55:00 -0700

Institute for Local Government
Oct. 3, 2011

The Institute for Local Government has just completed a project that provides a lay person’s explanation of how to analyze greenhouse gas impacts as part of CEQA. It is titled: “Evaluating Greenhouse Emissions as Part of California's Environmental Review Process: A Local Official's Guide.”

This guide provides information about California law related to evaluating greenhouse gas emissions as part of California’s environmental review process. It is written for the busy local official and others seeking a plain language explanation of the requirements. It includes end notes for those who want more detailed information or references to the law.

The Guide is available for free download from the ILG website.

San Carlos Accepted Into Beacon Award Program

Don Knapp — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:21:32 -0700

Statewide Recognition of Work on Green Programs & Climate Protection

City of San Carlos
8/3/11

San Carlos, CA – August 3, 2011 – The City of San Carlos announced today that it has been accepted in the Institute for Local Government's awards program – the Beacon Award: Local Leadership Toward Solving Climate Change. San Carlos is one of 20 cities and 3 counties in California to have been approved to join the program and is the first City in San Mateo County and the second City in Silicon Valley (after Santa Cruz) to receive this recognition.

The first of its kind in California, the Beacon Award recognizes and celebrates cities and counties that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy, adopt policies and programs to address climate change; and promote sustainability. The program features three award levels that call for increasing reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy savings in agency facilities and operations as well as the community as a whole.

San Carlos is being recognized in the Beacon Award program for its work in Green Programs and Sustainability. The City has completed Greenhouse Gas Emission inventories for the community and government agency operations, a Climate Action Plan and has met the State’s Recycling Goals pursuant to AB 939 and SB 1018. These are Beacon Award requirements.

San Carlos has also been a leader in many aspects of sustainability and climate protection. This includes receiving three awards for innovation in community planning for their work on integrating the San Carlos Climate Action Plan with the General Plan 2030, conducting a community solar discount program to accelerate solar panels in the residential homes, pilot programs for cell phone and battery recycling and residential food scraps and organics recycling, adoption of a Mandatory Commercial Recycling Ordinance, collaborative work on Climate Protection with local, countywide, regional and state groups and a number of projects that are detailed on the Beacon Award web site.

"The Institute of Local Government is delighted to have the City of San Carlos participate in the Beacon Award program," said Hal Conklin, chairman of the Institute’s board of directors. “We’re looking forward to celebrating San Carlos’ leadership, following its accomplishments, and sharing its best practices with other cities and counties around the State."

San Carlos Mayor Andy Klein said "San Carlos is proud to be one of the small group of cities and counties in California that have received approval to join the Beacon Award Program. I have been impressed with the Institute for Local Government’s work to share best practices in Green Programs, Climate Protection, Sustainability and Public Engagement with cities and counties from around the State. I know that San Carlos has some impressive work in this area to share in this area with other agencies through the Beacon Award Program. I look forward to working with the Institute, the Beacon Award participants and cities and counties around the State as we work to make California more sustainable."

About the Beacon Award & the Institute of Local Government
To learn more about the Beacon Award: Local Leadership Toward Solving Climate Change, visit the Beacon Award section of the Institute for Local Government web site at http://www.ca-ilg.org/BeaconAward.

The Institute for Local Government is the non-profit research and education affiliate of the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties. Visit http://www.ca-ilg.org to learn more about the Institute and its work.

The Beacon Award program is funded by California utility ratepayers and administered by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Company under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

ICLEI Launches Online GHG Inventory Tool for SEEC

Don Knapp — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:55:00 -0700

ICLEI USA
April 19, 2011

Powerful, web-based tool developed by ICLEI for the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative (SEEC) meets long-identified municipal needs, empowers hundreds of California local governments to pursue aggressive goals to save energy, money, and address climate change.

A powerful and no-cost online application released today will enable hundreds of California cities and counties to measure their community’s greenhouse gas emissions—taking an essential first step to addressing climate change and saving energy and taxpayer dollars. The SEEC Online Inventory Tool is now available, and is complemented by a series of guidebooks and resources released simultaneously by ICLEI.

“The SEEC tool is a breakthrough resource that finally meets long-identified needs among California local governments,” said Michael Schmitz, California Director of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA, the SEEC partner nonprofit that developed the tool. “Municipal staff are eager for climate action tools and trainings, but their budget situations often don’t allow them to pursue these resources. That’s why SEEC is so invaluable.”

Thanks to the tool, available at no cost, and other SEEC resources and trainings, California cities and counties can now continue to work toward their local climate action and energy goals, despite tight municipal budgets and funding cutbacks.
SEEC’s easy-to-use tool (available at www.californiaseec.org) allows non-technical local government staff to conduct a detailed, robust community-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventory, the essential first step in the process of setting GHG reduction goals, creating a climate action plan, and implementing the plan. Identifying emissions sources is also a key step in creating energy-saving strategies.
SEEC’s partners, including the investor-owned utilities, recognize that the State of California cannot meet AB 32’s statewide GHG reduction goals—to 1990 levels by 2020—unless local governments are empowered with climate action tools, training, and guidance.
The SEEC tool will also support California local governments in their efforts to address California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements when updating their general plans (incorporating climate impacts into their plans).
There has never before been available a free tool of this caliber for California local governments. The tool is tailored to their needs, and is not applicable to local governments in other states.

To access the web-based tool, local government staff can register at http://californiaseec.org/tools-guidance/seec-community-inventory-tool

“ICLEI developed this tool by leveraging our deep expertise and national leadership in local climate action and greenhouse gas accounting,” said Martin J. Chavez, ICLEI USA’s Executive Director. “We’re setting the national standards for how local governments measure their greenhouse gas emissions and even their overall sustainability performance. No other organization provides the resources and support that ICLEI does, and we’re extremely proud to support California local governments with our new tool.”

To complement the SEEC tool, ICLEI has also developed a full suite of free resources to support California local governments. ICLEI has launched free “Quick-Start Guides” and instruction manuals on GHG inventories and climate action planning, and delivers regular in-person trainings to local government staff throughout the state—on topics ranging from how to conduct a community-wide GHG inventory, to how to set GHG reduction targets and develop a climate action plan.

What Is SEEC?

The Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative (SEEC) is a new alliance to help California cities and counties reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy. SEEC is a collaboration between three statewide nonprofit organizations and California’s four investor-owned utilities (learn more about the partners).

SEEC provides free technical trainings and resources to help local government representatives conduct greenhouse gas inventories, set GHG reduction targets and forecasts, develop climate action plans, and select appropriate climate and energy initiatives. SEEC will also host venues for peer-to-peer networking and provide recognition to local governments and agencies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

Between 2010 and 2012, SEEC will offer 40 in-person field training sessions throughout California, host live webinar trainings, and release guidebooks, tools, templates, and case studies tailored to the needs of California local governments.

Who Can Participate?

To access online trainings and resources, SEEC participants must register on this site to receive a login and password.
SEEC trainings and resources are free, but available only to representatives of local governments within California.
Learn more about the benefits of participating in SEEC, and how to get started. Then fill out a short registration form to receive access to online resources and receive e-mail alerts for upcoming SEEC webinars and trainings.

This program is funded by California utility ratepayers and administered by Southern California Gas Company, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Pacific Gas & Electric Company and Southern California Edison, under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

ICLEI Releases Climate Action Plan Template for SEEC Participants

Don Knapp — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:20:00 -0700

March 31, 2011
ICLEI USA

A new Climate Action Plan Template is now available to help California local governments speed their development of a climate action plan. ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA developed the template for the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative (SEEC).

Get the Template >>

A climate action plan is your local government's roadmap to mitigate climate change, reduce energy use, and save money. ICLEI's latest resource developed for SEEC can speed the development of a custom climate action plan document by reducing the time needed to create and publish content. Download the template and customize it to your needs, or just use it as a reference in creating your own plan. The template is available as a Word doc or pdf, and includes full instructions, as well as an Excel file that allows you to enter data to create custom charts and graphs for your plan.

More Climate Action Planning Resources

The Climate Action Plan Template complements other key SEEC resources developed to assist California local governments at every stage of their effort to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. Download our FREE Quick-Start Guides if you haven't already:

California Program Offers Rebates for Making Energy-efficient Improvements

Emma Pickering — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:32:15 +0000

Mercury News

A new statewide program launching Tuesday will give homeowners rebates worth up to $4,000 if they make significant energy-efficient improvements to their houses.

The $300 million program, called "Energy Upgrade California," was developed by the California Energy Commission, local governments, utilities, the California Public Utilities Commission and contractors who specialize in home energy audits, upgrades and retrofits. The goal of the program, which has been in the works for over a year, is threefold: reduce household energy use, save consumers money on utility bills and create jobs in the state's "building performance" industry. Funding for the program comes from several sources, including federal stimulus dollars and surcharges that consumers already pay on their utility bills.

>> Read the Full Article

7 Ways to Transform California Climate Policy and Empower Local Action

Don Knapp — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:47:27 +0000

ICLEI Local Action Blog
By Michael Schmitz, California Director

The Golden State offers great promise for the country when it comes to forward-thinking climate policy. Even Big Oil didn’t have the juice to stop California’s growing clean energy economy when Prop. 23 went down decisively in November. But if we want to turn this promise into reality we’ll have to navigate the challenge of the state budget crisis and identify the policy levers that will keep the ball rolling. With the eyes of the nation on California, we’ve got to get this right.

Here’s the key: We need to refine state climate and energy policies to empower California’s cities and counties, and improve local-state coordination. ICLEI has been collecting feedback from local governments across the state—on ways to simplify existing regulations, streamline permitting, provide more accurate data for climate action planning, save money, and unleash local innovation to scale energy efficiency and renewables development.

A vision is taking shape. Big cities, small towns, and counties from all corners of the state can come together to present sound policy solutions in Sacramento. Below are some of the specific ideas ICLEI has collected so far. But what’s missing? What ideas can be improved? How can we take this vision to the next level, driving local action in the real world?

San Francisco Passes Sweeping Building Energy Efficiency Law

Emma Pickering — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 05:33:17 +0000

SF Environment

Yesterday the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved groundbreaking policy aimed at transforming commercial buildings from the biggest energy users in the city to the biggest energy savers.

The newly adopted “Existing Commercial Building Energy Performance Ordinance” requires commercial property owners to measure and rate, or “benchmark” the energy performance of their buildings and make energy ratings available to the public. The ordinance also requires owners to conduct energy audits every five years.

While benchmarking and auditing will be relatively new practices for smaller building owners, many large property managers already use these proven energy-saving techniques, including those profiled below.

This decision comes just a week after President Obama unveiled his “Better Buildings Initiative” aimed at reducing energy use in buildings by 20 percent by 2020 by improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

Benchmarking building energy performance is widely regarded as the critical first step that owners can take to start taking control of energy use and costs; and more cities and states are starting to require owners to do so, including Seattle, New York City, Austin and Washington D.C. and California and Washington state.

Below is additional information on San Francisco’s new law and similar efforts around the nation:

Pulling the Plug on Energy Waste: San Francisco’s Building Energy Performance Ordinance

BACKGROUND

Energy is one of the biggest expenses of building ownership, and will be an even greater financial burden for owners in the future as energy prices escalate. Owners that are not taking steps to control energy use and costs now risk getting squeezed out of the market later.

Buildings, which account for about 70 percent of the electricity consumed in the U.S., could be made up to 50 percent more energy efficient with currently available products and services. But most owners don’t know how well or poorly their buildings use energy, and unknowingly waste hundreds and even thousands of dollars each month paying unnecessarily higher energy bills.

At the same time, consumers have no way to compare the potential energy use and costs of buildings they plan to buy or rent—they, too, are paying more for energy than they need to be.

Under the newly passed ordinance, commercial building owners are required to annually “benchmark” (see below) the energy use of their buildings and conduct energy audits of buildings every five years. Energy reports would be made public on an annual basis. The rules apply first to commercial properties larger than 50,000 square feet starting in October 2011, and then phase in so that by 2013, the rules would apply to all commercial properties 10,000 square feet or larger.

WHAT IS BENCHMARKING?

“Benchmarking” is the process of measuring the energy use of a building and comparing it to othersimilar buildings to obtain an energy rating. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers a free online benchmarking tool called Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM) that many owners currently use. ESPM scores range from 1 to 100, with a score of 50 being the average. A score of 75 or higher is needed to apply for an Energy Star label. Competitive building owners and property managers across the U.S. are already voluntarily benchmark buildings, including those listed in interview sources below.

WHY BENCHMARK AND AUDIT?

Owners can’t take control of energy costs if they don’t know where to begin. Benchmarking and auditing are critical first steps that tell building owners where they stand and what steps they can take to save energy and money, and make their buildings more competitive. According to Blake Peterson, Senior Property Manager at Ashforth Pacific of California:

“Benchmarking and auditing are the only ways to know what the opportunities for energy improvement are. Reducing energy costs is likely the single most significant way to increase operating income and appeal to future tenants, investors, and owners. Keep in mind that your competition is benchmarking and auditing, so not doing so puts you at a competitive disadvantage.”

Numerous studies show that energy-efficient buildings, especially those with good energy ratings, command higher rents, sell for more money and have lower vacancy rates than other buildings.

EPA Offers Proven Solutions to Support Sustainable Community Goals

Emma Pickering — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 07:13:58 +0000

EPA

Release date: 02/03/2011

Contact Information: Richard Yost

On February 3, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Sustainable Communities Building Blocks Program, an initiative designed to help interested communities adopt sustainable planning methods. The program will provide quick, targeted technical assistance to 20 local and/or tribal governments in the United States, using a variety of tools that have demonstrated results and widespread application. This technical assistance will help communities implement development approaches that protect the environment, improve public health, create jobs, expand economic opportunity, and improve overall quality of life.

Each technical assistance project will include:

Public engagement — for example, a one-day workshop that is open to the public.
Direct consultation with relevant decision-makers.
A memo outlining specific steps the community could take if it wants to implement the ideas generated during the site visit.

Among the tools that will be used are zoning code reviews, walkability assessments, parking policy analysis, climate action planning, commuter benefits, complete streets, and fiscal and economic tools.

EPA will work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to select 20 participating communities through a competitive process.

Sustainable Communities Building Blocks is being coordinated through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a joint effort between the EPA, HUD, and DOT to coordinate federal actions on housing, transportation, and environmental protection. This interagency collaboration achieves efficient federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services that meet multiple economic, environmental, and community objectives.

The application period opens on February 3 and ends on February 23, 2011.

More information and submission instructions for the Sustainable Communities Building Blocks Program:

http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/buildingblocks.htm

More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities:

http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/partnership/index.html

***

State and local officials interested in additional information about developing and implementing cost-effective climate and energy strategies that help further environmental goals and achieve public health and economic benefits may visit:

http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate