OGP’s  Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings (OFHPGB) recently published an evaluation of three green building certification systems in the U.S. against Federal performance requirements relating to energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, waste reduction, materials use and employee commuting for all Federal facilities. The report shows that none of the systems cover 100 percent of Federal green building requirements for new construction, major renovations, or existing buildings.  See www.gsa.gov/gbcertificationreview.

Recognizing the high level of Federal and private sector interest in this review OFHPGB is teaming with the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense to co-chair an interagency task force to work through issues around Federal building performance requirements and the use of certification systems.  Agencies with large portfolio holdings and with special expertise in building performance requirements are participating in the closed-door deliberations. Outcomes from the sessions will be published in the Federal Register before final determinations are made by GSA, DoD and DOE in the fall.

Two listening sessions are planned to solicit input from the public while deliberations are underway. The first is scheduled for June 25 as an in-person session in Washington, DC, and the second, a virtual online session, is scheduled for July 10.  Advanced reservations will be requested for both sessions.   Contacts: Joni Teter joni.teter@gsa.gov 303.880.0384 and Bryan Steverson bryan.steverson@gsa.gov 202.501.6115

Comments Off

    GSA OGP’s Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings (www.gsa.gov/hpgb) has just released its Green   Building Certification Systems review report.   This report is the first step in an extensive review process — including a public comment period – that evaluates tools that could help federal agencies meet their goals for maintaining and constructing more sustainable and efficient buildings.  The findings of this process will help government agencies meet federal requirements for green construction, save taxpayer dollars and meet the goals of President Obama’s Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance (EO 13514).   The full report is available at http://www.gsa.gov/gbcertificationreview and the press release is available here.

This report also will be a major topic at the second Green Building Advisory Committee (GBAC) meeting which is coordinated by the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings in accordance with The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA).   The GBAC will be held on May 9, 2012 from 9:30am to 4:00 pm at 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 800 in Washington, DC.  It is open to the public, as a Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) meeting.  Agenda and meeting materials will be posted on the GBAC site.  Questions about the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings or the GBAC may be sent to greenbuildings@gsa.gov.    We look forward to your feedback and comments.

Comments Off

GSA and the Building Owners and Managers Association International collaborated with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a technical guide titled “Energy Efficiency Guide for Existing Commercial Buildings: Technical Implementation”.   The guide, the second in a series, was developed to provide clear and easily understood technical guidance to building engineers and managers for energy upgrades, retrofits, and renovations to increase a building’s energy efficiency.

Kevin Kampschroer, Director of OGP’s Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings (OFHPGB), and Kinga Porst, Sustainability and Green Buildings Program Advisor for the OFHPGB and Past President of NCC ASHRAE, served not only on the project monitoring committee but also as the GSA liaisons for the guide development.  The research, reporting and training provided by OFHPGB in response to Executive Order 13514, “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance”,  is shared with government agencies and stakeholders to promote leading practices and technologies for building efficiencies and sustainable practices for today and tomorrow’s federal buildings.   The guide can be purchased  online through the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) website.   

Comments Off