Happy Friday and welcome to ASHRAE's Government Affairs Update! Along with the Government Affairs Webpage, these periodic Email updates feature information on government affairs-related activities of interest to ASHRAE members and others interested in the built environment. Archives of previous updates are available from the Government Affairs Webpage (http://www.ashrae.org/government-affairs). 

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ASHRAE Government Affairs Update, 4/20/2012

• House Funding Subcommittee Approves $5 Million Reduction for EIA, Threatening 2012 CBECS
• High-Performance Building Week Events Announced
• High-Performance Building Caucus Examines the Business Case for Energy Efficiency Improvements to Existing Buildings
• Coalitions Forming between ASHRAE Members and Regional Energy Efficiency Groups

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House Funding Subcommittee Approves $5 Million Reduction for EIA, Threatening 2012 CBECS

This week the House Energy & Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee approved a bill that would reduce fiscal year 2013 funding to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) by $5 million, and reduce funding to the U.S. Department of Energy by $358 million, compared to current levels.

The proposed funding reductions threaten to halt progress on the 2012 edition of the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). Work on the next edition of the Survey has already been suspended once due to Congressional funding cuts. The most recent edition of CBECS is nearly a decade old – from 2003.

The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey is a national sample survey that collects information on the stock of U.S. commercial buildings, their energy-related building characteristics, and their energy consumption and expenditures. CBECS data are critical to the building community because they help form the basis for understanding patterns of energy use, informing the decisions of the industry and key policymakers and government programs. For instance, CBECS data are used by ASHRAE in the development of our building energy efficiency standards, which are used by the federal government and most states. CBECS data are also used by many federal and private sector programs in their efforts to promote building efficiency.

The House Subcommittee-approved numbers are not yet final – the House would still need to pass this bill, and the Senate will likely markup their own version. This is an issue that ASHRAE will closely be monitoring. For more information or to get involved, please contact WashDC@ashrae.org.

High-Performance Building Week Events Announced

The 2012 High-Performance Building Week runs from May 14 to 18. The growing schedule of events (all held in Washington, DC) is now available on http://www.hpbccc.org/hpb2012week.php.

High-Performance Building Week is organized by the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition, and seeks to educate and share information among policymakers, the building community, and general public on the benefits of high-performance buildings, while exploring options for overcoming market, policy, and other barriers to improving the nation’s building stock.

Do you have a high-performance building-related event in Washington, DC or elsewhere that you’d like listed on the High-Performance Building Week calendar? If so, then email WashDC@ashrae.org, and we’ll be happy to help you.

High-Performance Building Caucus Examines the Business Case for Energy Efficiency Improvements to Existing Buildings

How can the building industry, policymakers, the financial community, and others increase the adoption of energy efficiency retrofits and renovations in existing buildings? These were the issues addressed at a recent High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition (HPBCCC) briefing on Capitol Hill. The briefing featured presentations from (presentation titles are listed above speakers' names):

Market Opportunity for Retrofits and Renovations and How to Make the Business Case for Energy Efficiency

Michele A. Russo, LEED AP

Director, Green Content & Research Communications

McGraw-Hill Construction

The Business Case for Building Owners and Managers

Bruce D. Hunn, Ph.D.

Fellow ASHRAE

Consultant in Building Energy Analysis

A Business Case for Multi-Tenanted Office Buildings: Creating a Win for Owners, Managers and Tenants

Richard W. Greninger, CPM

Vice Chair, BOMA International

Managing Partner, Operations, Carr Properties

All presentations can be viewed at http://www.hpbccc.org/04112012.php.

Coalitions Forming between ASHRAE Members and Regional Energy Efficiency Groups

Working in concert with like-minded organizations is a basic tenet of advocacy at all levels of government – and now, U.S. ASHRAE members nationwide have the opportunity to work in tandem with influential energy efficiency advocates.

There are six regional energy efficiency organizations (REEOs), which serve as guiding forces in the development of strong and sound energy policy in their respective spheres of influence:

• Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA)
• Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)
• Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA)
• South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER)
• Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA), and
• Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP).

ASHRAE regional and chapter leaders are taking advantage of the REEOs’ 30,000-foot view of stringent energy codes and standards by discussing with these organizations ways in which ASHRAE can work with them to further the cause of greater efficiency in the built environment at their communities.

If you are interested in learning more about the REEO in your part of the U.S., please contact the Government Affairs Office at WashDC@ashrae.org and we will get you up-to-speed and put you in touch with the right people.

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Registration Now Open! Sustainability Forum on June 12 Beyond the Green Dream Facing the Reality of Green Building Compliance The growing conversation about sustainability has inspired designers and policymakers to dream of a green future. Today, that discussion has become reality. What do you need to know to ensure your green buildings comply with not only existing standards, but ever-advancing technology and policy requirements? Join us June 12, at the Mountaineers Program Center as we navigate the maze of green bureaucracy from the latest local and federal policy developments to sustainable contracts and materials through panel discussions and case studies. This program will be your "how-to" guide on the brass tacks of what designers, builders, owners, engineers need to know to get green done. June 12, 2012 8am-5:30pm The Mountaineers Program Center 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 Free parking, (Metro #30, 74, 75) 8 CEH / 8 HS W / 8 SD Register online (ASHRAE Members will get the member discount!) Many Thanks to our Sustainability Forum Sponsors Gold Sponsor Bronze Sponsors BRC Acoustics & Audio Visual Design Carney Badley Spellman The Robinson Company

ESCO Solicitation - King County

ESCO Registry Application
King County Procurement and Contract Services Section is soliciting energy service contractors or firms (“Firms”) for inclusion in the King County Energy Service Contractor Registry (“Registry”). Under Chapter 39.35A RCW, Firms may be selected by King County to help identify, implement and/or finance energy, utility efficiency, and resource conservation projects on designated facilities or structures owned and/or operated by King County (“Energy Services”). The agreement between the County and the selected Firm shall be through the creation of an Energy Service Performance Contract (“Contract”) for which payment to the selected Firm is conditional on achieving contractually specified costs savings on the Contract.


The County intends to utilize the Registry to establish a pre-qualified list of Firms capable of providing Energy Services. Firms placed within the Registry will be offered an opportunity to compete with other pre-qualified Firms by submitting proposals to be evaluated by the County through a Request for Proposal solicitation process. These projects will not be advertised.


Prospective Firms can apply for entrance to the Registry at any time. The Registry will be designated by categories and prospective Firms are encouraged to apply only for those categories they are qualified to perform.

Application can be downloaded at the link below:

http://www.kingcounty.gov/operations/procurement/Forms/~/media/operations/procurement/documents/U_53_EnergySavingsContractRegistry.ashx

Fill in the forms and email the completed application and all appropriate documentations to Darren Chernick at darren.chernick@kingcounty.gov.

If you have any questions regarding the application or this process, please feel free to contact Darren Chernick at darren.chernick@kingcounty.gov or 206-263-9321.

You can visit the Procurement and Contract Services Section home page at:

http://www.kingcounty.gov/operations/procurement.aspx 

Job Posting - Seattle Steam Co.

SEATTLE STEAM COMPANY CURRENT JOB POSTING: DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING 

District Energy company is seeking an individual to provide engineering and project management services for all aspects of the company.

• Responsibilities include: project management, supervision of contractors, drawing maintenance and management, corporate safety officer, and company computer system coordinator.
Position reports to the President and CEO.

• Proficiency with MS Windows, Office, AutoCAD, Visio and SharePoint.

• Seattle Steam offers a competitive salary and benefits.

• Education and work experience requirements: Applicants should be a Registered Professional Engineer or on track to become one.

• More in-depth job description listed at: 
www.seattlesteam.com . 

Please send your resume to: dallen@seattlesteam.com.

Posting closes at 2 pm April 20th, 2012

ASHRAE - Press Release

For Release:

April 9, 2012

Contact: Jodi Scott

Public Relations

678-539-1140

jscott@ashrae.org

Changes Related to Data Centers, Lighting, Space Heating Energy Source Proposed for ASHRAE/IES Energy Standard

ATLANTA – A proposed change to the ASHRAE/IES energy standard regarding data centers recognizes the role that system efficiencies – vs. only equipment – can play in reducing energy consumption.

“This change regarding data centers represents a building block as we work to build on the foundation of energy conservation in the standard,” Drake Erbe, 90.1 vice chair, said. “We recognize that equipment used in buildings is reaching maximum capabilities in energy efficiency. We now must examine the role that system efficiencies play in saving energy. Inclusion of data centers in the standard was a step in that direction.”

With publication of the 2010 standard, ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, data centers were included within its scope for the first time. Most data centers were required to have economizers, but some in the data center industry disagreed with the requirement, maintaining that economizers are subject to static discharge due to low humidity, gaseous contaminants and reliability.

Erbe said the 90.1 committee worked with the data center industry and ASHRAE’s technical committee on mission control facilities, technology spaces and electronic equipment to develop an alternative path known as power usage effectiveness (PUE) to allow use of developing technologies for which there are no energy modeling tools available. The path is addressed in proposed addendum ap, which is currently open for public comment.

“This is a significant issue to design professionals in that without a simulation program available to model these systems they have to receive approval from the authority having jurisdiction for an exceptional calculation method, which, in most cases, is beyond the jurisdiction’s knowledge level,” Erbe said. “The PUE values were developed using water cooled chillers with water size economizers and air cooled chillers with air side economizers, using prescriptive requirements currently in the standard. The PUE values for all climate zones are able to be achieved by both of these conventional system types.”

In total, 15 proposed addenda to Standard 90.1 are open for public review. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.

Also open for public comment is addendum ao, which offers an alternative compliance path for lighting requirements aimed at the large number of smaller, simpler buildings that make up a majority of new construction and retrofit activity, according to Eric Richman, chair of the standard’s lighting subcommittee.  It provides a less complicated set of requirements that should be easier to apply to these types of facilities, and also includes more stringent Lighting Power Density (LPD) limits that may restrict the application of more lavish space lighting designs not commonly found in these facilities. This compliance path will replace the current whole building LPD table and only applies to a subset of building types that encompass many of the smaller, simpler buildings.  The use of this method is optional and the full space-by-space method used by most designers for larger more complex facilities still remains for application to any building type, Richman said.

In addition, addendum al is open for public review.  Users of Appendix G of the standard have noted that the baseline energy budget is different depending on whether electricity or natural gas is chosen for either space heating and water heating, according to Don Brundage, a member of the Energy Cost Budget subcommittee.  In some cases, this can provide greater energy savings estimates from Appendix G when using one fuel versus another, and provides a strong incentive to specify the fuel that will provide the greatest energy savings using Appendix G.

“Proposed addendum al would make the baseline building energy budget (the minimum code baseline for determining energy savings) the same regardless of the choice of fuel in the proposed building, eliminating this bias,” Brundage said. “This is done by setting rules to determine the fuel to be used in the baseline building for space and water heating. These rules are based on climate zones for space heating and type of building usage for water heating.   This would make energy savings estimates using Appendix G more consistent and fair than under the current version of the standard.”

In addition to addendum al, ao and ap, eight other addenda are open for public review from March 23 until May 7. They are addenda af, ag, ai, am, an, aq, ar and at.

Four addenda are open for public review from March 23 until April 22. They are addenda ad, ah, aj and as.

Washington State Building Code Council

Mechanical, Ventilation and Energy Code Committee Meeting To interested parties: The SBCC MVE Committee will be meeting on Thursday, April 12, 2012 in Shoreline at the Shoreline City Hall beginning at 9 a.m. See the agenda here. To call in to the meeting, please contact SBCC staff prior to the meeting date for information on how to connect to the conference bridge. If you have any questions, please call 360-407-9280.

Job Posting - EEI

eei

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER – SEATTLE, WA

Engineering Economics, Inc. (EEI) is seeking a Senior Project Manager to join our team in Seattle, WA.

EEI is a national leader in the facility systems consulting industry, and we seek candidates who are passionate about the performance and energy efficiency of facility systems. For this position we are seeking a candidate who is a leader in the mechanical engineering field.  We specialize in Building Commissioning, LEED® Commissioning, Retro-Commissioning, Energy Auditing, Facility Assessments, and other energy efficiency evaluation services for commercial building projects. EEI is not a design firm, although many aspects of our work require extensive knowledge of commercial mechanical systems design, construction, and performance.

We are looking for a proven, experienced, hands-on Sr. Project Manager who is willing to take ownership of their projects, to get involved by rolling up their sleeves, and strive for nothing less than excellence to provide real value to our clients.  You must be a proven leader, and a highly motivated self-starter.  If you have the skills and drive to be successful, we will provide an environment in which you can flourish, with rewards commensurate with your success.

QUALIFICATIONS

•       8+ years experience in mechanical systems design, construction, testing and/or commissioning.

•       Experience testing, validating and troubleshooting complex mechanical and control systems.

•       Experience in recognizing, developing, evaluating, and recommending energy efficiency measures.

•       Proven project management and technical skills.

•       Experience conducting coordination/progress meetings with owners, designers, and construction personnel.

•       Experience working with mechanical sub-contractors and other field personnel.

•       Building Commissioning, LEED® Commissioning, and/or Retro-Commissioning experience (a plus).

•       Hospital and laboratory facility experience (a plus).

•       LEED® and/or Building Commissioning certifications (a plus).

•       Demonstrated team-building skills.

•       Strong communication, technical writing and computer skills required (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PDF).

•       Successful experience networking at business events, targeting potential clients, delivering    presentations and creating business opportunities.

•       Engineering degree (preferred)

•       Licensed PE (preferred)

•       Ability to travel up to 25% of the time outside the local area on a periodic basis.

To apply for this position, send your resume and cover letter, along with your salary requirements

 via e-mail to:

Human Resources

 e-mail: HR@eeiengineers.com

Subject: Sr. Project Manager – Seattle, WA

Engineering Economics, Inc. is an EEO/AA Employer M/F/V/D

No phone calls or faxes please.