CONGRESS WANTS COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS TO GO GREEN

CONGRESS WANTS COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS TO GO GREEN

Today’s interesting statistic… buildings account for 29 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions, according to Andy Ehrlich, senior vice president of B&D Consulting, a national advisory and advocacy firm.

Ehrlich spoke He spoke to commercial practitioners at the Commercial Legislative and Regulatory Subcommittee at the National Association of Realtors’ Midyear Meetings.

FYI - Congress has created an agency in the U.S. Department of Energy to evaluate ways in which commercial buildings could reduce emissions and save energy. A proposed bill (S. 2191) follows up green building themes set by cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, requiring commercial buildings to reduce energy use by 30 percent beyond the standard currently espoused by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

After 2019, standards would get even tighter.

The bill also offers incentives to states to update their building and energy efficiency codes.

The goal of the legislation, according to Ehrlich, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately two-thirds by 2050.

“Most scientists estimate that this level of reduction would be sufficient to prevent significant climate change,” observed Ehrlich.

Necessity is preceding regulation. Rising fuel prices and growing tenant demand are pushing the demand for green buildings in the U.S. Currently, green buildings account for about 2% t of new commercial construction; it’s estimated that by 2010, that percentage will increase to 10% percent of new construction.

“There’s no perfect bullet to reducing green house gases; we’re all going to have to take part, including the owners and managers of commercial real estate,” he concluded.

Info taken from:
http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2008051506?OpenDocument
http://www.socalindustrialrealestateblog.com/?p=273

Jodi Summers
Sotheby’s International Realty, Santa Monica
jodi@jodisummers.com

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