LEED Platinum Certified Rowhouse
Buildings of all shapes and sizes are commiting to becoming more energy-efficient. I read an article recently on everydaygreendc.com, a website cataloguing the green developments in my hometown, Washington DC. They reported on how Amy Levin, of Mount Pleasant, DC, retrofitted her rowhouse with all sorts of energy-efficient measures and managed to get her home LEED-platinum certified, which is the highest classification for energy-efficient homes, according to the US Green Building Council. She decided to take on this task so that her home could have lower utility costs, higher property value, and thus, higher rent rates for her tenants. These are just a few of the changes she made to her home:
-Insullation - a soy-based foam product is sprayed on all the walls for insullation, reducing heating and cooling needs. Without any toxic materials, it is the greenest insullation product out there.
-Plumbing - a double-flush toilet which uses less water.
-Materials - she used reclaimed wood for a lot of her flooring. All materials are non-toxic, including the paint.
-Solar panels - she installed solar panels on her roof for electricity.
As a result of all the green initiatves that Amy implemented, her home now uses 59% of the energy of a regular building, and the value of her home is now appraised 10% higher than before. Upfront costs, but longterm savings.
From little Mount Pleasant we move on to The Big Apple. It was recently announced that The Empire State Building will go green. Yep, the 102-story, 78-year old, colossal building will be undergoing green retrofitting. Why? Also to save money in the long run. A joint venture between The Rocky Mountain Institute and the Clinton Climate Initiative, the project aims to make The Empire State Building the largest LEED certified building in the world. will cost $20 million dollars, but will cut down on energy costs by 38% a year, saving about $4.4 million a year. While the upfront costs seem daunting and prohibitive, about $13.2 million would have been spent on general maitenance anyways. The costs for the retrofitting will be recovered in about three years. About 78% of CO2 emissions in New York City come from energy used in commerical and residential buildings. By preventing the emission of 105,000 metric tons of CO2 from being spewed into the atmosphere, The Empire State Building will set an example. If it becomes the tallest green building in the world, it will prove that no building is too big to go green.
Empire State Building Is Going Green
And Amy Levins in Mount Pleasant is proving that no building is too small to go green. And same holds true for every building in between. From a little rowhouse, to a 102-story building, retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient makes environmental sense, and it makes financial sense.
Amy Levin at her Mt. Pleasant Green Home
Tags: alternative energy, clinton climate initiative, empire state building, energy efficient buildings, ethical business, Green Building, green energy, making money, mount pleasant, retrofitting, rocky mountain institute, social entrepreneur, us green building council
