Keynote presentation to ARBS conference in Melbourne on 7 May 2012. Topic dealt with actual performance data in green buildings with a focus on Australian building performance.

1. If It Doesn’t Perform,
It Can’t Be Green!
Jerry Yudelson
Yudelson Associates

2. Take-Aways
Green buildings are important for controlling
CO2 emissions
Many buildings do not perform as predicted
or as needed
Without reporting actual performance, the entire
exercise will be wasted
Energy use metrics are well known

3. 8 Testable Propositions
• Green building vital in the global carbon picture
• Green building growing rapidly in all sectors
• Green building business case is proven
• BUT, many green buildings not performing as predicted
• Building energy performance reports all vitally needed
• Buildings must measure total carbon performance
• Zero-net-energy buildings feasible today
• Beyond energy, water is the next big issue

4. Green Building Important for Carbon Reduction

5. Green Buildings Make Money Sense

6. Business Case for Green is Proven
Financial/economic return
Risk mitigation
Marketing/public relations
Productivity/health gains
Recruitment/retention
Sustainability concerns
ASU Biodesign Institute B
LEED

7. Potential Impact of Rapid Greening
• 14% reduction in CO2, 2025 vs.
2005
• NPV of green building: $650
billion in U.S.
– 5x to 10x cost premium
• 2020 Prediction:
– Green buildings 95% of new
construction
– Green retrofits are 75% of
all retrofits

8. Green Building Growing Rapidly

9. Green Building Statistics
30,000+ LEED registered
projects (Dec. 2011)
130 countries use LEED
12,000+ LEED certified
projects (March 2012)
175,000+ LEED Accredited
Professionals
OREGON
HEALTH & SCIENCE “In God We Trust;
UNIVERSITY All Others Must Bring Data.”
-W. Edwards Deming

10. Building Energy = Carbon Solution
Reducing energy use in
buildings is the only Life
Cycle Cost-positive carbon
mitigation solution
25% of total carbon
solution can come from
buildings
Key issue today is
Choosing Green
finance, not economics
Choosing Green

11. Energy Performance Reports Needed

12. Performance Reporting Informs
• “What gets measured, gets
managed”
• If building energy use is this
important to our collective
future, why not know
what’s going on?
• Without reports, we are
flying blind/can’t fix
• Why should governments
put their faith in green
building without
performance reports?

13. New Green Buildings Under-Performing

14. Energy Savings in LEED Buildings

15. What’s the Issue?
• Average savings is 35% vs.
standard (Kats)
• BUT, about 25% actually
underperform
• One LEED Platinum building:
– Modeled at 61% savings
– Performs at 48% savings
• Underperforming buildings
hurt validity of green building
premise

16. Buildings Must Measure Carbon

17. Total Carbon Emissions Count
• Total carbon emissions
should be the only energy
points in green rating
schemes; this means:
– 80% reductions with new
buildings
– 40% in older buildings
• Relative improvement (%)
needs to be retired
• Real performance
assessment
– Buildings will be de-rated

18. Europe: Measure Total Carbon Emissions

19. ZerO-Net-Energy Buildings Feasible

20. Lessons from Lean Manufacturing
• Lean Themes
– Boeing 767: $130 million ea.
• Each plane performs identically
• Compare with two 350,000-SF
buildings
– Reduce energy & water
use/carbon footprint
– Eliminate waste
– Build in resiliency
– Need to make champagne on a
beer budget!
• =>Process changes
– Key issue: get green cost premium
down to zero, using integrated
design process

21. How Much Energy Should Buildings Use?
• European stretch goal: 100-150
kWh/sqm/a PRIMARY energy
use
• U.S. Average: 400 kWh/m2/a
(2003)
– 50% better than average
still not good enough!
– 60% to 90% required
– 2030 Challenge

22. Where Do We Need to Get?

23. Research: World’s Greenest Buildings
•LEED Platinum (or 6-Star
Green Star equivalent)
•Built since 2003
•>50,000 sq.ft. (5,000 sqm)
•Non-residential
•Must provide energy data for
one year
•Water data, as available

24. 2 Victoria Avenue, Perth
6-Star Green Star – Office As Built
•Graywater treatment
•Active chilled beams
• Floor-by-floor air handling
system
•Annual operating costs
savings: $85,000
• 5 Star NABERS
62 kwh/sqm/annum

25. The Gauge, Melbourne
6-Star Green Star – Office As Built
• Blackwater treatment
system recycles 96% of
wastewater
• Gas-fired cogen plant
supplies 25% of energy
use
• Individual control of
thermal comfort at 90%
of stations
• 5 Star NABERS
193 kwh/sqm/annum

26. Council House 2, Melbourne
6-Star Green Star – Office As Built & Design
•Thermal cooling, night purge,
5 “shower towers”
•100% fresh air
•Solar thermal
•PV system @ 3.5-kWh/day
•Green roof
•Gas cogeneration system
•Sewer mining
190 kwh/sqm/annum

27. Workplace 6, Sydney
6-Star Green Star – Office As Built
•Blackwater
treatment +
sewer mining
capacity
• Tri-generation
plant
• Harbor water
heat rejection
•Solar thermal
111 kwh/sqm/annum

28. One Shelley Street, Sydney
6-Star Green Star – Office Design
•Activity Based Working
(ABW) design = 20% less
space, 35% less paper
•“Diagrid” structure = Flexible
interior, 80% daylighting
•Harbor water heat rejection
•Chilled beams
•100% fresh air
116 kwh/sqm/annum

29. Pixel, Melbourne
6-Star Green Star – Office Design
• Perfect Green Star Score:
100 + 5 innovation points
• Highest LEED score: 102 of
110 available points
• BREEAM Outstanding
• 3 @1.5-kW wind turbines
& 6.5-kW PV
• Net-zero water use,
32 kwh/sqm/annum vacuum toilets

30. One Bligh, Sydney
6-Star Green Star - Office As Built
•
•Blackwater recycling plant for
cooling tower makeup
•65,000-liter rainwater tank
•Double-skin glass façade
•Tri-generation system: heating,
cooling, electricity generation
(vacuum-tube solar collectors)
106 kwh/sqm/annum

31. Asia/Pacific Buildings
6-Star Green Star Equivalent

32. The Future is Green, But…
If you want to score, run
to where the ball is
headed, not to where it is.
Ask yourself and your
clients: how green will the
built environment be in
2015 to 2020?
Non-performing green
companies will pay a
penalty in that market!

33. Take-Aways
Green building is important for controlling
CO2 emissions
Many buildings are not performing as
predicted or as needed
Without reporting performance, the entire
exercise will be wasted
Energy use metrics are well known

34. If It Doesn’t Perform,
It Can’t Be Green!
Jerry Yudelson
Yudelson Associates