In Balance Green Consulting sized the system, gathering the previous few years’ worth of available electricity bills, and used that data to evaluate different options. In the end, the church selected a system designed to offset 99% of the annual electricity cost and around 90% of the actual energy use.
AIA Central Coast Design Awards
For the AIA Central Coast Design Awards program this year, we were pleased to submit Hilliard Bruce Winery, and honored to accept a Citation Award on behalf of architect Vladimir (Val) Milosevic. The Hilliard Bruce Winery is an 11,750-square foot production facility and event space in Lompoc, California. It achieved LEED Silver certification through a variety of sustainable building strategies including LED lighting, energy efficient space conditioning and dramatic reductions in water use.
What's Your Zero Net Energy Plan?
California is currently on target for requiring Zero Net Energy (ZNE) performance from all new residential construction by 2020, and new commercial construction by 2030. While just how the State of California will define ZNE is still being finalized (see our blog “Defining ZNE - Not As Easy as You Think!”), the technologies and design features to make your next project energy self-sufficient are available today.
Changes in Green Power Credit for LEED v4
Purchasing green power for a LEED project has traditionally been a great way to support renewable energy development while contributing to a project’s certification. While this will continue to be the case under LEED v4, the green power credit has undergone some major changes related to contracting requirements, the scope of inputs for energy calculations, and the type of resources allowed for offsets.