Buildings and Energy

The Paris Agreement is a global agreement to addresses climate change with a long-term goal of keeping the global average temperature to at least 2°C (3.6°F) below pre-industrial levels. In alignment with the Paris Agreement, the Climate Toolkit recommends that institutions set realistic goals to reduce fossil fuel usage and its associated emissions and make plans to accomplish those goals. This is a critical step to address climate change and diminish our carbon footprint. 

Resources:

• What Is the Paris Climate Agreement?
• We are Still In (We Are Still In)
• Climate Action Plans, Part 1 (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)

Establishing Baselines and Targets:

• Simplified GHG Emissions Calculator (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Carbon and Nitrogen Accounting Platform (SIMAP)
• Greenhouse Gas Protocol (World Resources Institute)
• Carbon Calculator (Gallery Climate Coalition GCC)
• Culture Over Carbon: Understanding the Impact of Museums’ Energy Use (Environment & Culture Partners)

Zoos, museums and botanical gardens emit a significant amount of carbon dioxide through conventional energy consumption. Purchasing renewable energy supports clean energy development, reduces your carbon footprint and hedges future electricity prices.

Generating renewable energy onsite is ideal but requires significant investment. The Climate Toolkit recommends starting with a hybrid approach of purchasing renewable energy while investing long-term in onsite generation from photovoltaics and wind.

Resources:

• Fossil Fuels, Explained (National Geographic)
• Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Electricity Generation (U.S Energy Information Administration)
• Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics (Project Drawdown)
• Onsite Wind Generation (WindStax Energy)
• Green Mountain Energy
• How to Reduce Carbon Emissions: Energy Management and Audits
• Carbon Emission Reduction: An Interview with Norfolk Botanical Garden
• Watch the December Climate Toolkit Webinar
• Buying Renewable Electricity: Leading the Green Power Movement by Example (Phipps Conservatory)
• Purchasing Carbon Offsets: Accounting for Emitting (Phipps Conservatory)

Building emissions are responsible for nearly one third of the carbon released in the United States, and heating is a large driver of these emissions. Public institutions cannot always control how their buildings are heated; however, efforts should be made to eliminate any and all onsite fossil-fuel combustion.

Resources:

• Geothermal (Department of Energy)
• High-Efficiency Heat Pumps (Project Drawdown)
• Discover the path to energy efficiency (Energy Star)
• Sustainability Features (Phipps Conservatory Center for Sustainable Landscapes)
• Carbon-Free Buildings (Rocky Mountain Institute)
• CARE Tool – Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator (Architecture 2030)

Buildings have a high energy demand, with lighting, heating and cooling contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. They are a critical place to significantly reduce energy use.

For new constructions and renovations, the Climate Toolkit recommends pursuing the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Living Building Challenge, which requires organizations to create a building that uses resources efficiently and is net-zero energy and net-zero water. The Living Building Challenge is one of the few challenges that ILFI created for healthy buildings, communities and living. It focuses on 20 imperatives within seven categories of energy, water, place, health and happiness, materials, equity, and beauty and inspiration. 

International Energy Efficiency Standards:

• ILFI – Zero Energy Certification
• BREEAM – Net Zero Carbon
• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) – LEED V5 
• ASHRAE – Standard 90.1
• IECC Energy Code – New Buildings Institute

Resources:

• Zeroing In: Making Your Buildings Net-Zero Energy (Phipps Conservatory)
• The Living Building Challenge (International Living Future Institute)
• Phipps Conservatory’s Living Building Challenge (International Living Future Institute)
• What Does Good Look Like? Getting the Green Building You Want Virtual Workshop (Phipps Conservatory)

Embodied Carbon:

Embodied carbon refers to the amount of upstream GHG emissions – from extraction, production, transport, and manufacturing – associated with a product’s lifecycle. To ensure that renovations and construction are utilizing low embodied carbon processes, it’s necessary to evaluate building re-use before starting new construction; optimize material efficiency (which can include reusing existing materials); procure low-carbon/carbon sequestering materials; request and disclose environmental product declarations for high impact materials; and utilize carbon-smart materials:

• Carbon Smart Materials Palette (Architecture 2030)
• Climate Positive Design
• Product and Building Materials RED LIST

Energy Use Intensity (EUI) refers to the amount of energy used per square foot on an annual basis. EUI is a prime indicator of a building’s energy performance and can be calculated by dividing a building’s total yearly energy consumption by the total gross floor area. 

Building renovations offer a unique opportunity to retrofit inefficient, older systems and reduce energy use and emissions in the process. From reducing HVAC leaks to using natural ventilation, upgrading lighting and switching to eco-friendly appliances, zoos, gardens and museums should endeavor to ensure that all new rehabilitations are as efficient as possible.

Resources:

• EUI – Energy Use Intensity (Energy Star)
• What is Energy Use Intensity? (Neumann Monson Architects)
• EUI Median by Property Type (Energy Star Portfolio Manager)
• Benchmark Your Building (Energy Star)
• Renovation Reductions: Making Existing Buildings More Energy Efficient (Phipps Conservatory)