5 Ways to get building occupants to think and act green

All the green building technology in the world won’t bring down energy use and carbon emissions if building occupants don’t use it. With that in mind, Green Technology Forum sat down to talk with Ashley Halligan, a facilities management software analyst at a Web-based software resource, and author of Occupant Behavior: Five Keys to Meeting Environmental Performance Goals. This helpful online article spells out specific strategies for improving tenant buy-in and interaction with green building systems and software.

GTF: You say that occupancy behavior is holding us back from reaching environmental building performance goals. How is it holding us back?

Ashley Halligan: First of all, per a study that Lucid did, they demonstrated that tenant habits account for 30-50 percent of energy use in a building. Similar studies estimate 10-30 percent, though many of those studies are not based on empirical data, while Lucid's was.

They've deemed this "plug loads," which received light mention in the article. "Plug load" essentially refers to any device in a commercial building that uses energy. This includes computers, fax machines, cell phone chargers, printers, etc. These are all things that cannot be moderated by Building Automation Systems (BAS), so even with a savvy environmental design plan intact, heavily influence overall energy usage.

Typically, BAS can regulate lighting and thermostat patterns to intertwine with the standard hours of building use. That said, if occupants are faultily leaving lights on when rooms are unattended during business hours, failing to report leaky faucets or running toilets, or leave electronics on when unnecessary, these things collectively and significantly add to overall usage. 

GTF: How can software help?

Ashley Halligan: Software can help by illuminating usage patterns and offer live reports of current usage. By making these measurements and data visible and easy to decipher, occupants will become more engaged in the overall endeavors of the design team. These applications provide a platform for usage comparisons which, in turn, can be useful in terms of the competition we discussed in the article. The software can also be integrated into social media platforms allowing more interaction between facilities and their occupants. 

Additionally, there are software programs that handle the BAS as well, so there are several solutions from a technical perspective as well. The software that I gave more emphasis to are the types of programs that can gauge and monitor usage, provide graphical feedback to users in an easy-to-identify-with format and can create a social network for occupants.

Do rising gas prices reduce demand?

"High gas prices are the remedy for high gas prices." That's the argument by retired government analyst Tom Whipple as he surveys the prospect of higher gas prices in the coming year. Higher prices, in other words, cause people to drive less, which reduces demand, making prices fall.

"We could theoretically be paying a national average on the order of $5.00 a gallon before the 4th of July," he estimates, adding that, "this of course assumes that nothing bad happens in the Middle East that restricts or seriously threatens the flow of oil exports and sends prices much higher."

Nothing bad like Iran threatening to close the Straight of Hormuz? 

But Whipple concurs with Tom Kloza, chief analyst for the Oil Price Information Service, that we will see pump prices topping out between $3.90 and $4.25 a gallon, a fall-to-spring increase of only 40-45 percent. But, "an increase of only 40-45 percent," he adds, "would be the smallest winter-spring price rally in this century."

"$4 a gallon," he argues, "is something the average American has seen before and can comprehend - forecasting $5 gasoline for six months from now is simply not acceptable considering the economic and political havoc it would be likely to cause."

"As they did before, consumers would cut back on consumption, but this time it is different as much of the “fat” (discretionary travel, recreational driving by teenagers, etc.) has already been wrung out by the weak economy. U.S. oil consumption is currently down about 2.3 million barrels per day since 2005. Wringing out the next 2 or 3 million barrels per day is going to be much more painful especially if the cuts have to happen in weeks or months rather than decades."

My concern with this line of thinking is that at some point we will run up against the problem of infrastructure. As gas prices rise, we may cut back on driving and other oil-dependent activities, but our entire civil infrastructure from highways to home heating is built on oil, so while we may want to switch to renewables if gas hits $4 or $5 per gallon, we simply won't be able to do it quickly enough. 

We've somehow got to pry the politicians (and much of the public) out of their inertia and rebuild our infrastructure to support renewables. It's a massive undertaking, but if we don't we're just digging ourselves deeper into crisis.

World’s most portable electric bicycle

Electric bikes are one of the greenest ways to get around, but sometimes locking them up outside isn’t ideal. With the AE-bike from Sinclair Research, you can fold up your electric bike in under 10 seconds and tuck it under your arm like a briefcase. 

The lightest electric folding bike in the world at 14 pounds, the AE can travel up to 20 miles on a single charge of its 24 volt Lithium Polymer battery pack. It also features conventional bike pedals for backup power.

 With a suggested maximum rider weight of 85kgs (187 lbs), the AE may not handle the bulkiest of riders, although Sinclair says it’s fully tested to hold more weight.

Look for the AE-bike to become available later this year, and if you just can’t wait you can reserve one now. Riders in the UK may qualify for a discount up to 50% of the purchase price through a government rebate program (hey US government, where’s our electric bike incentive program?) Sinclair also makes a non-electric version with the same fold-up capability.

Post-petroleum resources for 2012

To celebrate the dawn of a new year I'd like to share a few resources that I've found both useful and inspiring as I guide my company, Gone Studio, through the largely uncharted waters of post-petroleum design and zero-energy manufacturing.  Here they are, described in their own words. Check them out to learn more about the end of the oil era and what you can do to be ready for it. Like Bucky Fuller used to say, "The best way to predict the future is to design it." Post Carbon InstitutePost Carbon Institute provides individuals, communities, businesses, and governments with the resources needed to understand and respond to the interrelated economic, energy, environmental, and equity crises that define the 21st century. They envision a world of resilient communities and re-localized economies that thrive within ecological bounds. Center for a New American SecurityThe Center for a New American Security (CNAS) develops strong, pragmatic and principled national security and defense policies. Building on the deep expertise and broad experience of its staff and advisors, CNAS engages policymakers, experts and the public with innovative fact-based research, ideas and analysis to shape and elevate the national security debate. The Oil DrumConventional political, economic, and media institutions have yet to recognize energy’s role as a key contributor to society, and its importance as a driver for all of our physical processes and economic transactions. The Oil Drum seeks to facilitate civil, evidence-based discussions about energy and its impacts on the future of humanity, as well as serve as a leading online knowledge-base for energy-related topics. Peak OilPeakoil.com was started in 2005 by Dan C., a software engineer coming to a realization about the importance of understanding then improving the world’s hydrocarbon energy systems. The site’s mission has been “exploring the issue of hydrocarbon depletion” AKA Peak Oil, undoubtedly the most serious economic and cultural crossroads in several generations. Energy & CapitalEnergy & Capital publishes commentary, research, and investment ideas centered around the end of the oil age and the technologies that will help us make a smooth transition.

Seattle bans plastic bags

While Los Angeles County and the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Kuai have implemented similar bans, Seatlle is now the largest US city to outlaw plastic bags.

The law states simply that, "No retail establishment in the City shall provide a single-use plastic carryout bag to any customer."

The Seattle council voted to charge a 20-cent fee on paper and plastic bags in 2008, but the plastics industry spent $1.4 million backing a referendum to overturn it, according to KEPR TV.

Plastic Ban Report explains that the ordinance cites the Washington State Legislature in RCW 70.95.010(4) which found that it is “necessary to change manufacturing and purchasing practices and waste generation behaviors to reduce the amount of waste that becomes a governmental responsibility.”

Seattle currently uses approximately 292 million plastic bags annually, only 13% of which are recycled, according to Seattle Public Utilities. But that will all change when the new law takes effect July 1, 2012.