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Austin Energy Green Building Residential Rating Development Update Heidi Kasper Manager, Residential Green Building 5/20/2020 © 2020 Austin Energy History & Mission Austin Energy Green Building developed the first rating system in the U.S. for evaluating the sustainability of buildings, creating a model for many other cities as well as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification system. Since 1991, Austin Energy Green Building has provided: • Ratings and programs • Education and outreach • Advocacy and planning Mission To cultivate innovation in building and transportation for the enrichment of the community’s environmental, economic and human well-being 2 Goal: Conservation Energy + Water + Materials • Save money • Reduce pollution • Reduce resource extraction/waste • Reduce the need for landfills • Support the City of Austin Climate Protection Plan • Support the local economy (focus on local materials & market development) 3 Goal: Quality of Life Environment + Transportation + Education + Equity • Promote healthier indoor & outdoor environments • Promote transportation options that work for everyone • • • Provide buildings that work for everyone Increase human health & well-being Improve construction worker health and safety 4 Austin Energy Green Building Ratings Austin Energy Green Building (AEGB) rates new construction and major renovation projects for three markets 4-Star Allandale Residence 5-Star Bluebonnet Studios 4-Star Oracle Single Family Production & Custom Homes 16,445 Total Rated 15,233 Austin | 1212 Extended Area Multifamily Residential < 7 Stories 172 Total Rated 27,505 dwelling units Commercial & Residential > 7 Stories 291 Total Rated 35,702,219 sq. ft. 16,908 AEGB Total Rated Projects total reported from FY 1991 - 2019 5 Residential Rating Development Timeline JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY Reviewing and incorporating stakeholder feedback Researching and developing innovation guides Stakeholder feedback Developing final documents DRAFT 1 6/19/19 Request for feedback sent to 72 stakeholders STAKEHOLDER MEETING 7/17/19 18 attendees Public Safety Commission 1/6/20 Environmental Commission 2/19/20 DRAFT 2 1/21/20 Request for feedback sent to 102 stakeholders Shelter in Place LAUNCH 5/8/20 6 Stakeholder Summary BASIC EDUCATION & REQUIREMENTS EQUITY SITE ENERGY WATER HEALTH TEAM MATERIALS & RESOURCES 19 10 1 2 7 1 10 6 3 0 15 6 18 7 1 1ST ROUND SINGLE FAMILY MULTIFAMILY 2nd ROUND Sent to 72 stakeholders • • 12 individuals provided 106 comments Sent to 102 stakeholders • • 7 individuals provided 34 comments or questions • Broad range of topics - 3 themes • • • Cost, flexibility and ease of use Products, Materials, Design strategies to address health concerns Additional clarifications or definitions on how to achieve certain measures Source: AIA Austin Interviews, January 2020 7 Affordability Changing technology Updated standards Legislative constraints Healthy building materials THEMES Ease of use 8 Excerpt from HB 2439 (a) Notwithstanding any other law and except as provided by Subsection (d), a governmental entity may not adopt or enforce a rule, charter provision, ordinance, order, building code, or other regulation that: (1) prohibits or limits, directly or indirectly, the use or installation of a building product or material in the construction, renovation, maintenance, or other alteration of a residential or commercial building if the building product or material is approved for use by a national model code published within the last three code cycles that applies to the construction, renovation, maintenance, or other alteration of the building; or (2) establishes a standard for a building product, material, or aesthetic method in construction, renovation, maintenance, or other alteration of a residential or commercial building if the standard is more stringent than a standard for the product, material, or aesthetic method under a national model code published within the last three code cycles that applies to the construction, renovation, maintenance, or other alteration of the building. 9 2020 Single Family Rating The star rating achieved by a project is determined by the number of sustainability measures incorporated into the project. Basic Requirements 25 – 49 pts 50 – 74 pts 75 – 99 pts 100 pts or more 1 Star 2 Star 3 Star 4 Star 5 Star Star level requirements 10 Single Family 2020 New Basic Requirements • Digital Ventilation Controller • Electric Vehicle Readiness 11 Energy & Water Water Heater Efficiency • More emphasis on heat pump water heaters Residential Commissioning and Additional Testing • Added points for commissioning HVAC system • Added points for building envelope commissioning High Efficiency Fixtures and Appliances • Reduced points for LED lighting Electric Readiness • Aligning with 2021 IECC code requirement Indoor Water Water Efficient Home 12 Resource Extraction Reuse/Recycle /Landfill Transportation Demolition Manufacturing Lifecycle of building products Use and Maintenance Construction 13 Product Evaluation #durable, #low emitting, #certified, #transparency 14 Health & Materials Durable Finished Floor: vinyl products no longer accepted to achieve these points Improved Indoor Air Quality: • New point for GS 11, Green Guard Gold or SCS Indoor Advantage Gold paints without APE’s • New point for Green Guard Gold or SCS Indoor Advantage Gold sealants • Changed cabinet point to require no added urea-formaldehyde. Dedicated Dehumidification: (new points) 15 2020 Multifamily Rating The star rating achieved by a project is determined by the number of sustainability measures incorporated into the project. Basic Requirements 35 – 49 pts 50 – 64 pts 65 – 79 pts 80 pts or more 1 Star 2 Star 3 Star 4 Star 5 Star 16 Multifamily 2020 New Basic Requirements • Digital Ventilation Controller • Exhaust fans vented to outside at all cooktops • All ductwork registers and grills kept covered during construction • Projects must demonstrate irrigation water demand reduction of 30% from the baseline • Updated recycling capacity requirements 17 Energy & Water Prescriptive Energy Performance • Reduced points for LED lighting • Removed points for standard gas appliances Additional Testing and Quality Installation • Grade 1 insulation • 100% testing Electric Readiness Irrigation Controls Water Use Benchmarking • Aligning with 2021 IECC code requirement 18 Health & Materials • Auditory Comfort (NEW) • Interior Paints and Coatings (NEW) • Composite Wood • Humidity Control: 3 points for dedicated dehumidification system with programmable relative humidity controls • Durability (NEW) • PVC’s and Phthalates: increased number of points for choosing PVC free materials 19 Site Electric Vehicle Readiness • 10% of all new parking Equity Housing Affordability • Added an affordability calculator Car Free Living • New points for accommodating electric bikes and scooters 20 2121 Backup slides 23 PROPOSAL 1ST ROUND RESPONSE BASIC REQUIREMENTS VOCs from caulk, sealant, and adhesive products should comply with the revised lowered emission levels of SCAQMD Rule 1168. Polystyrene and polyurethane insulation board should be given negative points. Aerogel will be allowed as an alternative insulation material for thermal bridging applications a. Glazed tile should prohibit heavy metals being used in the pigments. b. Any carpet used in a home must be certified for VOC emissions by Underwriters Laboratories’ GREENGUARD Gold program or the Carpet & Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus program. It should be free of PVC, fluoropolymers, halogenated fire retardants, and coal fly- ash fillers. c. Carpet backing should not have recycled content that contains halogenated flame retardants. d. Epoxy floor adhesives that contain BPA or other phenol chemicals substitutes should be prohibited. e. Polyurethane floor adhesives should be given negative points. a. PVC should be prohibited in all building products where cost-competitive substitutes exist. Such substitutes exist for flooring, doors, siding, window frames, blinds and fenestration, shower curtains, fence and decking material, wallpaper, and plumbing pipes for water supplies. b. Antimicrobial chemicals should be prohibited in all building products with the exception of its use as a preservative in products such as paint, sealants, and adhesives. LEDs or lamp technologies of equal energy efficiency should be used throughout the home. The minimum efficiency should be based on requirements for Energy Star lighting products. This suggestion is addressed in the 2020 Multifamily Guide. (Health: Interior Sealants and Adhesives and Health: Exterior Applied Products) Philosophically, AEGB has avoided the use of negative points. Using a punitive mechanism has the potential to make it more difficult to "meet people where they are" and encourage wider participation in the rating system. a. – d. AEGB does not feel it would be appropriate to incorporate this suggestion into the rating system as a basic requirement at this time. Further market research will be conducted to determine its efficacy in the multifamily construction market. e. Philosophically, AEGB has avoided the use of negative points. Using a punitive mechanism has the potential to make it more difficult to "meet people where they are" and encourage wider participation in the rating system. AEGB does not feel it would be appropriate to incorporate this suggestion into the rating system as a basic requirement at this time. Further market research will be conducted to determine its efficacy in the multifamily construction market. Due to a diversity of stakeholder opinions on the matter of issues like Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMF), and LED light properties, LEDs are not everybody's first choice for lighting. AEGB is invested in "meeting people where they are," and implements basic requirements in accordance with this philosophy. Source: AIA Austin Interviews, January 2020 24 MATERIALS Maximize hard surface flooring, without vinyl. PROPOSAL 1ST ROUND RESPONSE This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Guide. (Materials and Resources: Durable Finished Floor) Wood floors that are durable should be defined as products rating at least 1,200 on the Janka wood-hardness scale. Extra points should be given for higher-rated wood flooring on this scale unless it is from endangered or threatened species Materials and Resources: Durable Finished Floor of the 2020 Single Family Guide specifies flooring materials that do not fulfill the measure if installed in the measure language. AEGB needs to remove [composite lumber] as a requirement from the Single Family Home program. This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Guide. The definition of rapidly renewable floors should be defined, and include linoleum, cork, and biobased resilient flooring with at least 80% renewable and/or inert mineral content. No orthophthalates should be contained in them. The definition of durable floors should eliminate vinyl (PVC) composition tile. Floors installed without conventional adhesives (stained concrete, floating floors, tack strips) or with peel-and-stick materials, should be given extra points. Extra points should be awarded for cabinets and composite lumber products that exceed the national standard for emissions. These materials, ranked in order of environmental preference, include: 1) solid wood; 2) composites with No Added Formaldehyde (NAF); and 3) composites with Ultra-Low Emitting Formaldehyde (ULEF) Extra points should be awarded for cabinets and composite lumber products that are manufactured in the Central Texas region. Window frames made of other materials than PVC and ABS plastic that meet Energy Code (e.g. Fiberglass, wood) should receive extra points. I found it inconsistent that the draft for Multifamily offered points for PVC-free materials (windows, doors, flooring), but this was ignored in the Single Family draft (except for awarding points for non-vinyl durable floors). There were also other common PVC building materials (fencing, fenestration, shower curtains, siding, supply plumbing, wallpaper) that were totally ignored in both drafts. AEGB does not feel it would be appropriate to incorporate this suggestion into the rating system at this time. Further market research will be conducted to determine its efficacy in the single family construction market. ** We developed an education resource document on these topics providing additional definitions and background on durable and rapidly renewable flooring AEGB does not feel it would be appropriate to incorporate this suggestion into the rating system at this time. Further market research will be conducted to determine its efficacy in the single family construction market. This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Guide. This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Innovation Guide (Materials and Resources Innovation Point: PVC and Phthalates) **We ended up including in the rating rather than as an innovation Source: AIA Austin Interviews, January 2020 25 PROPOSAL 1ST ROUND RESPONSE HEALTH Paints and coating products that are environmentally superior should receive extra points. These include wall and ceiling paints: A) made primarily of natural materials; B) that are mineral based, and C) manufactured without APEs. This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Guide. (Health: Improved Air Quality) The extra points for use of wall and ceiling paint that does not exceed 10 grams per liter should include the VOCs in tints This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Guide. (Health: Improved Air Quality) I found it curious and inconsistent that the draft for Multifamily offered a point for sealants and adhesives with restricted emissions per SQAQMD Rule 1168, but this was absent in the Single Family draft. I also think that the Rule 1168 in both the Single Family and Multifamily drafts should be a requirement and not an option. FGD content in wallboard should be limited to no more than 5% of total content. Wallboard with 0% FGD and/or use of wall material with No Added Formaldehyde (NAF) should receive extra points. These products should be certified for reduced air emissions by programs such as Underwriters Laboratories’ GREENGUARD Gold and Scientific Certification System’s Indoor Air Advantage Gold. Points for not using gyp. bd. (Use wood, plaster, tile, metal, etc. instead) Under "Interior wall and ceiling paints" give point to natural finishes such as natural paint (as above), natural oil/wax finishes or no finish, with the option to submit product contents instead of certification. Points for not using gyp. bd. (Use wood, plaster, tile, metal, etc. instead) This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Innovation Guide. (Health Innovation Point: Exemplary Indoor Air Quality) ** Points for sealants included in the rating rather than as an innovation This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Innovation Guide. (Materials and Resources Innovation Point: Environmentally Preferable Products) ** We have not yet released this innovation still working with stakeholders on specific language and capturing the broad intent. Encourage practices that minimize EMF hazards. (Such as a master switch to cut off power at the bedroom.) Right now there is not sufficient scientific consensus demonstrating the effect on human health from Electromagnetic Frequencies on the scale of single family houses. AEGB will continue to seek out the latest research on EMF and reconsider this idea at a later date. Source: AIA Austin Interviews, January 2020 26 PROPOSAL 1ST ROUND RESPONSE HEALTH Installing windows with polyurethane foam or other toxic foams should be given negative points to encourage more benign products and installation methods. Polyurethane caulk, as a class, is considered the most hazardous of all common caulking materials, and should also be given negative points Deduct points for the use of spray foam insulation Give additional points for the use of cellulose insulation I found it inconsistent that the draft for Multifamily offered points for certain flooring that is FloorScore certified. However the Single Family draft does not use this certification. FloorScore certification should be used for both rating systems. HVAC system includes a dedicated dehumidifier, can be ventilating or not. Create a separate measure for air tightness beyond code. Philosophically, AEGB has avoided the use of negative points. Using a punitive mechanism has the potential to make it more difficult to "meet people where they are" and encourage wider participation in the rating system. This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Innovation Guide (Materials and Resources Innovation Point: Low-Carbon Building Strategy) ** We have not yet released this innovation still working with stakeholders on specific language and capturing the broad intent. AEGB does not give points for Floorscore flooring in its single family rating because Floorscore engineered wood, for example, is not inherently superior to solid hardwood, tile, or concrete. AEGB incentivizes that glues, and not just flooring, to be approved, and flooring without glues should be the least toxic. In multifamily projects, hardwood floors would not be an alternative to engineered wood, so this same tradeoff would not arise. This suggestion will be addressed in the 2020 Single Family Guide. (Health: Dedicated Dehumidification) This suggestion is addressed in the 2020 Single Family Guide. (Energy: Residential Commissioning and Additional Testing) Source: AIA Austin Interviews, January 2020 27