HUBlog - The Official Blog of the GPIC Hub
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Blog updates on the GPIC research, education and outreach projects.
- Energy Efficient Buildings Hub launches new name, new website
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The former Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster for Energy Efficient Buildings rebrands to more effectively communicate vision and goals with key audiences. Visit our new website at www.eebhub.org.
Philadelphia, May 1- Today, the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster for Energy Efficient Buildings (GPIC) announced it has renamed itself the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub), with a new logo and tagline- “Re-energizing buildings for the future”- to better reflect the Hub’s mission and focus. Additionally, a new website- www.eebhub.org- also launches today, which features more consumer-friendly content geared to the EEB Hub’s key audiences in the building technology and energy efficiency sectors and functionality.
“We are very excited about our new name and market-facing website and feel that we will now be able to more efficiently communicate our strategic vision and the ways in which a variety of stakeholders can engage in our work” said Christine Knapp, Manager of Public and Client Relations for the EEB Hub. “The streamlined website makes it easier to share strategies and examples of successful implementation of retrofit technologies and projects that produce energy savings and economic benefits for owners and tenants.”
The rebranding effort comes a year into the launch of the EEB Hub, which is focused on reducing energy use in the regional commercial building sector by 20 percent by 2020 through informed people, validated information and proven technologies. During the first year the EEB Hub, made up of 22 academic, industry and economic development organizations and funded by a renewable five year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, established itself as an important economic development asset and expert convener on building energy efficiency and related topics in the Greater Philadelphia region.
Several EEB Hub stakeholder groups, or platforms, are also holding a kick-off meeting today. These groups will provide the EEB Hub with “voice of the customer” feedback as building technology and retrofit process solutions develop from design through demonstration to deployment. The groups will engage building owners, operators and occupants, architects, engineers and construction managers, retrofit suppliers, and education and workforce providers. This effort reflects the EEB Hub’s focus this year on demonstrating Hub-tested tools and strategies in regional buildings to maximize cost-effectiveness and energy savings. - Innovative electricity price awareness campaign launches
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You can easily track the minute-by-minute price swings of a barrel of oil, but can you do the same for a megawatt of electricity? Today you can.
The Electricity Price Ticker Partnership, led by PJM Interconnection and Penn Institute for Urban Research, has unveiled its web-based Electricity Price Ticker that tracks the real time wholesale electricity price for the PECO area. The ticker is the centerpiece of the Partnership’s Electricity Price Awareness campaign, which aims to increase the public’s understanding of the connection between the wholesale price of electricity and their electricity bills to show that energy use patterns affect the price of electricity and to support national Smart Grid efforts.
In addition to PJM and Penn IUR, the partners are: University of Pennsylvania’s Facilities and Residential Services (FRES), the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster for Energy Efficient Buildings (GPIC), Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), Penn State’s GridSTAR, and PECO Energy. GPIC provided financial support for the ticker design.
A visit to the partners’ websites reveals a colorful ticker displaying the price of a megawatt hour of electricity, updated every five minutes (all but PECO and PJM, the source of the price, will display the ticker on their websites). The price can vary greatly during a single day and by season. A click on the ticker directs the users to the Partnership’s website (www.PowerIsKnowledge.com) to learn about the electricity market: how electricity is produced, transmitted, and distributed to homes and businesses.
From the Partnership’s website, users can browse the individual partner’s sites for information about awareness programs and events. For example, at PJM's site (http://www.pjm.com/about-pjm/learning-center.aspx), users will learn what a megawatt hour of electricity can do; at Penn IUR's site (http://penniur.upenn.edu/), visitors can take an electricity literacy test; at UPenn’s Facilities and Real Estate Services’ site (http://www.facilities.upenn.edu/sustain_emng.php), users can find out how to conserve electricity on a university campus. - GPIC becomes Green Lease Library partner
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Green leases are an important tool in promoting energy efficient buildings. They help to align the financial and energy incentives of both building owners and tenants to save money and reduce energy consumption. In leases where the building owner pays energy bills, tenants have little reason to change their behavior to save energy. In other cases, building owners have no incentive to invest in energy saving features because they pass energy costs on to their tenants. Green leases help to address these issues and make sure that both the owner and the tenant benefit from energy efficiency improvements.
A number of stakeholders, including GPIC, have come together to create the Green Lease Library, which consolidates green lease resources into a single site accessible for all audiences. You can browse best practices, toolkits and guidance on how to develop, negotiate and implement a green lease.
Check out www.greenleaselibrary.com today for more information.
- GPIC convenes regional public utility commissions and national experts to discuss easier data access to boost energy efficiency opportunities
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On March 22, Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission Chairman Robert Powelson and GPIC conducted a first –of –its-kind regional discussion focused on strategies to make it easier for building owners to access their energy use data, an important tool for driving the market for retrofits in Greater Philadelphia. The event brought together Public Utility Commissioners and their staff from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C., and regional energy efficiency building stakeholders, such as Mayor Michael Nutter, State Representative Chris Ross (R-Chester), and the CEOs of Liberty Property Trust and Brandywine Realty Trust.
“Utilities and regulators play an essential role in helping building owners understand their building energy use. Convening the leadership present today is a first big step towards understanding how data sharing can break down the barriers to energy efficiency and retrofit building projects. We’re grateful to Chairman Powelson, Mayor Nutter, Bill Hankowsky, Jerry Sweeney and others for their contributions” said Henry C. Foley, the Executive Director of GPIC.During the event, an expert panel of public and private stakeholders explored the challenges and opportunities for building owners and technology companies related to accessing whole building energy use information. Cliff Majersik, President of the Institute for Market Transformation, provided an overview of efforts across the country to provide building owners with easier access to whole building data. PECO’s Vice President and General Counsel Romy Diaz reviewed their current energy efficiency initiatives, and committed the utility to working with GPIC on energy data issues. As Jerry Sweeney, CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust noted, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” as a way to highlight how improved energy data access could contribute to accelerating the market for retrofits in Greater Philadelphia.
Powelson added, “I commend GPIC for working with us to raise the importance of standard data access protocols throughout the region in order to foster increased awareness of energy efficient buildings. By collaborating with GPIC and their partners, we can assure that the PA PUC continues to promote an environment that fosters energy efficiency activity that produces savings for building owners and economic benefits for the Commonwealth. ”
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Colin McCormick concluded the meeting by explaining the recently launched federal “Green Button” initiative, which is a national effort to empower consumers by giving them easy access to their electricity usage data. At a concurrent launch at the White House, nine major utilities, including PECO, agreed to participate in the program to provide more than 15 million households access to their energy data by 2013.
- Sen. Shaheen hosts policy roundtable with GPIC
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On Monday, March 19, GPIC hosted a roundtable discussion with two national leaders focused on creating a public policy environment that supports energy efficient retrofits. U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Representative Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) toured the Navy Yard and led a roundtable discussion with high profile experts from industry, academia, economic development agencies and others.
“Sen. Shaheen is a recognized leader on energy efficiency issues, and we’re grateful for her interest and support for GPIC. The roundtable discussion helped GPIC and our allies identify ways in which legislation can help accelerate the market for energy efficient building retrofits” said Dr. Henry C. Foley, Executive Director of GPIC and the Penn State Vice President for Research.
Sen. Shaheen is a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee, and introduced the bi-partisan “Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act” that would enact a national energy efficiency strategy. She was one of many members of Congress that met with GPIC leadership in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy Town Hall on Energy Innovation Hubs on March 6 in Washington, D.C., in which GPIC participated.
Regional energy businesses in attendance at the roundtable were able to share their experiences and obstacles in market expansion. Topics ranged from the limitations of government tax incentives to learning from the Navy’s commitment to reduce energy use by 50 percent by 2020.
“As the ongoing instability in the Middle East reminds us, we cannot leave our economy vulnerable to energy price shocks caused by events beyond our control, and we cannot compromise our nation’s safety by relying on hostile nations for our energy needs,” said Shaheen. “We must break our addiction to foreign oil, and the fastest, cheapest way to start doing that is by investing in energy efficiency.”
Read a press release on the visit from Sen. Shaheen's office.
- Ben Franklin Technology Partners to invest in clean energy technologies
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Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a GPIC Member, has issued an announcement of a special briefing for companies seeking funds to develop and bring to market new alternative and clean energy technologies. Ben Franklin will invest $10,000 to $50,000 through its Technology Commercialization Fund and up to $750,000 through its Innovation and Emerging Funds. Funding for these programs is provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Alternative Energy Development Program.
Eligibility:- Technology-based companies with fewer than 500 employees inBucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties are eligible.
- Commercialization projects must be related to the development and commercialization of 1) energy efficient technologies utilizing traditional energy sources such as natural gas, coal and water power, and 2) alternative and/or clean energy technologies, such as those cited in Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) Tiers I and II energy sources.
Of special interest to GPIC, these funds can be used for energy efficient building technologies, such as advanced lighting systems, combined heat and power, advanced building envelop components, integrated dynamic control systems for building, and solar thermal cooling.
Interested companies are requested to register no later than March 23, 2012 to participate in a special briefing to learn about Ben Franklin Technology Partners’ energy and clean tech funding programs. Register online here. - Technology-based companies with fewer than 500 employees inBucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties are eligible.
- GPIC participates in DOE Energy Innovation Hubs Town Hall
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U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu hosted a live, streaming Q&A session with the directors of the three national Energy Innovation Hubs. Dr. Henry C. Foley of Penn State participated as the Executive Director of the GPIC Hub.
The Energy Innovation Hubs are major integrated research centers, with researchers from many different institutions and technical backgrounds. Each hub is focused on a specific high priority goal, rapidly accelerating scientific discoveries and shortening the path from laboratory innovation to technological development and commercial deployment of critical energy technologies.DOE accepted questions from live audience members, as well as through social media portals, which were answered by Sec. Chu and the Hub directors.
You can watch the video of the town hall session here.
- GPIC Year 1 Highlights
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On January 31, GPIC successfully completed its official first year in operation, meeting all set deliverables on time and on budget. Highlights from GPIC's first year include opening the GPIC Headquarters and the Immersive Construction (ICON) lab in Building 101, establishing partnerships with regional and national allies, including the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and organizing more than 20 educational workshops. The Building 661+ Project also launched with the selection of architect Kieran Timberlake and construction manager Balfour Beatty.
GPIC’s technology task areas also made significant progress by developing cloud infrastructure and a web-based information portal for high resolution building energy data and developing a technology roadmap for commercial and multi-family market segments.
The Policy, Markets and Behavior task produced baseline reports establishing the size of the regional commercial retrofit market and the potential financial and job creation impact of investing in retrofits, and identifying policy levers for stimulating retrofit activity. The Education and Workforce Developed task helped to launch the Sustainability Workshop, a project-based learning school for 30 high school seniors. The Commercialization task led the Opportunity Research Fund effort, which awarded $1.3 million to support seven innovative energy efficient building projects.
Read the full Year 1 highlights report here for more details.
In our second year, GPIC plans on developing and engaging several “platforms” or, stakeholder groups,that will deepen GPIC’s relationship with the regional marketplace. There will also be significant advances in several demonstration projects in the Navy Yard and beyond, allowing GPIC to test bed a variety of energy efficient building systems and tools. - Educator's Conference report available
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On October 20, over 60 educators and industry representatives came together to forge connections, to discuss the state of the building industry today, what role educational institutions can play in driving the market and how to bridge the transition. Transforming the energy efficiency industry towards an integrated systems approach will require a systems approach to education, which will require breaking down silos and educating across functions.
Read the full report online here. - Contractors Sought for Building 661 Project
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The Building 661+ project team has been hard at work on planning and concept design for the project. As they move into the criteria design phase, they plan to add another valuable member to the team. One key factor in an effective Integrated Design Process is early input and involvement from team members with construction knowledge and expertise. To incorporate the most industry expertise into the Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing/Fire Protection (MEP/FP) systems selection and design, the 661+ Construction Manager, Balfour Beatty, is publishing a Sources Sought for an Integrated Design MEP Specialist. This will be followed by a Request for Proposal to interested firms. All MEP contractors are strongly encouraged to participate in this process.
Please view document here for more information on how you can help achieve GPIC’s goal to transform the commercial building retrofit and new construction processes into a systems-delivery industry!
- Green building legislation advances in PA House
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On January 25, the Pennsylvania State House voted 170-18 in support for House Bill 193, sponsored by Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery), which would require all state building projects to achieve a federal Energy Star rating of at least 75. The High Performance State Standards bill would apply to state-owned construction projects where the building exceeds 20,000 gross square feet. A variety of green building rating systems would be acceptable under the bill, but a minimum set of criteria would be established to ensure compliance. These would include being consensus-based, employing third-party post construction review and verification and having a track record of certified green buildings in the United States. In addition to Pennsylvania, either other states have recently taken legislative steps to promote green buildings.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
- Architecture and Energy: Questions About Performance and Style
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GPIC, along with the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State University, will be hosting a workshop “Architecture and Energy: Questions About Performance and Style”, which will explore the intersection of architecture, style and building energy efficiency on Friday, January 27 from 2:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the University of Pennsylvania, PennDesign Lower Gallery at 102 Meyerson Hall at 210 S. 34th St. in Philadelphia.
Inquiring about what energy-efficient buildings “ought to look like” draws on a number of long-standing topics in the history and theory of architecture and the history and philosophy of technology. Twelve experts will present and discuss working papers on these issues. Summaries will be presented in public presentations and published in print, most likely as an edited collection of essays in book form.
Registration for the event is $25 for professionals; students and faculty must register but admission is free. To register and for more information, visit http://www.architectureandenergy.com. If you cannot make it in person, but would like to watch a live stream, please visit http://tcchancenter.com/architectureandenergy/. AIA Continuing Education credits will be available for AIA members.
The speakers will be:
- Thomas Abel, Anthropologist/Systems Ecologist. Assistant Professor, Zu Chi University, Taiwan. Author of “World Systems as Complex Human Ecosystems” (2007)
- William W. Braham. Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Director, Master of Environmental Building Design. Author, Rethinking Technology: A reader in architectural theory (2007)
- Dean Hawkes. Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge. Founding member, Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies. Author, The Architecture of Energy (1982), The Environmental Tradition (1995), and Energy Efficient Buildings: Architecture, Engineering and Environment (2006)
- David Leatherbarrow, Professor &. Interim Chair; author of many books on architecture including Topographical Stories (2004) and Architecture Oriented Otherwise (2009)
- Vivian Loftness, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, researcher and author focusing on environmental design and sustainability, advanced building systems and systems integration, climate and regionalism in architecture, and design for performance in the workplace of the future
- Ali Malkawi, Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Director, TC Chan Center for Energy Studies and Building Simulation. Author, Advanced Building Simulation (2004)
- Kiel Moe, Assistant Professor, GSD, Harvard University. Author, (w/ Ryan Smith), Design, Society & Technology: A Building Systems Reader (2011), Thermally Active Surfaces in Architecture (2010), and Integrated Design in Contemporary Architecture (2008).
- John Thackara. Director, Netherlands Design Institute (1993-1999), Founder, Doors or Perception. Author, In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World (2005)
- Franca Trubiano, Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania. Author, Design and Construction of High Performance Homes (2012)
- Richard Wesley, Adjunct Professor, University of Pennsylvania, publications on architectural theory have appeared in the Architecture Monograph, Harvard Architecture Review, Rassegna, VIA, Res, and Harvard Design Magazine.
- Dan Willis. Professor, Pennsylvania State University. Author, The Emerald City, and Other Essays on the Architectural Imagination (1999).
- Simos Yannas. Director, MSc/MArch in Sustainable Environmental Design, Architectural Association, London. Author, Solar Energy and Housing Design (1994), Roof Cooling Techniques: A Design Handbook (2005), and Lessons from Traditional Architecture: Achieving Climatic Buildings by Studying the Past and Roof Cooling Techniques: A Design Handbook (2012).
- Franklin Birthday Celebration Honors Sec. Chu
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On Friday, January 20th, GPIC representatives were delighted to participate in the 2012 Benjamin Franklin Birthday Celebration. The theme for this year’s celebration was Franklin and Energy: Resources, Uses and Efficiencies. The morning seminar heard presentations from Denis O’Brien, President and CEO of PECO; Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer at Franklin Institute; and Dr. Henry Foley, Executive Director of GPIC and the Vice President for Research at Penn State University. Dr. Foley related how the GPIC is carrying on the work of Benjamin Franklin, and noted the important role that federally-funded research plays in making important strides in the world of energy,
Following the seminar, the crowd marched in a procession to the grave site of Benjamin Franklin, where a wreath was laid and remarks were given by Dr. Joseph Bordogna, the Alfred Filter Moore Professor of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and the Chair of GPIC’s Advisory Committee. Members of the crowd carried banners representing their affiliations, many of which got their start through Benjamin Franklin, such as the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Fire Department of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. Among the crowd was a group of ten students from the Sustainability Workshop, a project-based learning school for 30 high school seniors located at the Navy Yard that is partially funded by GPIC.
During lunch, the 2012 Franklin Founders Award was given to Nobel Prize winner and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu who ,like Benjamin Franklin, is a scientist devoting his life to public service. Dr. Chu noted that throughout history, it is not enough to be the country that houses new inventions. From airplanes to cars and now to clean energy sources, the U.S. must again invent, produce and sell in order to lead.
You can view pictures from the day’s events on GPIC’s Facebook page.
- Penn State's long history at the Navy Yard
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In 1956, Peter Linder was a senior at Central High School, one of Philadelphia’s premier academic institutions. The Soviets had just launched rockets into space, and suddenly there was an urgent call for more educated engineers throughout the U.S.
A collaboration between the Navy and Penn State University created a work-study program aimed at attracting engineering students. Linder learned about the program through a posting at Central High, and became one of 36 students selected through the competitive process. The students, about a third from Central High, were admitted to Penn State and were given jobs at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at the Naval Air Engineering Laboratory in Building 75, situated right near Building 661, the future home of GPIC.
For the first two and a half years, Linder split his time between the Navy Yard and the Penn State Ogontz Campus (now Abington) for classes. While at the Navy Yard, he helped to design catapults that launch aircraft off of aircraft carriers. Dummy loads would be tested so the engineering students and their instructors could measure the strain on the equipment. The students would also regularly visit the shipyard within the Navy Yard to learn more about how they poured molding, metalwork and to get a broader feel for the subject.
For the last year and half, the students went to the Main Campus in State College. Throughout this time, the students were paid as full-time federal employees, even while taking their classes. They all spent their summers working at the Navy Yard as well.
Linder and his fellow students graduated in 1961 and all 36 worked at the Navy Yard due to a 5-year obligation to work for the Navy Engineering Department. While working with the Burroughs Company at the Navy Yard through his engineering work, Linder was offered a job with the company. The Navy did not object, so Linder simply paid back a portion of fees and accepted the job. He went on to earn his masters in Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania at the same time.
The program was canceled by the time Linder graduated, due to the high-costs and because the need for engineers had mostly been fulfilled. Linder is now a member of the Board of Directors Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA. He returned to the Navy Yard for the first time in many years when Ben Franklin moved their southeastern headquarters to Building 100 in the Navy Yard.
Linder is now the Chairman of the Penn State Research Foundation. He is also Chairman Emeritus of the Mid-Atlantic Angel Group Fund, a member managed angel fund that makes investments in start-up companies. He recently retired as a member of the faculty and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Muhlenberg College.
Penn State’s long and proud history at the Navy Yard continues and is expanding by the work of the GPIC and the other DOE-funded centers located here.
- GPIC creates its first online course
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Offices are the largest market segment in the commercial buildings sector, making up 17% of total floor space and 19% of primary energy consumption. 31% of this space non-owner-occupied (i.e. leased) and tenants in these facilities are typically among those least able to reap energy efficiency benefits.
In June, GPIC hosted a workshop on "Energy Efficient Retrofit Opportunities for Commercial Building Tenants" at the Navy Yard to explore new opportunities for architects to expand into the office market by helping office building tenants improve the energy efficiency of their leased space. Speakers included Doug Baston of North Atlantic Energy Advisers, Frank Gundal of NStar and Amy Cortese Renbarger of the New Buildings Institute.
The workshop was filmed, and has now been turned into an online course at the Mcraw Hill Continuing Education Center. Anyone interested in earning AIA/CES credits can now log on and learn at their own pace. Simply watch the video and take a test.
- Presentations Available from Innovation in Design Seminar
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In early 2011 a group of young HOK architects and Vanderweil engineers competed in the 2011 Metropolis Magazine Next Generation design competition “Getting the Feds to Zero”. Their award winning design submission was an inspired collaborative effort that closely parallels the mission of the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster.
During a seminar held on November 9, HOK presented their winning design concept as a context for a series of focused discussions on:
- Analysis – how to approach retrofit and the tools we use
- Work force – the “green workplace” & how human behavior impacts design
- Biomimicry – lessons inspired by nature that inform design
- Energy – achieving neutrality
- Design – integration and synthesis of all the above
- buildingSmart – BIM and Integrated Project Delivery (IDP) from scanning to operations
Their presentations and a WordCloud are now available online.
Thanks again to HOK for co-hosting this wonderful event!
- Commercial energy efficiency retrofits in region could spur $618 million in local spending, support 23,500 jobs
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Commercial energy efficiency retrofits in region could spur $618 million in local spending, support 23,500 jobs
Further adoption of proven policies will provide additional retrofit opportunities and job growth
Philadelphia- A report released today estimates that nearly half of the commercial buildings in the Greater Philadelphia region are good candidates for energy efficiency retrofits, and that undertaking these retrofits could spur $618 million in local spending and support 23,500 jobs. Another report details the policies and programs already undertaken in the region to encourage retrofits, and outlines additional proven steps that could help the region take advantage of this economic opportunity.“These reports provide ample evidence that the Philadelphia region is well-situated to take advantage of the economic opportunities inherent in energy efficiency retrofits. Removing barriers and employing new policy tools to spur retrofits will not only save energy, but also grow jobs and stimulate the regional economy” said Dr. Mark Alan Hughes of the University of Pennsylvania, and leader of the Policy, Markets and Behavior task team for the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) for Energy-Efficient Buildings, which commissioned the reports.
GPIC is a consortium of 24 institutions funded by $129 million in U.S. Department of Energy and other federal funds to create an Energy Innovation Hub at The Navy Yard. GPIC’s goals are to transform the building retrofit industry toward an integrated systems approach, to improve design tools, building systems, public policies, market incentives, and workforce skills needed to achieve a 50 percent reduction of energy use in buildings, and to stimulate private investment and quality job creation in Greater Philadelphia and beyond.
“The Market for Commercial Property Energy Retrofits in the Philadelphia Region”, conducted by Econsult Corporation, identifies 47 percent of the commercial and flex-industrial space between 20,000 and 100,000 square feet in the Philadelphia area for which data is available as potential candidates for energy retrofits. The eligible space includes 4,201 buildings with 154m square feet of space. The report compiled information on commercial building age, type, enclosure, materials, energy load, and owner concentration in the region.
The second report, authored by Cozen O’Connor staff, is entitled “Policy and Process Factors Impacting Commercial Building Energy Efficiency in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.”. The factors examined include laws, regulations, financial incentives, contracts, public bidding requirements and more. The study concluded that while Pennsylvania and New Jersey have enacted many of the available policy levers that could help encourage energy efficiency retrofits, there are still numerous direct and indirect barriers in place. Additionally, the study found that processes necessary for full valuation of energy efficiency improvements are immature, causing increased transaction costs and making investments less valuable.
The reports and supporting materials can be found at https://gpichub.org/activities/policy/gpic-reports.
- ASHRAE and GPIC partner on building efficiency hub
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Philadelphia – A newly signed memorandum of understanding brings together the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) to improve energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of buildings through the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) for Energy-Efficient Buildings.
ASHRAE and Penn State signed the memorandum this week to pursue common objectives related to GPIC. GPIC is a 24-member consortium, being led by Penn State, which has been designated as an Energy Innovation Hub of the U.S. Department of Energy and is located at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pa. The goals of GPIC are to transform the building retrofit industry from serial fragmentation to integrated systems methods, to improve design tools, building systems, public policies, market incentives, and workforce skills needed to achieve a 50 percent reduction of energy use in buildings, and to stimulate private investment and quality job creation in Greater Philadelphia and beyond.
“ASHRAE is looking forward to working closely with Penn State and other GPIC members on improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions,” Ron Jarnagin, ASHRAE president, said. “GPIC represents an exciting step forward in finding ways to increase energy efficiency. ASHRAE is happy to bring the knowledge and technical expertise of its volunteer members to the table to help create a broader knowledge of energy efficient and sustainable building practices.”
“ASHRAE brings a tremendous amount of technical knowledge and experience that will be very useful to the GPIC as we strive toward solving one of the nation's most serious energy problems by dramatically reducing energy consumption in commercial buildings. Together, we can create quality jobs in the region and boost the building industry” said Henry Foley, executive director of the GPIC and vice president for research for Penn State.
ASHRAE will assist in the GPIC effort in several areas, including research, education, certification, standards and guidelines and by applying the society’s Building Energy Quotient (bEQ) program to buildings at the Navy Yard. ASHRAE may also help obtain As-Designed and In-Operation bEQ ratings for buildings in Greater Philadelphia and can ensure that GPIC considers use of ASHRAE certifications to support its objectives.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 people. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education. - Mini-documenatry about The Sustainability Workshop
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Learn more about the inspiring work of Simon Hauger and The Sustainability Workshop, a project-based learning school for 30 high school seniors located in The Navy Yard. The Workshop is being funded by GPIC, and students will be contributing to the work of GPIC by studying energy efficiency in buildings.
Simon Hauger and The Sustainability Workshop from PopTech on Vimeo.
- Actman joins Energy Efficiency Hub in Philadelphia
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On October 17, Laurie Actman became the Deputy Director for Management and Administration for the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) for Energy-Efficient Buildings headquartered at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia.
GPIC is a consortium of academic institutions, federal laboratories, global industry partners, regional economic development agencies and other stakeholders supported by nearly $160 million in federal and state grants, including $122 million from the Department of Energy to establish an Energy Innovation Hub. The goals of GPIC are to improve energy efficiency of buildings, and to stimulate private investment and quality job creation in the Greater Philadelphia region, the larger Mid-Atlantic region, and beyond. The GPIC focuses on full spectrum retrofit of existing average size commercial and multi-family residential buildings.“Laurie is one of the region's most respected organizers of ideas and action, able to work with politicians, market actors, and think tanks with equal success”, said Mark Alan Hughes of the University of Pennsylvania. “Since GPIC is one of the most exciting national economic development and sustainability initiatives underway right now, the Philadelphia region is fortunate that Laurie will be supporting its success.”
In her new role, Ms. Actman will help build strategic initiatives in partnership with federal agencies, national laboratories, private industry and other key collaborators at the state and local level. She will help to coordinate workforce development and deployment activities, and lend assistance to the policy, markets and behavior activities, where she has already been chairing the GPIC Policy, Markets, and Behavior Advisory Committee.
John Grady, PIDC’s President and a GPIC Executive Committee member said, “Laurie’s background in economic development and recent clean technology experience in the private sector will provide important new capacity for achieving GPIC’s goals of greater energy efficiency in buildings and creating quality jobs in the region. We at PIDC are really looking forward to working with her.”
Ms. Actman most recently served as the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Public Policy for Viridity Energy, a Philadelphia-based smart grid company that supplies large energy consumers with tools to increase energy efficiency and decrease energy costs. She’s also held positions in Mayor Nutter’s office as a policy consultant where she helped to launch the city’s first sustainability office and the creation of the Metropolitan Caucus.
Prior to working for the City of Philadelphia, Ms. Actman served as the Chief Policy Development Officer for the CEO Council for Growth and Select Greater Philadelphia, economic development affiliates of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Actman began her career in Washington, D.C. with The Brookings Institution and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Ms. Actman holds a Master degree in Regional Planning from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University, St. Louis.