MINUTES

Conservation and Green Building Subcommittee
Mayor’s Energy Task Force
January 6, 2004

Focus of a Madison GB program:

• Promote green policies, encourage developers and building owners
• Demonstrate market leadership by government
• Transform existing building stock

Address private buildings

• Most building stock private—Market transformation there would yield greatest impacts

Developer issues:

• Competitive market
• Rents depressed
• Short term view – build to resell, don’t reap benefits of green, high performance building
• Technological risks – risk aversive

Developer decision-making process:

• Based on price and rent
• Oversimplified
• Occupants have no say about space – they pay $150/SF

What would motivate developers in addition to inherent benefits of green design?

1. Educate private & public sectors:

Long term view  - Public sector

Short term view  - Private corporations / Developers

Have the corporations educate about why they built green as opposed to the practitioners.

Get EPIC to present their own case study

2. Limit risks to developers

• Give financial incentives
• Provide examples
• Help with advertising/ promotion

Ken Pientka will ask developers about what changes in city policy and the approval process they would like to see as green incentives

Other issues:

• Should incentives for green building be tied to sprawl and density triggers?
• Madison needs a LEED accredited professional internally as a change-agent within the city infrastructure
• What are City or other relevant policies re gray water? (ask Jim Whitney to find out)
• Use fire station as benchmark tool since already too far in the process- collect data to show how, under green standard, it would be different

Pending Madison Inclusionary Zoning Resolution

Tom Hirsch, Chair of the Madison Housing Committee addressed the group about the Inclusionary Zoning Res going to vote by City Council January 20th

Housing committee recommendations included voluntary physical standards not included in the Mayor’s IZ resolution due to questions pertaining to the legality of their inclusion based on the state’s Uniform Dwelling Code.

2 of the physical standards address energy efficiency and indoor air quality including:

• Energy conservation: achieve 115% of minimum under state code
• install power venting or sealed combustion of hot water heaters and radon mitigation

Based on discussion, the green building workgroup of the Energy Conservation & Green Building Committee suggested the following be shared with the rest of the committee for consideration for presentation to the Mayor and City Council:

If it is determined that the inclusion of physical standards is not in violation of the WI Uniform Dwelling Code, then we recommend:

1. Including the physical standards that were part of the housing committee’s proposal including standards 2, 3, 4 related to improved energy efficiency and indoor air quality
2. That physical standard # 2 of a 115% target in energy efficiency be modified to a standard that will produce measurable results and be replaced with encouraging the builder to participate in the WI Energy Star program.

Research and Work Product

Green Building workgroup will meet at 2:30, MGE Jan 20th.before the ECGB committee meeting at 3:00.

Agenda:

• Discuss matrix and initial data entry of municipal green building programs across the country. Assess, how is the matrix working? ID other cells needed, etc.
• Confer with Doug Nelson of the Nelson Group who has agreed to use one of his projects as a demonstration project for green building and possibly, renewables.
• Schedule next workgroup meeting

Garrick and Flad staff will key in the matrix and provide to committee members.

Garrick and Sherrie will develop inventory of municipal programs nationally

Each member will take 2 programs and enter them into the matrix before Jan 20th meeting.