Houston_Green_10.23.09 - 11

The Center will not only help architects and builders with project reviews of green buildings but also display green building materials and products for both residential and commercial projects. Two plan reviewers and Program Director, Steve Stelzer, AIA, work in the space along with two other City staffers. A conference room for code ofﬁcials is available for use in the evenings for public-education programs. A Cradle-to-Cradle certiﬁed workstation, donated by Steelcase, features a publically accessible computer for green building information browsing, augmented with complimentary Green building subscriptions from BuildingGreen.com. HOUSTON JOINS INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL INITIATIVES In addition to the establishment of these in-house programs, the City of Houston has reached beyond its boundaries to partner with other organizations in pursuit of a more sustainable world. On the international scene, Houston was one of the ﬁrst to sign onto C40 Climate Leadership Group (www.c40cities.org) in which some of the world’s largest cities have committed to tackling climate change, promising to reduce energy consumption by 30% in cityowned facilities and utility infrastructure. The Clinton Climate Initiative is a major player in this program. Updating Houston’s progress as one of the Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities program (a select group of US cities is working to accelerate the adoption of solar energy technologies for a cleaner, more secure energy future), Mayor White began by Houston’s commitment to this project by having 40 solar panels donated by BP installed on the roof of the City Hall Annex and another 40 on the side of the Code Enforcement Building in 2008 each with 13-kw of solar production capacity. 2009 saw the installation of 100-kw of solar panels at the George R. Brown Convention Center through a major grant from Houston Endowment Inc. and support from AIA Houston and the Architecture Center Houston Foundaiton. Both polycrystalline and thin-ﬁlm amorphous solar panels were installed, some visible from the adjacent freeway (see page 10). LOCAL INITIATIVES WITH LOCAL PARTNERS Locally, the City of Houston has intiated or partnered with a variety of other organiza- tions to move forward its energy conservation agenda. The City and Centerpoint Energy have created the Residential Energy Efﬁciency Program (REEP) to provide free weatherization to over 7000 existing houses; nine neighborhoods have been completed since 2006. The process involves pressurizing the homes to ﬁnd energy leaks, then, as needed, caulking windows, installing weatherstripping, attic insulation, and pipe and water heater insulation. The average cost of this program is $1,000 per house, which reduces annual electricity usage by approximately 12%. During the summer, when electric bills are highest in Houston, some homeowners have reported reductions up to 20%. After securing $23 million in federal stimulus funding, another eleven superneighborhoods have been added to the list. In collaboration with the Greater Houston Partnership, Central Houston, and CenterPoint Energy, the City of Houston promoted Lights Out Houston during Earth Week 2009. Lights Out Houston involves a sustained commitment by building owners and their tenants to turn off unnecessary ofﬁce lighting. It is estimated that the program is saving participating businesses over $4 million annually in reduced energy

Houston_Green_10.23.09

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