Skipping Stone, Schneider Electric and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced today the formation of a committee tasked with enhancing the current Demand Response LEED Pilot Credit. The team, led by Skipping Stone and composed of Schneider Electric and the Demand Response Research Center (DRRC) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will collaborate on enhancing the credit to enable commercial building owners and LEED green building projects to earn credits in LEED for enrolling in utility or wholesale market demand response programs.
The enhanced program will provide LEED projects with demand response definitions, participation options for buildings, and implementation and documentation requirement guidelines. The team will also develop a robust market research agenda to study participation across markets, adoption criteria, load reduction scenarios, utility service territory benchmarking and implementation technology drivers. To assist buildings in identifying existing demand response programs, Skipping Stone will provide U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) members with a searchable national database of programs.
“Demand response is unique in comparison to other LEED credits as it requires coordination with the utility and wholesale markets,” said Brendan Owens, Vice President, LEED Technical Development, USGBC. “By bringing this team of experts from the energy and building communities together, USGBC will benefit from the combined expertise.”
“Demand response is a new path for USGBC and critical to the building communities’ involvement in the smart grid,” indicated Mark MacCracken, USGBC Chairman.
“One of our key strategic initiatives focuses on taking buildings into the energy markets through demand response initiatives,” said Jim Anderson, Vice President, USA Utility and Smart Grid Business for Schneider Electric. “Being asked to assist USGBC by providing our proven building and implementation perspective is an honor in this groundbreaking endeavor.”
The revised Demand Response LEED Pilot Credit will be published later this spring. Based on feedback from participating buildings, the market research generated in the market pilots and input from pilot sponsors, recommendations will be made for eventual integration of the Demand Response Credit into the Energy & Atmosphere Credits in the next version of the LEED rating system, LEED 2012.
To propel building community adoption of both demand response and the revised LEED credit, USGBC will be launching a series of utility service territory market pilots. Skipping Stone has been named as the market pilot manager and is currently developing stakeholder support with potential host utilities, market operators, regulators, enabling technology and services providers and other interested parties.
“This USGBC initiative is a game changer for the adoption of demand response by the commercial building sector,” said Peter Weigand, Skipping Stone Chairman and CEO. “We hope that the energy community gets behind these market pilots because this it is a great opportunity to help drive commercial sector adoption of load management programs.”
Related Stories
| Mar 20, 2012
Stanford’s Knight Management Center Awarded LEED Platinum
The 360,000-sf facility underscores what is taught in many of the school’s electives such as Environmental Entrepreneurship and Environmental Science for Managers and Policy Makers, as well as in core classes covering sustainability across the functions of business.
| Mar 20, 2012
New office designs at San Diego’s Sunroad Corporate Center
Traditional office space being transformed into a modern work environment, complete with private offices, high-tech conference rooms, a break room, and an art gallery, as well as standard facilities and amenities.
| Mar 19, 2012
Mixed-use project redefines Midtown District in Plantation, Fla.
Stiles Construction is building the residential complex, which is one of Broward County’s first multifamily rental communities designed to achieve LEED certification from the USGBC.
| Mar 16, 2012
Temporary fix to CityCenter's Harmon would cost $2 million, contractor says
By contrast, CityCenter half-owner and developer MGM Resorts International determined last year that the Harmon would collapse in a strong quake and can't be fixed in an economical way. It favors implosion at a cost of $30 million.
| Mar 16, 2012
Stego embarks on HPD Pilot Program
Vapor barrier manufacturer strives to provide better green choices to designers and builders.
| Mar 14, 2012
Plans for San Francisco's tallest building revamped
The glassy white high-rise would be 60 stories and 1,070 feet tall with an entrance at First and Mission streets.
| Mar 13, 2012
Commercial glazer Harmon expanding into Texas
Company expanding into the Texas market with a new office in Dallas and a satellite facility in Austin.
| Mar 12, 2012
Improving the performance of existing commercial buildings: the chemistry of sustainable construction
Retrofitting our existing commercial buildings is one of the key steps to overcoming the economic and environmental challenges we face.
| Mar 7, 2012
Firestone iPad app offers touch technology
Free app provides a preview of Firestone’s Roots to Rooftop Building Envelope Solution with an overview of all the products from ground and stormwater management solutions, to complete wall panel and commercial roofing system applications.